Last month the TIDE (Think-Tank for Information DEcision Superiority) Hackathon, an annual event organized by NATO Allied Command Transformation, showcased rapid demonstrations of solutions to Command and Control challenges within the framework of federated interoperability, which is the ability of different nations’ military forces and their respective command and control systems to cooperate effectively, share information, and coordinate actions.
There were 32 teams, comprised of 120 people total, who participated. The Valkyrie 1 Team from Ukraine won not only the Pharmaceutical Thesaurus Challenge, but also won the top accolades as the overall winners of the 2024 TIDE Hackathon.
In a multinational military medical context, the ability to quickly and accurately identify and prescribe pharmaceuticals is essential for providing effective medical care. However, this can be challenging due to the use of different reference systems or formulas by international partners. These differences can lead to confusion and errors in prescribing medications, potentially compromising patient safety.
The Pharmaceutical Thesaurus challenge sought to overcome these hurdles by creating an interoperable process that establishes a common classification system for prescription drugs. This system would allow medical personnel from different countries to easily identify and prescribe medications, regardless of the reference system they are familiar with.
To learn more about the winners, we spoke with the leader of the Valkyrie 1 team, Taras Kloba, who serves as the Associate Director of Big Data & Analytics at SoftServe. He has over 14 years of experience in the IT industry, banking, and cybersecurity.
In 2019, Taras was honoured as the Best Software Architect in Ukraine by the Ukrainian IT Awards. Additionally, he is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional in the Data Platform category and holds several professional certifications from Google, Amazon, and SEI. Taras is committed to the IT community, actively sharing his expertise at both international and local conferences and events.
Taras led his team to victory at the TIDE NATO Hackathon in 2023 and again in 2024, where they won the Grand Prize. His team also emerged victorious at the National Defense Hackathon 2022, organized by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
Beyond his professional activities, Taras is the founder of Corvus Intelligence, a military tech volunteer group. This initiative provides the Ukrainian army with innovative intelligence data, contributing to Ukraine’s victory efforts.
- Was there a particular app or idea that inspired your software application?
Prior to the TIDE NATO Hackathon 2024, our team recognized the need for deep domain expertise to address the complex challenges presented by the Pharmaceutical Thesaurus task. Understanding the critical importance of real-world applicability and the nuances of medical care in war zones, we reached out to the most experienced and knowledgeable experts within our network. Remarkably, each expert we contacted readily agreed to assist us, eager to share their insights and ideas on how to develop a solution that could have meaningful future benefits and applicability.
Among these experts was Inna Olkhova, known as the “Bee Paramedic” for her exceptional bravery and innovative approach to emergency medical services in extreme conditions. Her input provided us with a foundational understanding of the adaptability and resilience necessary for effective medical solutions in conflict zones.
Iryna Soloshenko, with her significant experience as a volunteer medic during the Revolution of Dignity and her tenure at the Central Military Hospital in Kyiv, offered invaluable perspectives on the specific medical challenges faced by military personnel. Her dedication illuminated the critical need for an efficient and responsive medical support system.
Tata Kepler, who transitioned from the arts to tactical medicine to lead the “Ptahy” project, brought a fresh perspective on delivering medical aid to military and civilian populations in hard-to-reach areas. Her innovative strategies in medical logistics were instrumental in shaping our application’s approach to versatility and adaptability.
Daryna Smolnikova, a prominent figure in the Hospitallers medical battalion and the “Your Blood Can Fight” initiative, emphasized the importance of immediate and effective medical interventions on the battlefield. Her insights were key in focusing our application on essential medical practices that could significantly improve soldiers’ survival chances.
The generosity and willingness of these experts to share their expertise were pivotal in our development process. Their contributions ensured that our software solution was not only innovative but deeply rooted in the practical needs and realities of medical personnel operating in challenging environments.
- What were some of the key features or innovations that set your solution apart from others?
Our solution for the Pharmaceutical Thesaurus Challenge stood out due to its innovative features and strong data engineering foundation. We leveraged our expertise in data processing and search algorithms. With permission to use DrugBank’s public database for the hackathon, we aimed to create the most comprehensive search functionality among all participating teams.
Our application’s distinguishing features include:
- Exact Match Searching: Our system prioritizes exact matches to user queries, ensuring the most relevant results are displayed prominently.
- Sub-string Matching: Users can find medications by entering any part of the drug’s name, enhancing the flexibility and user-friendliness of the search.
- Trigram-Based Error Tolerance: Incorporating trigram analysis allows our search to accommodate common spelling errors, guiding users to the correct medication and suggesting international substitutes for entries like “Tylelon” instead of “Tylenol”.
- Comprehensive Attribute Searches: We extended our search capabilities to cover medication descriptions, categories, active ingredients, symptoms, and more, enabling users to explore the database thoroughly.
- Vector-Based Searches via LLMs: Leveraging Large Language Models, we transformed database entries into vectors, allowing natural language queries like “red pill for headache” and providing accurate medication suggestions.
To further enhance the user experience, we integrated features, such as handwritten text recognition, image and barcode scanning, voice input, and an AI-powered chatbot. These additions ensured our solution was not only tailored to the challenge but also equipped to significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of medical personnel in various settings.
- How do you see your application being integrated into NATO and national environments in the future?
Our application, ready for immediate deployment and accessible via the web version at https://panacea-ss.web.app/ from any mobile device, offers an interface in 29 languages, encompassing all NATO member states’ languages as well as Ukrainian. It enables the search for pharmaceutical equivalents in 32 countries, including a comprehensive range of European and American brands, thereby addressing an extra challenge proposed by the organizers.
The application’s architecture is designed with multiple layers, and its interface communicates with the database via APIs. These APIs can be seamlessly integrated into any system, offering great flexibility.
