AN app to help the police and community map antisocial areas was a winning idea at HackED 2017.
The annual event aims to introduce WA high school students in years 7 to 12 to the power technology, using location data to develop new ways to improve their communities.
The August 17 hack-a-thon attracted 200 STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) students to the Midland Railway workshops, with Sacred Heart College winning two awards.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOWThe Sorrento students from years 7 to 9 won best overall hack for their idea for an app connecting microphones placed on street lamps that would record decibels and alert police to noisy situations such as out-of-control parties.
Students also won best use of geodata for a project that would use mapping data to turn water drainage areas into attractive landscaped wetlands featuring art by local Aboriginal people.
Woodvale Secondary College has also had success with a group of Year 8 STEM students winning the strength award at the Aurecon Bridge Building Competition on August 11.
The national engineering competition attracted 44 entries in the WA leg, with Woodvale’s bridge awarded for holding the highest load.
MORE: Premier McGowan announces statewide ban on plastic bags
MORE: St John Ambulance issues warning about snakes
MORE: Woman charged after allegedly attempting to smother baby daughter
MORE: Central Park Plunge: abseiling 220m was scary, but sick kids are much braver than I was