A public sector hackathon will be hosted in Edinburgh next week to explore how ‘better data use can drive improved services for the people of Scotland’.
The one-day event, which takes place on Wednesday, June 11, at the Glasshouse hotel on 2 Calton Square in the city, is being run by Catalyst BI, using the Snowflake platform.
“This is where public service professionals come together to solve real challenges using data collaboration and innovation,” said Tracy Parish of Catalyst BI, which has worked with public bodies in Scotland including NHS Tayside.
“This is your chance to roll up your sleeves and work across departments, organisations, and disciplines to explore how better data use can drive improved services for the people of Scotland.”
She added: “We’ll be using the Snowflake platform, to show how secure, scalable data sharing can unlock opportunities for public sector transformation, from policy and planning to service delivery. Whether you’re in digital, data, delivery or decision-making, this event is about doing, not just discussing.”
On the day, attendees will:
- Form mixed public sector teams across organisations
- Tackle live service challenges using shared datasets and open collaboration
- Ideate and test new ideas with support from technical experts
- Present your findings and recommendations in a showcase format
“This is a safe space to try new things, experiment with modern platforms, and demonstrate how cross-sector data sharing can lead to meaningful, actionable outcomes – all in a single day,” added Parish.
Challenge Streams
You’ll choose one of several core challenge areas to focus on, or bring your own:
- Unblocking bed availability in hospitals and social care
- Eradicating support gaps for vulnerable children at risk of criminal exploitation
- Predicting Did Not Attends (DNAs) in healthcare or public services
- Open Challenge Stream – bring a data-driven problem you want to solve
All streams will focus on collaboration, innovation, and impact — using the tools and data already available in your organisations.
Who Should Join?
This Hackathon is designed for anyone working in or with public sector data, from analysts and architects to programme leads, strategists and policy professionals. If you:
- Use data to inform decisions or define strategy
- Want to improve service delivery through evidence
- Care about cross-government collaboration
- Are curious about platforms like Seer 2 and Snowflake
…then this is for you.
No technical background? No problem. Teams will mix skills and experiences to build the best possible outcome — together.
What You’ll Need
Just bring your laptop and your ideas. We’ll provide:
- Access to secure, ready-to-use datasets
- Hands-on support with Snowflake & Seer 2
- A creative space to collaborate
- Food, drinks, and plenty of brain fuel
- Post-hackathon networking to share your experience
Ready to Hack?
Places are limited. Book now to be part of the public sector’s journey to smarter, more connected, more collaborative data innovation.
