Knowit’s algorithm for facial recognition shared winner at SAS® Hackathon

A Nordic team from Knowit was awarded shared first place in the Nordic Hack SAS Viya competition in Oslo. The task was to use the possibilities of creating a solution based on data, advanced analytics, and the latest technology from SAS Viya®. The team from Knowit won with an app for facial recognition that can help displaced families find and identify missing family members.

The competition was held as a collaboration between SAS Institute ,Microsoft Azure, Intel, and Esri. Eleven Nordic teams from SAS partners participated.

– This Nordic Hackathon initiative is so much more than a competition. It’s the manifestation of a changing culture, of working together in the SAS ecosystem. The two winning contributions show high competence and creativity utilizing the SAS Advanced Analytical tools across the lifecycle, and they invite new audiences to explore topics and possibilities within AI, says Einar Halvorsen SAS Nordic director for Alliances and Channels.

– As last year’s winners, we knew it would require committed involvement where we went all-in, if we were to have the chance to win again this year. The combination of using innovative technology and data for good really engaged our Nordic team and led to a solution that we are very proud of. It is a great feeling when hard work yields result. Several organizations that work with displaced people have already shown an interest in the project and it is our ambition that the solution will eventually be used in real cases, says Ingvar Larsson, CEO Knowit Decision in Oslo.

You can find the winning contest entry here.