Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Games To Generate Data Challenge

Background

This is the second challenge in a series of innovation challenges sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) Initiative. In the first challenge, titled “Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Aligning Forces Challenge”, RWJF asked developers to create applications that help patients access better health care using publicly available inpatient and outpatient measures of health care quality from the Aligning Forces program.

Following up on the great success of the first Challenge, RWJF is sponsoring another challenge that uses gaming and gamification concepts to generate health data that can be incorporated into the Aligning Forces data set. Gamification has been an increasingly hot topic in the health space, but seldom have games been used for the express purpose of creating data to improve the health and the quality of care in a community (big or small).

Description

The second challenge is a two-stage competition with a front-end ideation component and a back-end application development component. Participants are asked to develop game applications that target the Aligning Forces geographies, and drive the creation of useful health care quality data. Solutions submitted to the competition should be able to scale up or down to other geographies, so that they could be included in other geographies.

The target audience for game developers includes the developer community galvanized by the Games for Health Project. Developers should strive to create apps aimed at increasing health outcomes and healthcare quality, as well as reducing overall spending on community health and improving overall community health. The target audience for game "players" is citizens (including patient populations and health professionals) seeking to improve, enhance and optimize community health with a citizen-science like approach. In "playing", participants will in fact be competing to improve personal health – but the overarching goal is to maximize community health.

The challenge will be conducted in two phases: an Ideation Phase and a Development Phase. Prizes will be awarded at the end of both phases, with the larger prizes reserved for the conclusion of the second phase.

In addition to creating health data, developers are required to use the Aligning Forces performance data and are encouraged to use a number of other data sources, including, but by no means limited to, County Health Ranking data, etc. Other potential data sources include healthdata.gov and the health indicators warehouse. Critical to generating data is explaining how the data they seek to create is novel and has a specific means to be deployed toward the goals of improving community health and healthcare quality.

In the Ideation Phase, teams are asked to develop concepts describing the applications they would build for the challenge. Teams must submit a written document, either in Microsoft Word of Powerpoint format, that includes a software description, a data generation description, and a community deployment approach.

In the Application Development Phase, the top five teams that participated in the Ideation Phase are asked to create working game applications that build on what was proposed in the Ideation Phase. The deliverable for this phase is an 8-slide summary deck and a 5-minute video demonstrating the application in action.

Data Sources and Suggestions

For Aligning Forces performance data: email Jenn Stone at jstone@health2con.com.

For County Health Ranking and Roadmaps data: Download data. More information. Note:

1. County health ranks are calculated within, not across, states.
2. The spreadsheets contain background information in addition to the ranks and underlying data, including the data years (which vary by measure).
3. Some measures may not be available for all counties, particularly for less populated counties.
4. Some measures are not comparable across state lines: this table summarizes data comparability across states.
5. For each of the measures included in the rankings, national benchmarks have been calculated. These are not national averages – they are the points at which only 10% of counties in the nation do better, i.e. the 90th percentile or 10th percentile, depending on whether the measure is framed positively (e.g., high school graduation) or negatively (e.g., adult smoking).
6. Data users can send questions to info@countyhealthrankings.org.

Timeline

• Phase 1 Launch: December 5, 2012
• Phase 1 Submission Deadline: February 22, 2013
• Phase 1 Winners Announced: March 8, 2013
• Phase 2 Launch: March 11, 2013
• Phase 2 Submission Deadline: July 29, 2013
• Phase 2 Winners Announced: September 2, 2013
• Phase 2 Winners Presentation: Fall Health 2.0 Conference 2013

Evaluation Criteria

The Challenge requires that the game generate data that inform efforts to improve health and health care. Evaluation criteria for judging will include:

• Creativity and innovation
• Game and/or gamification design characteristics that clearly drive engagement and experience
• Design, usability and intuitiveness of application
• Effective integration of Aligning Forces and County Health Rankings data, etc
• Potential for data generated to improve health and health care (weighted most heavily)
• Potential and realistic plans for adoption in the community that minimally generates a quality data set, and at a maximum engages as many people in doing it
• Extra credit: apps that help community leaders improve Aligning Forces community healthcare

Submission Requirements

The 'Registration Form' is Step 1 of 2 for entry into this challenge. By registering, you indicate your interest in participating in the Challenge and will automatically receive a 'Final Submission Form' upon registration. You must complete this 'Final Submission Form', including the required elements for the final submission, prior to the Challenge deadline. Your completed submission will be considered for judging only once this second form is received.

