Challenge Summary
Welcome to the “Reclamation Streamflow Forecasting Design Challenge”! The scope of this challenge is to create a minisite for the Reclamation Streamflow Forecasting data science challenge series, that will be hosted on Topcoder in the next months.
Challenge Objectives
Application Overview
Audience
Persona
User Story
Kevin is a data scientist at Topcoder. He competes in various challenges and is excited to code solutions and innovate on real problems in the world and improve the life of other people.
A challenge has recently been posted on Topcoder about improving the short-term streamflow forecast across locations of the western United States. This forecast will help water managers to manage the effects of high flows, and to mitigate drought impact. The problem looks very interesting and Kevin would like to compete. However, the information is now scattered in forums, social media and the Topcoder site. Besides, he doesn’t know where he can see a leaderboard of the results to keep track of who's on top and what position he’s in.
Kevin finds this minisite (that we’re designing), that includes all the information he wishes to see about this challenge series. This site is a Reclamation site, powered by Topcoder. It will need to follow both brands as detailed in the Branding section below.
Design Goals & Principles
Exploration Score
In terms of expectations, we would like to measure the concept against the following in the one to ten scales:
Glossary
Reclamation = Bureau of Reclamation (link site)
CEATI = Centre for Energy Advancement through Technological Innovation
RTI = Research Triangle Institute
Screen Requirements
1. Landing Page
In this challenge we need to design a page for the Reclamation Streamflow Forecasting data science challenge series. This page will contain all the important information a person needs to know to start competing. We have previously designed a similar page for the Rodeo 2 challenge series. Now, we want to do much better, especially as this is a dedicated site to Reclamation, not just a Topcoder branded page.
The landing page will need to include content for the following sections:
1. Overview
2. Why this matters
3. Upcoming Challenges and Prizes
4. Rules
Description and sample content for each section:
1. Overview
Welcome to the Reclamation Streamflow Forecasting Challenge Series! This challenge seeks to improve the skill of short-term streamflow forecasts (10 days) via a year-long competition. Solvers will develop and implement their methods for locations across the western United States, attempting to outperform state of practice streamflow forecasts.
2. Why this matters
Streamflow forecasts are integral to water management. With higher skill forecasts, water managers can likely better operate facilities for high flows, to mitigate drought impacts, and to achieve other improved outcomes (e.g. hydropower generation).
Here at Topcoder, we will start the streamflow forecasting challenge series by conducting a Marathon Match starting in August 2020. The purpose of the Marathon match is to explore and develop innovative solutions using Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning and additional data sets / ideas to meet objective scoring of current forecasting methods.
3. Upcoming Challenges and Prizes
We still have $500,000 of prizes to give away, and will be doing so over the next year in our daily forecasting! Following the Marathon match, a year of real-time daily forecasting will be conducted.
You need to be a Topcoder member to participate in this series.
We need a button “Join Topcoder” for this area as well.
4. Rules
5. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Still have some questions about how to continue with these challenges? No problem, many others probably had the same question as you do.
Note: the style of these elements should follow the same one we have on the Rodeo page.
If you have any other ideas about how to make this page better, feel free to show them.
Branding Guidelines
Size
Stock Photos and Images
Final Deliverables
Round 1
Submit your initial design for a Checkpoint Feedback:- Landing Page Reclamation Streamflow (Web + Mobile)
Round 2
Submit your Final Design plus Checkpoint Updates:- Landing Page Reclamation Streamflow (Web + Mobile)
Challenge Objectives
- Responsive Web Application
- To create 2 screens (desktop + mobile)
- To provide complete information about this data science challenge series
- To explore ideas around different layouts of this page and show our creativity to the customer
Application Overview
- The purpose of this page is to have one place where the data scientists competitors can find all they need to know about the Streamflow Forecasting Challenge series
- This page will provide details about the main Marathon Match, as well as the submission structure during the ongoing challenges for the following 1 year.
- The information should be easy to scan
Audience
- Topcoder Data Science Members who wish to compete on the Reclamation Streamflow Forecasting Challenge Series
- Client stakeholders who are following along with the series
- Anyone online who might be interested to read about this challenge series
- Users will land at this page, either from social media or an email marketing campaign
Persona
- Name: Kevin
- Occupation: Topcoder Data Scientist Competitor
- Goals:
- Quickly learn about this new challenge series
- Follow up on the results and the planned work in the next months
- Frustrations:
- Can’t find all the information about the challenge series in one place
- Wants:
- A page to learn fast and stay updated on this new data science challenge series
User Story
Kevin is a data scientist at Topcoder. He competes in various challenges and is excited to code solutions and innovate on real problems in the world and improve the life of other people.
A challenge has recently been posted on Topcoder about improving the short-term streamflow forecast across locations of the western United States. This forecast will help water managers to manage the effects of high flows, and to mitigate drought impact. The problem looks very interesting and Kevin would like to compete. However, the information is now scattered in forums, social media and the Topcoder site. Besides, he doesn’t know where he can see a leaderboard of the results to keep track of who's on top and what position he’s in.
Kevin finds this minisite (that we’re designing), that includes all the information he wishes to see about this challenge series. This site is a Reclamation site, powered by Topcoder. It will need to follow both brands as detailed in the Branding section below.
