SPACE APPLICATION HACKATHON

24-HOUR TECH COMPETITION / BUILD PROTOTYPE / WIN PRIZES

WHAT IT IS

Tech competition organized by ESA BIC Prague. Focus: Earth Observation, Navigation/GNSS, SpaceTech, Blockchain in Space. Build innovative solutions using space data and technology.

24 HOURS

Teams work non-stop to solve challenges. Design innovative services and products that apply space technologies to everyday problems. Transform ideas into working prototypes.

TEAMS

2-5 multidisciplinary participants per team. Create a prototype with business potential. Pitch your solution in 7 minutes. Show technical skills and market viability.

COMPETITION RULES PARTICIPANT GUIDE IBM CLOUD GUIDE IBM TUTORIALS

PRIZES

MAIN PRIZE

TRIP TO COLOGNE + AUGSBURG

Visit the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) for astronaut training experience. Tour Fujitsu plant in Augsburg. See cutting-edge space technology facilities up close.

CASH PRIZE

50,000 CZK FROM TECHDATA

Main cash prize awarded to the winning team. Direct financial support for your project development.

CATEGORY PRIZES

EARTH OBSERVATION

SpaceKnow Prize: Lunch with research team + internship opportunity + Deep Learning book + goodies.

NAVIGATION

GNSS Centre: GNSS in real life – tour of IATCC Air Traffic Control + Czech Aviation Training Centre + Prague Airport backstage.

GSA Prize: Present at Open Days + goodies.

SPACETECH

S.A.B. Aerospace: Witness Vega rocket assembly in Brno. Be present when Czech-built rocket components are assembled. Touch real space hardware.

BLOCKCHAIN IN SPACE

Blockchain Republic + Space Systems Czech: 20,000 CZK cash prize.

OTHER BENEFITS

BUSINESS SUPPORT

Join ESA BIC Prague, Copernicus Incubation Programme, or Astropreneurs Space Startups Accelerator.

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

Work with space technology. Cooperate with professionals from different fields. Build real skills.

NETWORKING

Meet Czech startup leaders and MNC representatives. Connect with innovators and space tech enthusiasts. Launch collaborations.

CHALLENGES BY CATEGORY

1. NAVIGATION (GNSS)

Guarantors: European GNSS Agency + GNSS Centre of Excellence

REAL-TIME DRONE IDENTIFICATION

Build small tracker for drones. Use IoT to share height and position in real-time with authorities. Make it work for industry applications.

GNSS IN SMART CITY

Develop innovative solution using GNSS signals for Smart City concept. Address signal vulnerability, precision navigation in urban canyons. Combine communication with positioning, navigation, and timing.

AUTONOMOUS DELIVERY DRONES

Design autonomous drones for delivery transport between hospitals and facilities.

INDOOR NAVIGATION

Solve indoor navigation challenge. GNSS signal doesn't penetrate buildings. Develop alternative technical solutions. Combine signal sources, fuse with inertial systems.

RAW MEASUREMENTS APPLICATION

Use GNSS RAW measurements on Android smartphones. Access carrier and code measurements. Implement advanced GNSS processing techniques on mass-market devices.

RFI MITIGATION

Overcome GNSS vulnerability. Counter jamming, spoofing, and meaconing. Detect and identify radio-frequency interference. Eliminate negative effects on positioning.

OPEN CHALLENGE

Your innovative idea using GNSS technology.

2. EARTH OBSERVATION

Guarantor: SpaceKnow

OPEN LAND USE MAP IMPROVEMENT

Derive Land Use from Land Cover using satellite data. Use Sentinel-2 imagery. Classify urban areas: industrial, commercial, residential, recreational. Describe workflow and algorithm.

BEACH TRIP PLANNER

Build app for seaside trip planning. Use Copernicus data: temperature, UV index, water quality, air quality, humidity. Analyze physical variables. Create working prototype.

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE SUPPORT

Make publicly available information relevant for autonomous car decision-making. Use cadastre data, RUIAN, OpenStreetMap, statistical data, satellite data, crowd-sourcing.

SHIP DETECTION

Detect ships in SAR and standard satellite imagery. Build novel detection methods across different data sources.

IMAGE ENHANCEMENT

Apply computer vision techniques to satellite imagery. Work on super-resolution, automatic image generation, image augmentation, or image in-painting.

SPACEKNOW API APPLICATION

Build application leveraging SpaceKnow APIs. Create tools like satellite imagery availability heat-maps.

DATA MASHUP

Combine different satellite imagery sources. Mix satellite data with other geo-referenced data like OpenStreetMap or social networks. Build something powerful.

3. SPACETECH

Guarantor: Fujitsu

SPACE DEBRIS VR PROJECT

Bring space debris problem into VR. Show close approach between debris and satellites. Make public aware of orbit changes and complications. Visualize satellite operations safety.