Submission Criteria for Phase 1: Ideation Phase
In this first phase, teams are asked to develop concepts describing the applications they would build for the challenge. The submission for this phase will be a written document, in PDF format, of no more than 8 pages describing the submission. The document should include a software description, a data generation description, and a community deployment approach.

Submission Criteria for Phase 2: Development Phase
In the second phase, teams are asked to develop working game applications that build on what was proposed in the Ideation Phase. Teams are required to submit an 8-slide summary deck and a 5-minute video demonstrating the application in action.

Resources

• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Aligning Forces for Quality
• RWJF-Aligning Forces

Media Collateral

Terms & Conditions

ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION

OFFICIAL RULES

The following are the Official Rules (the “Rules”) governing the Aligning Forces for Quality™ (“Aligning Forces”) Games to Generate Data Challenge (the “Challenge”) sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (the “Sponsor”).

SUBMISSION OF AN ENTRY (AS DEFINED BELOW) IN THE CHALLENGE CONSTITUTES FULL AND UNCONDITIONAL AGREEMENT TO AND ACCEPTANCE OF THESE RULES.

ALL APPLICABLE FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. THE CHALLENGE IS VOID WHERE OTHERWISE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

1. ADMINISTRATOR: The administrator of the Challenge is Health 2.0, LLC, 350 Townsend Street, #403, San Francisco, CA 94107 (the “Administrator”).

2. ELIGIBILITY: The Challenge is open only to (a) business and nonprofit entities formed and maintaining a principal place of business in the United States and (b) individuals and teams of no more than five individuals, who are (i) citizens or permanent residents of the United States and (ii) of the legal age of majority, at the time of entry, to form valid contracts in their respective jurisdiction of legal residence (each individual, each team, each individual member of a team, and each entity is referred to as an “Entrant” in these Rules). Affiliated Persons (as defined below) are ineligible to participate in the Challenge.

Special note to Entrants who are entering as part of a team: If an Entrant enters as part of a team, the Entrant understands and agrees that submission of an Entry constitutes a representation and warranty by Entrant that all of the members of the team have read and accepted the Rules. Furthermore, an Entrant that is part of a team understands and agrees that if his/her team is selected to receive a Prize (as defined below), the team is responsible for ensuring the funds are appropriately distributed to each member of the team and each member of the team must agree upon the method of payment. In addition, once a team has registered, the team may not add, remove, or substitute members or otherwise change the composition of the team for the duration of the Challenge. Finally, the eligibility of the Entrant is tied to the team's eligibility; if one member of the team does not comply with these Rules or is disqualified, the team as a whole will be disqualified.

Special note to Entrants who are entering as an entity: If an Entrant is entering as part of an entity, the Entrant warrants that the appropriate officers, executives, managers, or other persons who have the authority to approve Entrant’s Entry into this Challenge have approved the Entrant’s Entry and the Entrant understands that these terms will be binding on both the Entrant and his/her entity. Furthermore, the Entrant understands that if the Entrant enters without obtaining the appropriate approval, the Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, disqualify the Entrant’s Entry. Finally, if an entity is selected to receive a Prize, an officer or person entitled to bind the entity will be required to validate that the Entrant is entitled to receive the Prize on the behalf of the entity and the officer or person entitled to bind the entity must provide the appropriate information for payment of the Prize.

Entrants who are determined at any time to have violated the eligibility criteria will be disqualified from the Challenge.

As used herein, the term “Affiliated Persons” means (a) the trustees, directors, officers, shareholders, members, employees, clients (with respect to the Administrator only), contractors, agents, representatives and affiliates of the Sponsor, the Administrator and any entity associated with the funding, administration, or processing of the Challenge and (b) the members of the Immediate Family (as defined below) of any of the persons identified in the foregoing clause (a). The term “Immediate Family” includes a person’s spouse/domestic partner and the parents, siblings, children and grandchildren of the person and his or her spouse/domestic partner.

3. CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION: The Challenge seeks to develop game applications (in accordance with the technical specifications posted on the Challenge Website (as defined below)) that targets one or more of the sixteen Aligning Forces geographies (see forces4quality.org/af4q-alliances-overview) (the “Aligning Forces Geographies”) and that drive the creation of useful health care quality data. The Challenge will be conducted in two phases. During Phase 1, five winning Entrants will be selected as semi-finalists from the entries submitted during the Entry Period (as defined below) (each, a “Semi-Finalist”). During Phase 2, which is currently expected to run from the end of the Entry Period through July 29, 2013, three winning entries will be chosen from among the Semi-Finalists; Phase 2 will be open only to the Semi-Finalists selected from Phase 1.

Entry into the Challenge does not constitute entry into any other challenge or promotion that may be offered by the Sponsor or the Administrator.

4. PRIZES: The following prizes are available to be awarded in this Challenge (each, a “Prize”):

• Each of the Semi-Finalists chosen during Phase 1 will receive a prize of $5,000.
• The first place winner chosen during Phase 2 will receive a prize of $100,000.
• The second place winner chosen during Phase 2 will receive a prize of $50,000.
• The third place winner chosen during Phase 2 will receive a prize of $25,000.

In addition, it is anticipated that the first place winner chosen during Phase 2 will be given an opportunity to attend (at the Sponsor’s expense) and present at the Health 2.0 Fall 2013 conference.

It is anticipated that Prizes will be distributed within ninety days of the announcement of the winners.

Winners may be required to execute an Affidavit of Eligibility, a Liability Release, and a Publicity Release (collectively, the “Prize Claim Documents”) as a condition to receiving a Prize. If a winner fails or refuses to sign and return all Prize Claim Documents within five days of the Sponsor’s and/or the Administrator’s request (or a shorter time as exigencies may require), the winner may be disqualified and an alternate winner may be selected. No more than the advertised number of prizes will be awarded. Prizes will be delivered only to an address in the United States. THE WINNER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR REPORTING AND PAYING ANY INCOME TAXES OR OTHER TAXES THAT MAY APPLY TO ACCEPTING A PRIZE; THE SPONSOR AND THE ADMINISTRATOR ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR AND WILL NOT PAY ANY SUCH TAXES.

5. HOW TO ENTER: The entry period for the Challenge will begin at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on December 5, 2012 and end at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on February 22, 2013 (the “Entry Period”).

Eligible individuals and entities interested in entering the Challenge may submit an Entry during the Entry Period through the Challenge website located at h2challenge.wufoo.com/forms/m7q2w1/ (the “Challenge Website”). Only one Entry will be accepted per Entrant. The Sponsor and the Administrator reserve the right, in addition to those other rights reserved herein, to modify any dates or deadlines set forth in these Rules or otherwise governing the Challenge.

As described on the Challenge Website, entries must include: (a) a completed online application and (b) a written document, in .pdf format, of no more than eight pages, describing an application that targets one or more of the Aligning Forces Geographies, and drives the creation of useful health care quality data. No substitutions or new versions of Entries will be accepted under any circumstances once the original Entry is submitted for consideration.

Semi-Finalists selected for consideration in Phase 2 also will be required to submit, upon request of the Sponsor and/or Administrator, the following additional entry materials for consideration (collectively, “Supplemental Entry Materials”): (a) a slide summary deck, in PowerPoint format, of no more than eight pages, describing the submitted application and (b) a video of no more than five minutes (posted on a publicly accessible website (e.g., YouTube or Vimeo)), demonstrating the application in action and in accordance with the technical specifications and requirements listed on the Challenge Website. No substitutions or new versions of Supplemental Entry Materials will be accepted under any circumstances once the original Supplemental Entry Materials are submitted for consideration.

Entries must be received during the Entry Period. The Sponsor is not responsible for entries that are late, lost, stolen, misdirected or non-deliverable due to any reason whatsoever, including, without limitation, online communication malfunction or failure, computer or computer program malfunction or failure or human error that may occur in the processing of entries to this Challenge. In the event of a dispute about the identity of any Entrant, an online registration will be declared as if made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry.

Unlawful, plagiarized, third-party intellectual property infringing, unintelligible, illegible, obscene, indecent or incomplete entries will be disqualified in the Sponsor's sole discretion. The Sponsor reserves the right to scrutinize all new Entries for these requirements at any time during or after the Challenge.

The Sponsor and the Administrator each reserves the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any Entrant who is found to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Challenge or the Challenge Website or other Challenge-related websites, to be acting in violation of these Rules, or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Challenge, or to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person.

