The annual hackathon of The Analytics Lab and Cmotions was won by the ANWB. For the third edition of this event, the Atoomclub in Utrecht was transformed into a veritable escaperoom.During this escaperoom hackathon, it was all about freeing Piet A. Choras, who is stuck for overfitting in ‘Penitentiaire inrichting (indeed, Pi) De Atoomclub’. Participating teams were presented with a number of analytical problems, which they used to progress step by step in proving the world-famous mathematician’s innocence. These included finding out the location of a stranded package, finding a corrupt prison guard and using a number of visualization techniques to calculate the period of time Pete A. Choras was detained.
Remarks by the guards and the interrogation with the prison warden were carefully listened to and saved, knowing that in every detail there may be a hint hidden. The participants also searched for clues in the decoration of the prison: from the effigies of historical mathematicians to the bookcase of the Atomic Club, all attributes were studied with surgical precision.
Through subtle and not so subtle hints, the participants were gradually put on the right track, allowing all teams to get stuck into a classification model during the final round to free Pete A. Choras. In a nice second place, within striking distance of the other contestants, Vivat finished. But like last year, ANWB stayed well ahead of the competition. They prolonged their title and won the coveted candy jar and a visit to a “real” Escape Room.
Congratulations ANWB!
