Organization provided Internet for the event and promoted accessibility hackathon, lecture and interactive booth

Although the world is increasingly online, face-to-face contact is also important. The Campus Party, the largest technology festival in the country, was the ideal stage for interaction between RNP (National Education and Research Network) and users of its services, mainly the academic community.

RNP's participation in the event, held between November 11th and 15th, in São Paulo, included several initiatives. The highlight was the hackathon focused on the accessibility of the Web Conference service, with BRL 10,000 in prizes. At RNP's interactive booth, the usability tests of the eduplay mobile applications and the Web Conference itself attracted many visitors.

High-speed Internet and comic book distribution

As in previous years, RNP provided the wired Internet network for the entire event, with a speed of up to 10 Gb/s, and provided Internet access via eduroam, Wi-Fi exclusive to students, professors and researchers from the Federated Academic Community (CAFe)

RNP was also present at the Campus Party with the lecture “Ipezinho: how a robot has been contributing to education in Brazil”, on November 14th. Amanda Santos Pereira, Back-End developer and Services analyst, and Lucas Ornelas, Technology analyst, both from RNP, told a little about the history of “Ipezinho”, the chatbot created to help users of Rede Ipê, a Brazilian academic network developed by RNP to provide Internet for scientific projects, researchers and teaching institutions.

Another action that the campus residents really enjoyed was the distribution of comic books telling the 30 years of Internet history in Brazil and the fundamental participation of RNP in this process, which started in 1992. The magazines were distributed by Stormtrooper and Voldemort cosplayers, which yielded good photos to the participants of the event!

Improve accessibility for people with impaired vision

The “Acessibilithon Confweb: The Technology Breaking Barriers and Inclusion” hackathon had 62 subscribers. The aim of the challenge, aimed at software developers, designers and programming professionals, was to create improvements for the use of the Web Conference, a cloud service developed by RNP, by people with low vision, who represent 18.6% of the population, that is, 35 million Brazilians. The disability cannot be corrected by conventional glasses, contact lenses, medication or surgery. 

“We work to provide a better experience and promote the inclusion of students so that they can use our communication and collaboration tool to their full potential. Web conferencing has been heavily used in recent years due to the pandemic, but it remains a very important service in a digital world. Students and professors will be able to make the most of the tool, helping to connect them to the future and to research and education in the country”, said Antônio Carlos Nunes, Director of Services and Solutions at RNP. 

The Web Conference, used by thousands of students at Higher Education Institutions, combines video and audio to create virtual rooms for classes, meetings, lectures and projects. The application offers several features for instant and collaborative interaction, such as chat and sharing notes, images and files. 

There were 48 hours of programming activities. First place went to the Nova Era team; the second, with the Beka team; and the third, with the Meu Olhar team. The challenge distributed BRL 10,000 in prizes: BRL 5,000 for the winner; BRL 3,000 for second place; and BRL 2,000 for the third.

The teams had the support of professionals specialized in the process of creating solutions and the team of professionals from Mconf, a partner company of RNP that develops the technology used in the Web Conference. They taught participants how to use tools like Business Model Canvas and Product Discovery.

Nova Era, the winning team, developed three solutions for people with impaired vision: a filter for color blindness; a high-contrast tool, to invert the foreground and background colors, so that text stands out more visually; and a font resizing mechanism.

The Beka team, which came in second place, explored the possibilities of using voice commands so that the person with low vision can navigate unhindered through the Web Conference. Systems analyst Giovana Pança said that the team studied the market a lot in order to create something new. “There are a lot of tools out there for people who have lost all their vision, but that doesn't encompass individuals with low vision”, she explained. For Kelvin Nogueira, also a member of the Beka team, the objective of the challenge promoted by RNP was especially motivating due to the fact that the team has a friend with impaired vision. 

“It's always great to participate in the Campus Party, it's a privilege. The event has incredible energy, where we can meet students and professors from federal institutes and universities who use our services. Many people came from all over the country, not just from São Paulo. It's great to see young people who like technology, just as we do”, summarized RNP's Director of Engineering and Operations, Eduardo Grizendi.