We see a significant potential for integration with NATO’s Medical Management platform, which relies heavily on free-form input from its users. Our solution can automatically identify and highlight mentions of medication names or active ingredients in any text field, linking them to detailed drug profiles. This capability can greatly improve the efficiency and accuracy of data management within the platform.
We are eager to see our application find practical use within NATO and national systems. In pursuit of this, we continue to engage closely with the sponsor of our challenge, and are committed to supporting further development or integration efforts to ensure our solution meets the evolving needs of military medical support systems.
- What inspired you to focus on developing solutions for healthcare issues?
Our venture into healthcare solutions was significantly influenced by the stark challenges of managing medical information in war zones, a reality brought into sharp focus by the situation in Ukraine. Conversations with paramedics revealed the inadequacies of the existing system, especially the tactical medical card, or Form 100. This paper-based method for documenting medical interventions on wounded soldiers is critically unreliable in the severe conditions of war. Picture the perilous journey of a wounded soldier: from the battlefield, receiving initial treatment by paramedics, to being airlifted by a helicopter vibrating with the urgency of war, to further care at a stabilization point, and perhaps surgery at a nearby hospital. All the while, the Form 100, potentially smeared with blood and exposed to rain and mud, is the sole continuous record of the soldier’s medical treatment.
This stark realization propelled us towards leveraging technology for a more resilient solution—an electronic patient profile. Designed for effortless sharing via NFC (Near-Field Communication), QR codes, or web links and operational both online and offline, this system aims to safeguard crucial medical data from the harsh realities of war. Moreover, the system incorporates tiered access levels to ensure sensitive information is securely protected.
Our drive was not just technological innovation but also a deep-seated humanitarian commitment. Recognizing the potential of this system to save lives, minimize medication errors, and prevent allergic reactions amid the chaos of war zones endowed our project with a profound sense of purpose. We recognized an essential opportunity for this tool to have a meaningful impact in Ukraine, where the immediate medical demands of combat zones underscore the need for effective, secure, and robust healthcare solutions.
In essence, our inspiration was drawn from a pressing need to improve military healthcare in the face of war. Informed by firsthand experiences from the front lines and fueled by a belief in the transformative potential of technology, our goal was to elevate the standard of care and preserve lives under the most extreme conditions.
About yourselves:
- How has participating in the TIDE Hackathon impacted your personal and professional growth?
Participating in the TIDE Hackathon has been a transformative experience, significantly impacting my personal and professional growth. Drawing inspiration from a Ukrainian team’s success in the 2017 TIDE Hackathon in London, I’ve seen firsthand the potential of such platforms to foster meaningful collaborations and innovations, particularly in the military tech domain.
Their victory led to the development of strong and enduring relationships with NATO representatives, laying the foundation for Ukraine’s most robust situational awareness system, Delta. This system’s continuous presence and evolution through each TIDE NATO Sprint is a testament to the power of these connections and the international interest it has garnered, with many countries eager to develop similar capabilities or adapt Ukraine’s innovations for their use.
NATO’s TIDE Hackathon stands out as an exceptional platform for realizing and promoting military tech solutions, extending well beyond the formal competition into valuable exchanges and networking opportunities in the event’s margins. It’s in these informal interactions where much of the potential for collaboration and innovation lies.
- How has the war in Ukraine influenced your work and perspective on technology and innovation?
The war in Ukraine has fundamentally reshaped my approach to work and my view on technology and innovation. As a father reading bedtime stories to my three young daughters, I’ve drawn parallels between the narratives we explore and the realities we face. The story of Harry Potter, particularly his battle with the dementors, where he discovers the strength within himself to cast the powerful Patronus, resonates deeply with me. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the power to change our circumstances lies within our grasp.
This reflection is particularly poignant in my professional life. In 2019, I was honoured with the title of “The Best IT Architect of Ukraine”, an accolade bestowed by the Ukrainian IT Association. This recognition, coupled with my role as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional and a leader in the Big Data & Analytics field within Ukraine’s largest outsourcing company, places me in a unique position of influence and responsibility.
Surrounded by Ukraine’s most talented IT professionals, I am constantly reminded of our collective capacity to contribute meaningfully to our country’s defence, especially in times of war. The question that drives us is: if not us, then who? This sense of duty led me to gather an extraordinary team of engineers dedicated to volunteer in IT projects. These initiatives provide the Ukrainian army with cutting-edge intelligence data, saving lives and bolstering our national defence.
This experience has greatly influenced my growth, highlighting how crucial technology and innovation are during challenging times. It proves that our skills can truly make a difference, much like a guiding light in the darkest moments.
- Do you see your winning solution possibly contributing to Ukraine’s defence systems?
Yes, our solution is beginning to contribute to Ukraine’s defence systems, albeit in a preliminary stage. We’ve shared our application with several volunteer logistics hubs in Ukraine that manage medical aid received from various countries worldwide. These hubs often depend on non-medical volunteers to sort and distribute medications, a task that can be daunting without proper knowledge. Our application has proven to be beneficial in these situations by enabling volunteers to categorize medications easily, thus streamlining the sorting process.
Additionally, we are optimistic that the innovative feature of our application, the electronic medical card for recording treatment history, will be integrated into existing mobile applications used within the defence ecosystem, such as Army+. This potential integration would significantly improve the delivery of medical assistance, further supporting Ukraine’s defence capabilities.
- What message do you have for others who may be facing similar challenges in conflict zones around the world?
Stay brave, just like the people of Ukraine. Keep doing your job well, leveraging technology as a key ally. Your dedication and innovation can truly make a difference. Stay committed, and the results will follow.
