Frequently Asked Questions

1 Can a team consists of a single person?

yes

2 Can team members be from different countries?

yes

3 Can team members be from different organizations?

yes

4 What spatial and temporal ranges we are expected to be covered

There is no strict expectation but see below.

5 Is the analysis expected to be global, using all available WOAH data, or can we focus our analysis on a specific region, continent, or group of countries?

Focusing on a specific region, continent, or group of countries is perfectly acceptable.

6 Does the choice of the geographic scale have any weight in the final scoring?

The choice of a particular region will have no impact on the final assessment.

Data science quality being equal, a study with a global scope will be likely better rated than a study with a regional scope.

7 Can we focus on a specific group of diseases of our interest, or should we include all diseases available in the dataset?

Focusing on a specific group of diseases is perfectly acceptable.

8 What is the anticipated weekly time commitment for the datathon?

It is anticipated that several weeks of cumulated full time work  are required to reach a competitive level, whatever the challenge chosen.

9 Can we use other data sources than those listed on the datathon website?

Absolutely! We encourage participants to use any relevant data sources that can enhance their analysis and insights. However, it is important to ensure that any additional data used is properly cited and adheres to any applicable data usage policies or restrictions.

10 Can the size of a team exceed six people?

No, the maximum team size is six people.

11 How should team inform WOAH of the challenge chosen

The datathon organising team does not need to be informed about what team works on what topic, as long as it is one of the topics suggested on the web page.

12 How we may obtain the data

Most data are open data freely accesible to anyone. Identifying relevant data and retrieving them is part of the challenge. We will arrange by the end of May the provision data that are not freely accessible.

13 How ownership and future use of the pipeline developed during the Datathon will be handled?

• Participants retain ownership of their code, models and analytical methods.
• Participants are encouraged to release their submitted code under an open licence (such as MIT, Apache 2.0, or CC BY 4.0). Teams choosing to do so will be recognised accordingly.
• Regardless of licence choice, participants grant WOAH a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual licence to use and adapt their submission for institutional and scientific purposes.

14 Does the data extraction step have to be an automated processes integrated into the submitted code, or can we present our analyses based on a static database?

Some of the relevant data can not be retrieved through an automated process, and we understand that. However, we encourage participants to automate the data extraction process as much as possible. In the case of manual data extraction, the static data base should be part of the deliverable and clear documentation on the data retrieval process should be provided.