CUBESAT MAGNETIC DETUMBLING

Slow down initial after-launch satellite rotation. Use only magnetorquers and B-dot algorithm. Build real cubesat model. Create flight firmware. Realize 1D demonstration.

SPACE RADIATION MONITORING

Measure real radiation using cubesat sensor. Map measurements to earth surface using VZLUSAT two-line elements. Chart data in 2D and 3D.

CUBESAT MOTION MODEL

Create cubesat motion model using motion equations and two-line elements. Visualize in 3D. Simulate on-board sensor outputs. Compare with real orbital data.

SAKE QUALITY PREDICTION

Use satellite images to determine protein amount in rice. Protein values change sake taste. Help producers offer high-quality rice to breweries.

IMAGE FROM STARS

Process large images from space. Show Earth as never seen before. Become an artist with satellite imagery.

AIR POLLUTION DETECTION

Use microsatellites and drone sensors for air pollution detection. Build monitoring network.

NEW SATELLITE CONCEPTS

Invent future of small satellites or new payloads for drones. Demonstrate customer value.

SWARM DRONES IN INDUSTRY

Invent new applications for swarm drones in industry. Design cooperation methods and operation types.

DRONE TEST POLYGON DESIGN

Design new drone test polygon in Czech Republic. Plan testing for operations beyond visual line of sight, delivery, cargo transport, urban traffic.

4. BLOCKCHAIN IN SPACE

Guarantor: IBM

NEW CONSENSUS MECHANISM

Find new consensus mechanism using properties of assets in orbit or distributed in space. Create prototype or simulator that surpasses current mechanisms.

IPR MANAGEMENT

Build distributed ledger system for know-how and IPR storage. Enable efficient access, transparency, search, license tracking, royalties resolution. Better than existing solutions.

SAFETY & SECURITY

Prevent security risks or mitigate consequences using blockchain with space infrastructure or in-situ measurements. Address epidemics, storms, floods, terrorist attacks, earthquakes.

INSURANCE CLAIM DOCUMENTATION

Use SAR Data and blockchain for insurance claims. Certify time and change before/after incidents. Assess storm damages, flood areas, forest fires. Provide trusted image data.

SMART CONTRACTS WITH SATELLITE DATA

Create proof of concept using satellite data for smart contracts. Explore blockchain in space. Connect satellites, drones, UAVs with blockchain platforms. Use GPS, infrared, video, image signals.

SCHEDULE

NOVEMBER 9

13:30 – Registration + refreshment

14:00 – Welcome speech by organizers and partners. Challenge presentations by mentors.

15:00 – Workshops by category guarantors. Learn technology and tackle challenges.

15:45 – Team building. Pitch your idea.

16:30 – Hacking time begins

18:00 – Dinner

19:00 – FuckUp training: how NOT to start a business by Happyend. Learn from past failures. Avoid common startup mistakes.

22:00 – Exercise with Twiner

NOVEMBER 10

08:30 – Breakfast

12:00 – Lunch

14:30 – Pitch training. Perfect your presentation.

16:30 – End of hacking + coffee break

17:00 – Presentation to jury. Show your prototype.

19:00 – Award ceremony + Farewell cocktail

JUDGING CRITERIA

5 EVALUATION CRITERIA

Space data/technology use (elimination criterion)
Economic model validity (8 points max, counts double) – revenue generation, market analysis, demand reliability
Innovation and originality (4 points max) – product/service innovation, technological/organizational innovation, business model innovation
Expected benefits (4 points max) – social impact, service creation, job creation
Jury's favorite (4 points max)

FACILITATOR

DENISA KERA

Philosopher and designer experimenting with public engagement strategies in emerging science and technology. Uses design methods (UX, critical design, design fiction), ethnography, and prototyping to research STS issues.

Background: Assistant Professor at National University of Singapore, Senior Lecturer of Future Design in Prague College, Visiting Assistant Professor at Arizona State University. Marie Curie Senior Fellow researching Distributed Ledger Technologies and blockchain applications.

MENTORS

DAVID ENC

Dreamer who visualizes future in detail. Focus on intersection between people and technology. Creates innovative solutions generating sustainable businesses.

JACOPO OVARELLI

Business consultant in satellite navigation. GSA contractor working on Galileo market adoption in mass market domain, including Location-Based Services and IoT.

FILIP SNÁŠEL

Marketing & PR Manager at Fujitsu. Former journalist at Týden magazine. Loves new technologies and innovative Japanese ideas.

TOMÁŠ LUKEŠ

Senior Data Scientist at SpaceKnow. Expert in image processing and advanced imaging systems. Former Computer Vision Scientist at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

VIEW ALL MENTORS