DARPA Network Challenge Win $40K

[kevincrispie]

Originally Posted by Greg Needel

http://networkchallenge.darpa.mil/

To mark the 40th anniversary of the Internet, DARPA has announced the DARPA Network Challenge, a competition that will explore the role the Internet and social networking plays in the timely communication, wide area team-building and urgent mobilization required to solve broad scope, time-critical problems.

The challenge is to be the first to submit the locations of ten moored, 8 foot, red weather balloons located at ten fixed locations in the continental United States. Balloons will be in readily accessible locations and visible from nearby roadways.


With the network of Team in the US I think there is a very easy chance we could win this. 40k, Perhaps if we win we could give the money to FIRST to re-grant to some teams in need. Or split it amongst the teams that helped find the balloons.

Announcement October 29, 2009
Registration Opens December 1, 2009
Balloons Launched December 5, 2009
Submission Deadline December 14, 2009

That's a ton of money. I agree, with a bunch of people from teams, there is a ton of great thinkers all around the nation.

[Ted Weisse]

Originally Posted by NickE

A MIT Team has won.

https://networkchallenge.darpa.mil/

Found this in another thread...

[John G]

Of course, a group of kid's at MIT won the 40 k. kinda sad for the rest of us. Oh well.

[Ian Curtis]

It didn't necessarily have to be sad. If you reported a balloon you got $2,000 bucks, and if you referred a balloon reporter you got $1,000 bucks, and if you referred the referrer of the reporter you still got $500 bucks, so on and so forth. Pretty neat idea, obviously effective.

MIT's Red Balloon Team

[1986titans]

Yeah, if everyone was referred down the chain completely, $37500 goes to the people who found the balloons, and $2500 goes to charity. MIT just provided the website for 10 groups of people to meet up.

[GaryVoshol]

Centennial Park in Atlanta - is that a clue?