2016 Azure Cloud Challenge - The University of Texas at Austin
Competition year
Active Dates (GMT):
Online Competition
Cloud computing is changing the technology industry. When you start looking for your first job, will you have cloud experience on your résumé? You will if you compete in our cloud challenge! All contest participants receive a free 3-month Microsoft Azure pass (no credit card required), which includes $100 of services per month so you can start creating web apps, running databases, and much more.
Here’s how it works: You’ll get a lab tutorial on the basics of Azure Machine Learning, then either continue developing the lab or create something new using Azure Machine Learning APIs – the possibilities are unlimited — just make sure to think outside the box!
To participate:
- Register for the Challenge
- A Microsoft Azure pass and activation instructions will be sent to you via e-mail
- Use your Azure pass to complete the Challenge
- Enhance you work from the tutorial or create something new using the APIs
- Submit the URL for your completed project
Put your cloud skills to the test and win with Microsoft Azure!
Cloud computing is changing the technology industry. When you start looking for your first job, will you have cloud experience on your résumé? You will if you compete in our cloud challenge! All contest participants receive a free 3-month Microsoft Azure pass (no credit card required), which includes $100 of services per month so you can start creating web apps, running databases, and much more.
Here’s how it works: You’ll get a lab tutorial on the basics of Azure Machine Learning, then either continue developing the lab or create something new using Azure Machine Learning APIs – the possibilities are unlimited — just make sure to think outside the box! To participate, all you have to do is use the 3-month Microsoft Azure pass to work on your submission and copy the URL of your final project into the submission field for the Azure Cloud Challenge. You will receive the Microsoft Azure pass via e-mail after registration to the competition.
Top three University of Texas at Austin contestants win a Surface Book!
What is the Azure Cloud Challenge Tutorial?
In the Machine Learning Churn Prevention and Intervention Tutorial you will combine introductory machine learning with a basic online game. Follow the tutorial available in the lab PDF. The first four steps involve Azure Machine Learning, and the final two steps involve publishing the web app to Azure App Service. You will learn some basics about machine learning and can access links to additional content in the lab if you want to dig deeper.
Why Churn Prevention and Intervention?
“Churn” is a term used when a consumer stops using a good or service. It is a common scenario with customer data, and also takes place in online games. A gamer at risk of churning is tempted to stop playing. In order to keep a gamer involved, developers use machine learning to identify potential gamers who may churn, and then take steps in the game to intervene. Based on past player history or data for similar players over time, is a gamer likely to quit? If so, developers can automate the machine to offer them a bonus, achievement, or another incentive to stay and play. You can take the skills you learn in this tutorial to enhance the predictive models you created or invent something entirely new using the APIs.
What technologies will I use?
This contest integrates Azure Machine Learning with a web app hosted in Azure App Service. You build, train, score, and evaluate models in the Azure ML Studio, then publish a machine learning model as a web service. You then take a basic game, connect it to your Azure ML service, and publish it to the web. No prior experience with machine learning or ASP.NET web development is required.
To complete this activity, you need a Microsoft Azure Pass and Visual Studio 2015