Except as otherwise stated in these Rules, personal information collected in connection with the Challenge will be used by Sponsor and the Administrator in accordance with Sponsor’s privacy policy, located at www.rwjf.org/en/privacy-policy.html, and with any additional consent given by an entrant at the time of entry. Subject to Section 8 below, all Entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.

6. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES: By participating in the Challenge, each Entrant represents, warrants, and agrees that: (a) Entrant is the sole author, creator, and owner of the Entry; (b) the Entry is not the subject of any actual or threatened litigation or claim; (c) the Entry does not and will not violate or infringe upon the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or other legal rights of any third party; (d) the Entry does not and will not contain any harmful computer code (sometimes referred to as "malware," "viruses" or "worms"); and (e) the Entry, and Entrant’s use of the Entry, does not and will not violate any applicable laws or regulations, including, without limitation, applicable export control laws and regulations of the United States and other jurisdictions. If the Entry includes any third party works (such as third party content or open source code), the Entrant must provide the Sponsor with all appropriate licenses and releases for such third party works. In the event the Entrant cannot provide all such required licenses and releases, the Sponsor reserves the right, in Sponsor's sole discretion, to disqualify the applicable Entry, or seek to secure the licenses and releases for the Sponsor’s benefit and allow the applicable Entry to remain in the Challenge.

7. INDEMNIFICATION: Each Entrant, by submitting an Entry, agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Sponsor, the Administrator, and each of their respective directors, trustees, officers, employees, agents, consultants, and successors and assigns, from and against all third party claims, actions, or proceedings of any kind and from any and all damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses relating to or arising from Entrant’s Entry or any breach or alleged breach of any of the representations, warranties, and covenants of Entrant hereunder.

8. LICENSE: EACH ENTRANT RETAINS TITLE AND FULL OWNERSHIP IN AND TO THEIR ENTRY. By participating in the Challenge, each Entrant hereby irrevocably grants to each of the Sponsor and the Administrator a non-exclusive, royalty free, sub-licensable, worldwide, license and right to use the Entry to the extent necessary to administer the Challenge, and to publicly perform and publicly display the Entry, including, without limitation, for advertising and promotional purposes relating to the Challenge. The Entrants selected as winners in Phase 2, as a condition to accepting their respective Prizes, hereby grant the Sponsor a non-exclusive, perpetual, royalty free, sub-licensable, worldwide, license and right to post on the Sponsor’s website and any and all websites for the Aligning Forces communities (a) such Entrants’ Entries and/or Supplemental Entry Materials (via web link, iframe, or other presentation modality) and/or (b) a web link to a third party website or app store at which the Entrant’s application can be downloaded or purchased. Each such Entrant also agrees that it will execute all such documents and take all such actions necessary to complete or evidence these license rights.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, each Entrant acknowledges that the Sponsor is a philanthropy that in the course of its normal charitable activities makes grants for projects across a wide range of disciplines and that the Sponsor may currently fund or may in the future make grants for projects that may be directly or indirectly related to Entries submitted for the Challenge. By submitting an Entry, each Entrant acknowledges and agrees that the Sponsor shall have no liability for making grants to projects that involve ideas, procedures, processes, systems, methods of operation, concepts, or principles that may also be present in an Entry.

9. DATA ACCESS: Use of any data provided by Sponsor for use in the Challenge for reasons other than those delineated in the purposes of the Challenge is strictly prohibited. Failure to comply with proscribed data terms is a violation of the terms and conditions put forth in this agreement. Unacceptable use of data includes, but is not limited to, its access for non-challenge related purposes, extraction for other databases, replication or dissemination. The Sponsor and the Administrator make no representations or warranties with respect to any data provided, and any and all implied warranties with respect thereto are expressly disclaimed.

10. PUBLICITY RELEASE: By participating in the Challenge, in addition to any other rights granted herein or which may be granted in any other agreement entered into between the Sponsor and/or the Administrator, on the one hand, and any Entrant, on the other hand, each Entrant, to the extent allowed by applicable law, hereby irrevocably (a) grants to each of the Sponsor and the Administrator the right to use such Entrant's name, likeness, image, and biographical information in any and all media for any purpose, including, without limitation, advertising and promotional purposes relating to the Challenge and (b) releases Sponsor and Administrator from any liability with respect thereto.