Design Goals & Principles
- Simple and clean design over complex and flashy
- Content hierarchy - think about the priority of information. What are the most important things for the user? The user should be able to check this page and easily understand what the program is about and what information is available.
- Topcoder and Reclamation branding are mandatory
Exploration Score
In terms of expectations, we would like to measure the concept against the following in the one to ten scales:
- Creativity: 5
- 1: barely new ideas
- 10: a utopic product with features not proven to be able to be fully implemented
- Aesthetics: 9
- 1: low-fidelity design, wireframe or plain sketch
- 10: top-notch finished looking visual design
- Exploration: 7
- 1: strictly follow an existing reference or production guideline
- 10: open to alternative workflows/features not listed here that would help the overall application
- Note from the customer: we’re open to ideas, and we’d like the page to be clean, easy to understand and navigate
- Branding: 7
- 1: don’t care at all about the branding just functionality
- 10: without a properly branded product there is no success
- Note from the customer: it is important for competition to have “branding”
Glossary
Reclamation = Bureau of Reclamation (link site)
CEATI = Centre for Energy Advancement through Technological Innovation
RTI = Research Triangle Institute
Screen Requirements
1. Landing Page
In this challenge we need to design a page for the Reclamation Streamflow Forecasting data science challenge series. This page will contain all the important information a person needs to know to start competing. We have previously designed a similar page for the Rodeo 2 challenge series. Now, we want to do much better, especially as this is a dedicated site to Reclamation, not just a Topcoder branded page.
The landing page will need to include content for the following sections:
1. Overview
2. Why this matters
3. Upcoming Challenges and Prizes
4. Rules
- Teaming
- Scoring
Description and sample content for each section:
1. Overview
Welcome to the Reclamation Streamflow Forecasting Challenge Series! This challenge seeks to improve the skill of short-term streamflow forecasts (10 days) via a year-long competition. Solvers will develop and implement their methods for locations across the western United States, attempting to outperform state of practice streamflow forecasts.
2. Why this matters
Streamflow forecasts are integral to water management. With higher skill forecasts, water managers can likely better operate facilities for high flows, to mitigate drought impacts, and to achieve other improved outcomes (e.g. hydropower generation).
Here at Topcoder, we will start the streamflow forecasting challenge series by conducting a Marathon Match starting in August 2020. The purpose of the Marathon match is to explore and develop innovative solutions using Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning and additional data sets / ideas to meet objective scoring of current forecasting methods.
3. Upcoming Challenges and Prizes
We still have $500,000 of prizes to give away, and will be doing so over the next year in our daily forecasting! Following the Marathon match, a year of real-time daily forecasting will be conducted.
You need to be a Topcoder member to participate in this series.
We need a button “Join Topcoder” for this area as well.
4. Rules
- Participation Individual or in Teams Competitors may compete individually or form teams (optional) for selected challenges on this project. Competitors may work with colleagues they already know, and/or with rated Topcoder members. In the teaming option, the team formation may occur offline. Each member in the team needs to register themselves on Topcoder platform as per the eligibility requirement. The team will define a captain to submit a solution on behalf of the team. Prize splits are determined in advance, and recorded on a single affidavit signed by all team members.
- Scoring: we will have a link to another site where the leaderboard will be showing scoring once the first Marathon Match challenge is live
- Scoring System Topcoder Project Manager and team will develop the scoring system for this challenge as per input provided by CEATI and RTI.
5. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Still have some questions about how to continue with these challenges? No problem, many others probably had the same question as you do.
- What is the Bureau of Reclamation?
Learn more about them here.
- Why do people compete if they aren’t guaranteed to get paid?
Go here to see that challenge.
Feel free to add any other FAQs that make sense to you.Note: the style of these elements should follow the same one we have on the Rodeo page.
If you have any other ideas about how to make this page better, feel free to show them.
Branding Guidelines
- Follow Topcoder branding for font types, image treatment (blobs), style.
- Content width should be 1280px or 1024px
- Follow Reclamation branding guidelines in terms of colors and image usage, text and any other content.
- Download the Reclamation logo from here
Size
- Desktop: width: 1440 px x height as much as needed
- Mobile (responsive application): width: 320 px x height as much as needed. You should export your designs for presentation and in Marvel at 2X.
Stock Photos and Images
- Stock Photos are allowed but only from the websites with photos free for commercial use from those allowed by Topcoder (Public Domain Archive, Pexels and Unsplash). You can also use photos from the Reclamation site.
- Icons: we will share them on forums. Only Streamline icons are allowed or those taken from the GUI KIT.
Final Deliverables
- All original source files.
- Create files in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe XD, Sketch or Figma.
- Marvel Prototype
- Upload your screens to Marvel App.
- Send your marvel app request to keyla. blue1@gmail.com
- Include your Marvel app URL as a text file in your final submission. Label it “MarvelApp URL”.
Please read the challenge specification carefully and watch the forums for any questions or feedback concerning this challenge. It is important that you monitor any updates provided by the client or Studio Admins in the forums. Please post any questions you might have for the client in the forums.