UTAS Nizwa students shine in drone hackathon competition
The second edition of the Drone Hackathon, organised by the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Nizwa, concluded after lasting for a week from April 18 to 24. The closing ceremony was held on Wednesday evening at Nizwa Hall at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences under the auspices of Eng Said bin Hamoud al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.
Under the slogan ‘Fly to the horizons, the sky is no longer the limit’, the hackathon aimed to develop and refine the capacities of university students in the use of modern techniques in aerial photography, creativity and innovation in the content industry of social media platforms.
The Ofoq team won first place with a cash prize of RO 1,000, Al Bareeq team won second place with a prize of RO 750, and Qasab team won third place with a prize of RO 500.
The competition targeted 66 trainee employees from the University of Technology and Applied Sciences from various branches of the university. The works that will be produced focus on highlighting the reflection of the civilisational and cultural aspects of the people of Oman in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate.
The students were trained to photograph using drones to produce competitive artistic works, such as aerial photos and professional videos. They were also trained to use photos and video clips taken by drones to produce content suitable for display on social media in a creative and attractive manner.
Dr Hafez bin Ahmed Ambusaidi, Assistant Dean of the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Nizwa, said: “The university, through its broad vision, always tries to keep pace with any development, any change, and any modernisation in modern technologies because this has become an important industry that keeps pace with the trends of the Sultanate of Oman and the directions of Oman Vision 2040.”
“We believe that the issue of drone photography is no longer just a matter of photography but rather a skill, and it has become an industry that has strategic dimensions at the level of countries and carries investment implications that portend a broad future. The issue of drone photography is no longer just a matter of photography; it has investments that have added dimensions. We know today that drone photography is involved in logistics, in agricultural institutions such as the 1,000,000 Palm Trees Project, in the field of mining, and in the security and defence fields,” he added.
Shaikh Hilal bin Said al Hajri, Governor of Al Dakhiliyah, said: “The hackathon aims to meet society’s expectations for tourism development in the Governorate of Al Dakhiliyah, which is rich in natural, environmental, urban, cultural and historical components. Participants will work on creating creative content for tourism marketing at designated photography sites in Izki, Nizwa, Al Jabal Al Akhdhar and Al Hamra.
The hackathon aims to meet the aspirations of university participants and establish a lasting impression on their minds and hearts.”