11. WINNER SELECTION/JUDGING CRITERIA: A panel of judges chosen by the Sponsor (collectively, the “Judges”) will select winning Entries from all eligible entries based on the following judging criteria:

• Creativity and innovation;
• Game and/or gamification design characteristics that clearly drive engagement and experience;
• Design, usability and intuitiveness of application;
• Effective integration of Aligning Forces and County Health Rankings data;
• Potential for data generated to improve health and health care (weighted most heavily);
• Potential and realistic plans for adoption in the community that minimally generates a quality data set, and at a maximum engages as many people in doing it; and
• Extra credit: apps that help community leaders improve Aligning Forces community health/care.

The judging criteria are to be applied in the sole discretion of the Judges. By participating in the Challenge, each Entrant into the Challenge acknowledges and agrees to: (a) demonstrate the functionality of its application in a live format and/or allow the Judges, Sponsor, and/or Administrator to physically test the functionality of the application, in each instance if requested by the Judges, Sponsor, and or Administrator, and (b) be bound by and not challenge the final decision of the Judges.

12. NOTICE TO WINNERS: Attempts to notify potential winners will be made using the contact information provided on the winner's Official Entry Form. The Sponsor and the Administrator are not responsible for e-mail or other communication problems of any kind. If, despite reasonable efforts, a potential winner does not respond within five days of the first notification attempt (or a shorter time as exigencies may require), or if the Prize or prize notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable to such potential winner, such potential winner will forfeit the Prize and an alternate winner may be selected. If any potential prize winner is found to be ineligible, or the Entrant in question has not complied with these Rules or declines the applicable Prize for any reason prior to award, such potential prize winner will be disqualified and an alternate winner may be selected.

13. GENERAL LIABILITY RELEASE: Each Entrant agrees that the Sponsor and the Administrator (a) shall not be responsible or liable for any losses, damages, or injuries of any kind (including death) resulting from participation in the Challenge or any Challenge-related activity, or from entrants' acceptance, receipt, possession, use, or misuse of any Prize, and (b) have not made any warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, with respect to any Prize, including, without limitation, regarding such prize's merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The Sponsor and the Administrator assume no responsibility for any damage to an Entrant's computer system which is occasioned by accessing the Challenge Website or other Challenge-related websites or participating in the Challenge, or for any computer system, phone line, hardware, software, or program malfunctions, or other errors, failures, delayed computer transmissions, or network connections that are human or technical in nature.

14. FORCE MAJEURE: In the event an insufficient number of eligible entries is received or the Sponsor and/or the Administrator is prevented from awarding a Prize or continuing with the Challenge as contemplated herein by any event beyond its control, including, without limitation, fire, flood, natural or man-made epidemic, earthquake, explosion, labor dispute or strike, act of God or public enemy, satellite or equipment failure, riot or civil disturbance, terrorist threat or activity, war (declared or undeclared) or any federal state or local government law, order, or regulation, public health crisis, order of any court or jurisdiction, or other cause not reasonably within the Sponsor’s and/or the Administrator’s control (“Force Majeure”), the Sponsor shall have the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Challenge. If the Challenge is terminated for Force Majeure before expiration of the Challenge Period, the Administrator will (if reasonably possible) select a winner from all eligible, non-suspect entries received as of the date of the event giving rise to the termination.

15. MODIFICATION OF THE RULES: These Rules cannot be modified or amended in any way except in writing by Sponsor. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Rules shall otherwise remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein.

16. GOVERNING LAW/JURISDICTION: ALL ISSUES AND QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE CONSTRUCTION, VALIDITY, INTERPRETATION, AND ENFORCEABILITY OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES OR THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF ENTRANTS, SPONSOR AND/OR ADMINISTRATOR IN CONNECTION WITH THE CHALLENGE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO ANY CHOICE OF LAW OR CONFLICT OF LAWS RULES OR PROVISIONS. ANY LEGAL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THE CHALLENGE OR THESE OFFICIAL RULES MUST BE BROUGHT IN THE FEDERAL OR STATE COURTS LOCATED IN MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY, AND EACH ENTRANT HEREBY CONSENTS AND WAIVES ANY OBJECTION TO THE JURISDICTION OF SUCH COURTS FOR SUCH DISPUTES.

17. WINNERS LIST: The names of the winners will be posted at www.health2con.com/devhchallenge/robert-wood-johnson-foundation-aligning-forces-games-to-generate-data-challenge/ for such period of time as the Sponsor and Administrator deem reasonable.