Patrick and I were looking for local hackathons and found that TopCoder was hosting their annual global hackathon in Houston. There was an oil and gas themed competition that fit both of our domain expertise. For a bit of background on our journey into hackathons, check out our
first hackathon. Although we were relatively new in the world of data science and definitely not the best or fastest coders, this competition allowed a few weeks for preparation which allowed us to slowly figure out how to tackle this challenge.
After many hours of research, trial and error, and googling syntax, we produced the results shown in the video below. We were elated when we learned that we placed third among teams of established programmers and data scientists from around the world. Our strategy was to play to our strengths which is our experiences in the oil and gas industry, and delivering a meaningful presentation focused on the big picture. The models and techniques we used were not the most sophisticated but we believe what set us apart was the ability to bridge the models to practical real-world implications.