Knowledge is power – how much data can your app handle?
ESA Space App Camp 2016
Earth observation satellites, including the Copernicus Sentinels, collect huge amounts of data as they circle our planet. This high-resolution imagery and further information on climate and the environment present tremendous potential to improve life here on Earth.
Rapid advancements in ‘big data’, cloud computing and other areas are steadily pushing the boundaries of how commercial products handle huge quantities of information - in particular mobile apps.
ESA's Space App Camp focuses on unlocking just that. For the fifth year running, programmers are invited to develop creative and innovative apps that make Earth observation data accessible to wider audiences.
Professional app developers from all over Europe are welcome to apply before 22 July 2016 at www.app-camp.eu. A further 20 lucky applicants will also be invited to join the free Space App Camp at ESA's ESRIN facility in Frascati near Rome, Italy, in September 2016. The selection criteria will include the applicants' previous programming work. Travel and accommodation will be covered by the event organisers.
More than just a developer competition
In fact, the main goal is to help participants become acquainted with the many ways satellite data can be used in mobile apps. Attendees will be challenged to come up with innovative apps, with feasible business models in one of five subject areas: agriculture; environmental protection; smart cities; transport and logistics; or lifestyle, tourism and health. The event also offers an excellent opportunity to make interesting new contacts from across Europe and gain deeper insights into how ESA operates.
From Space App Camp to company
Space App Camp 2015 saw four students from Austria, Germany, Greece and Spain develop GAIA – an app designed to predict plant and crop damage based on Earth observation data.
GAIA covers all of the relevant measurement data collected by the Sentinels, other satellites, and in situ sensors in order to monitor specific fields of interest for potential losses. The app enables farmers to identify risks early on and obtain crop yield predictions.
They also benefit from precise information on the condition of their fields, which in turn facilitates the efficient use of water, fertiliser and other resources.
Three of the winners, Lukas Böhler, Pascal Weinberger and John Zachilashas, recently went on to found GAIA Solutions Ltd, turning their idea into a business.
"The ESA Space App Camp was a unique opportunity for us to meet like-minded and highly skilled people interested in changing the world with code. So we did - and we did it beyond the app camp, starting a company on the basis of the team and the idea we prototyped together during the camp. I highly recommend this opportunity to all space geeks and world-changers," emphasised Lukas.
They have already entered into a partnership with the Health and Environmental Management Society of Nepal to put their idea into real use.
The Space App Camp is organised by Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen AZO on behalf of ESA Earth Observation Programme and supported by ESA Technology Transfer Programme.