A team of Informatics students from Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana (UKDW) Yogyakarta has secured second place in the SPARK Telkomsel 2025 – Datathon Competition. Organized by the Electrical Engineering Student Association of Institut Teknologi Bandung (HME ITB) with support from the ITB Electrical Engineering Alumni Association (IAE ITB), PT Bangunindo Teknusa Jaya, Google, and Telkomsel, the competition brought together some of Indonesia’s brightest young minds in data science and artificial intelligence.
This year’s Datathon attracted 768 participants, forming 218 teams from 41 private and 53 public universities across Indonesia. Designed as a platform for technological innovation, the competition focused on developing AI-driven solutions to address real-world challenges through data optimization. Beyond showcasing advanced technology, the event emphasized practical solutions with tangible social impact, particularly in supporting Indonesia’s creative economy.
The UKDW team, comprised of Nicholas Tanugroho, Andi Putrayana, and Angela Sekar Widelia, developed an AI-based application aimed at improving efficiency and accuracy in ICD-10 medical coding. ICD-10 is an international classification system for diseases and health conditions, playing a critical role in BPJS Kesehatan insurance claims and specialist referrals.
According to Nicholas, Indonesia faces a shortage of trained ICD-10 coders, incomplete coding results, and a lack of standardized medical terminology guidelines. With the government targeting the training of 1,800 clinical coders by 2025, the team saw an opportunity to contribute through artificial intelligence.
“To support the government’s initiative, we developed an AI-powered solution that is both innovative and implementable,” said Nicholas. “As part of the competition, we integrated Bliv, a platform by PT Bangunindo Teknusa Jaya, and Vertex AI from Google Cloud into our system.”
The competition began with an idea proposal stage from December 17, 2024, to January 9, 2025. The top eight teams advanced to the final round, where they participated in mentorship sessions with PT Bangunindo Teknusa Jaya and Google Cloud Indonesia to refine their solutions.
The final round, held on February 15, 2025, at ITB’s East Hall, featured final project presentations and an exhibition of participants’ work.
Reflecting on the experience, Angela emphasized that the competition was not just about winning but also about gaining industry insights and expanding professional networks.
“This competition allowed us to deepen our knowledge in machine learning and collaborate with industry leaders,” she said. “We hope our achievement encourages more UKDW students to participate in future competitions and strengthens UKDW’s reputation as a university that fosters technological innovation and student excellence.” [angela/trans.drr]