Satbayev University students have launched a digital revolution in archiving, creating the future of data storage

The first hackathon "Archive Hack: Smart Archive" was held at Satbayev University, organized jointly with Archive of RK President and Yandex Qazaqstan. Teams of university and college students competed with each other, creating the new solutions for access to archived data, their digitalization, protection and preservation.

For two days, the participants worked and created to make historical access to the cultural heritage of Kazakhstan. Opening the hackathon, director of Archive of RK President Aliya Mustafina noted the high level of creativity and the importance of the given work:

— Archive has always been considered throughout the civilized world as a national insistence, as a cultural value, as a strategically important information resource, - Aliya said. - Today, archives are huge amounts of information, databases, unlimited possibilities for using these resources to make new decisions, for use in research projects, and much more. And we are pleased that the first hackathon aroused such interest among the students.

165 people took part in the hackathon, one third of whom were schoolchildren. Satbayev University provided a platform for their creativity, believing that their ideas will help preserve and popularize the cultural heritage of our country, and the most talented young engineers will continue their studies at our university. 43 teams took part in the competition, and 20 people decided to participate in the competition individually.

The participants were divided into three sections, each of which is aimed at solving a specific task. Young Archivists Initiative section focused on elaborating the virtual archives with interactive exhibitions. The teams in Designing Heritage section developed a brand book for President's Archive for the participants. And Tech Solutions for Heritage section gathered teams that developed technological solutions such as handwriting recognition systems and algorithms for digital restoration of damaged documents. Throughout the hackathon, participants received support and mentoring from Yandex Qazaqstan experts.

As part of the hackathon, the participants presented their projects to the jury consisting of leading experts from Satbayev University, Archive of President and Yandex Qazaqstan. The winners were:

Young Archivists Initiative - Best School Project

• 1st place team “Time Keepers” of school № 41 named after A. Pushkin in Taraz city;
• 2nd place team “Stars” of school № 113 in Almaty; 2nd place team “Time Keepers” of school № 41 named after A. Pushkin in Taraz city. Almaty;
• 3rd place team “Gandhi” Vocational Lyceum № 92 named after Mahatma Gandhi, Almaty.

Designing Heritage - Best Brandbook Design

• 1st place team “Eleven VG” of school-gymnasium #79 of Almaty;
• 2nd place team “TRV designers” of Vocational Lyceum № 92 named after Mahatma Gandhi, Almaty; 2nd place team “TRV designers” of Mahatma Gandhi Vocational Lyceum № 92, Almaty. Almaty;
• 3rd place team “Triple-A” from Satbayev University-MUIT.

Tech Solutions for Heritage - Best Innovative Solution

• 1st place team “Adapteam” from MUIT;
• 2nd place team “KBTU-hahaton_enjoyerse” from KBTU;
• 3rd place “Spark Studio” from MUIT.

Members of the “Time Keepers” team were awarded with educational grants from Satbayev University. All participants were awarded with special diplomas. The winners of the hackathon received cash prizes from Yandex Kazakhstan, the total prize fund amounted to 3,000,000 tenge.

"Archive Hack: Smart Archive" has become an important platform for young people to interact with archival data and new technologies, and, as the organizers noted, the given event opens up new opportunities for further cooperation in the field of digitalization and preservation of cultural heritage.