#AI4BetterBLR

AI isn't the solution—people are. Calling all AI Ninja Bengalureans to collaborate, act, and build the future of our city.

🚶 Phase 1: Walkathon 💻 Phase 2: Vibeathon 🏆 Phase 3: Grand Showcase

Better Bengaluru powered by People & AI

The Silicon Valley of India needs its citizens to build practical solutions for its urban environmental challenges. This is a citizen-first movement — FOR THE CITY, BY THE PEOPLE who live in it.

The 3-Phase Journey

Click navigation anchors at the top or scroll below to explore details.

Phase 1: Saturday, 23 May 2026

🚶 WALKATHON & CLIMATE HUDDLE

What if your morning walk could help build a cleaner, safer Bengaluru? We are walking through our layouts to capture real-time civic and environmental data using simple mobile uploads to power the Phase 2 buildathon.

1. Spot & Capture

Snap broken footpaths, encroached sidewalks, or garbage piles while walking.

2. Intelligent Mapping

Our platform automatically maps issues to the correct ward & department.

3. Direct Impact

Generate actionable spatial data for civic bodies to resolve city issues.

Ready For Action?

Mobile phone (charged)
Active mobile data access
Comfortable walking shoes
FREE TO JOIN!

Walkathon Route

Start: CMRIT College Campus
Path: Up to Graphite India Junction
Return: Back to CMRIT College
Phase 2: 30–31 May 2026

💻 VIBEATHON AI BUILDATHON

A hybrid (online-first) 48-hour event where teams build Bots and companion applications that strengthen citizen–government connections at the ward level using community and public data. Bring your code, design, and models to build actionable solutions for a sustainable Bengaluru.

1. Hybrid Format

Online-first event with physical co-working components at the BCS HQ - CMRIT Innovation Hub.

2. Team Structure

Teams of 3+ members. Each team must include at least one community organizer.

3. Data & Wards

Create a single source of data for a chosen ward (using Walkathon data, or public spatial datasets).

4. Showcasing & Awards

The top 3 teams will be showcased, demoed, and awarded at the main Bengaluru Climate Summit (June 4–5).

Challenge Tracks & Themes

Walkable Bengaluru (Footpaths)

Classifying pedestrian safety, sidewalk quality, and mapping block spatial data.

ClimateMitra App Companion

A direct visual civic companion for reporting, coordinating, and resolving local climate issues.

Garbage Free Bengaluru

Optimization algorithms, alert systems, and local ward dashboard workflows for waste management.

#AI4BetterBLR Vibeathon FAQs

A hybrid (online-first) 48‑hour event where teams build Bots and companion systems that strengthen citizen–government connections at the ward level using community and public data.
The Vibeathon takes place on May 30–31, 2026. Showcase & awards will happen during the main Bengaluru Climate Summit on June 4–5, 2026.
It is online-first. Online participation supports distributed teams. Registered participants who wish to collaborate in person are welcome to visit the BCS HQ - CMRIT Campus for the offline vibeathon meetups.
Use the event WhatsApp group and the emergency support contact provided in your welcome packet. Technical mentors and organizers will also be on standby during office hours.
Notify the organizers via the official contact email vibeathon@bengalurucimatesummit.com immediately; teams can be reconfigured. Individual registrants will be matched into teams before the event starts.
Contact the organizing team early at vibeathon@bengalurucimatesummit.com. Reasonable accommodations will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The top 3 teams will demo their live solutions on the main stage of the Bengaluru Climate Summit on June 4–5, 2026. Details will be shared in your welcome packet.
Anyone with relevant skills (coding, design, policy, data science) and civic interest. Teams must have at least 3 members and include at least one community organizer.
Yes — individual registrants are welcome and will be matched into optimal teams by organizers where possible.
Yes. The online-first nature of the buildathon supports completely distributed, multi-disciplinary teams across different locations.
Three primary civic themes are available:
  • 🚶 Walkable Bengaluru: Enhancing footpath quality and safety.
  • 🗑️ Garbage Free Bengaluru: Solid waste and dumping optimization.
  • 🌍 Bengaluru co-ordinating for Climate (ClimateMitra): Direct citizen-government coordinate channels.
Yes. State your primary ward(s) of focus in registration; multi-ward approaches are fully allowed as long as they deliver clear, actionable ward-level civic impact.
Yes! Offline meetup hosts may receive logistical guidance, starter materials, and potential micro-support from the summit. Indicate your host interest during registration.
Citizen leaders can sign up as Ward Leads. BCS provides comprehensive field protocols, annotation guides, and training. Contact the Host Coordinator details in your welcome packet for info.
Teams can use Walkathon data (Ward 83), their own collected datasets, and public datasets. You can also build your own collection/annotation pipelines (please follow strict anonymization rules).
Use the Dataset Request Form linked in your welcome packet. If you know of a specific government dataset, BCS can help facilitate official access. BCS aims to respond to requests within 48 hours.
Yes! A complete Bot Starter Kit, sample dataset schemas, and field annotation guides are attached in the welcome pack and accessible via the repository link.
Yes — technical mentors and civic experts will be available for office hours. Register via the Mentor Sign-up Form in the welcome kit to reserve 1-on-1 team slots.
Yes. An Onboarding Workshop will be held on May 29 covering dataset walk-throughs, civic bot frameworks, and submission formatting. RSVP via the welcome kit link.
Teams must submit:
  • 🎥 Demo Video: Maximum 3 minutes (MP4 format).
  • 💻 Code Repository: Public GitHub link (or private with access credentials).
  • 📄 README: A 1-page document following the official submission template.
All deliverables must be submitted by May 31, 11:59 PM IST.
Judging is based on five core criteria:
  • 🤝 Citizen-Government Engagement: Impact on direct civic collaboration.
  • 🛠️ Technical Feasibility: Integrity, stability, and code quality.
  • 🔒 Data Use & Privacy: Ethical dataset use and anonymization checks.
  • 📈 Scalability: Portability to other wards across Bengaluru.
  • 🎯 Demo Quality: Clarity and execution of the final pitch.
Teams retain 100% ownership of their custom IP. If you utilize BCS datasets or accept official support, we encourage applying open-source-friendly licenses (MIT or Apache 2.0) to shared deliverables, or clearly noting limitations in your README.
Do not upload or share personally identifiable information (PII). Anonymize all citizens' faces, vehicle license plates, and private indicators per the Data Anonymization Note. Consent to data use is required during registration.
Register at the official AI4BetterBLR Vibeathon Registration Form and complete the form. A welcome confirmation and packet will be emailed within 24 hours.
Check your confirmation email for the welcome packet links, including Dataset Requests, Mentor Signups, pre-event Onboarding RSVP, and the Submission Form. Be sure to request custom datasets at least 48 hours in advance!
Phase 3: 4–5 June 2026

🏆 GRAND SHOWCASE AT BCS 2026

The journey culminates on the grand main stage of the Bengaluru Climate Summit. The top solution builders will present their models and functional spatial dashboards directly to civic administrators, environmental policymakers, global summit partners, and urban planners to convert their code into real-world city implementation.

Return to Homepage
Home Agenda 2026 Updates Team Register for BCS 2026 Support The Cause