(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/summersetretrievers)

Automation Alley, organisers of #Hack4Detroit, has announced the winner of this year's smart city hackathon will be strutting away with a $5,000 grand prize. The 24 hour event begins at Grand Circus Detroit at 7pm on June 12th and allows coders to use city data to help benefit Detroit. 

The city's new "Open Data Portal" recently went live after Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan signed the GO DATA executive order aimed at creating “a more open, collaborative and accountable relationship between the city government and the people it serves.” 

It offers masses of data for hackers to show-off their creativity and skill in a unique way. Citizens will be able to access crime reports, building and trade permits, blight remediation data among 75 individual data sets that include over 60 maps of libraries and parks.  There will be nearly 400,000 individual pieces of data available pertaining to city operations.  

This data is provided by nine participating agencies; the Buildings, Safety, Engineering and Environmental Department, the Detroit Police Department, Detroit Land Bank Authority, Planning and Development Department, Recreation Department, Public Works, Assessor, Department of Transportation and the city clerk.  

Last year, teams were challenged to build an app for Detroit Public Library and two interns from Detroit Venture Partners went home with the $5,000 grand prize. Check out this video of the teams hard at work building their apps: 

Detroit's Open Data Portal is powered by Socrata, which has helped many municipalities open their data around the world. In the UK, for example, the cloud software provider is behind the open data portal which supports the 'Bristol is Open' smart city project (you can read more about the project and what makes a "smart city" here.) 

The cost to participate in #Hack4Detroit is $20. Participation is limited to 65 people. For more information, contact Automation Alley at 800-427-5100. 

Do you think "smart city" hackathons like #Hack4Detroit are a good idea? Let us know in the comments.