It's a wrap on the 5th CASSINI Hackathon!
Participants got to apply their skills and knowledge to solve global challenges and make a positive impact!
We were looking for determined innovators with a passion for developing sustainable solutions, and we were not disappointed! No previous space experience was required. Participants chose one of our 3 challenges, and leveraged EU space technologies to positively impact the European defence and security sector! See how they got involved:
to success
24-26 March
Explore our theme and challenges
Participants played an active role in strengthening Europe’s defence and security capabilities with the help of EU space technology! In the 5th edition of the CASSINI Hackathons, innovative go-getters were invited to develop new concepts, products or services that positively impact the European defence and security sector.
We called on industrious self-starters to help secure and strengthen Europe and its neighbourhoods. They managed to show off their originality by developing viable solutions that enhanced the competencies of the EU’s defence and security. The hackathon was open to anyone interested in entrepreneurship, the defence industry and EU space technologies. Participants partook in the challenge of their choice using one or a combination of the following tools:
- Geospatial information from Copernicus Earth observation data and its services
- Satellite positioning and navigation services from Galileo & EGNOS
- Emerging digital technology (e.g. machine learning, blockchain, augmented & virtual reality)
Compare our three defence & security related
challenges below:
Challenge #
Enabling cross-terrain mobility
Now, more than ever before, operations involving the movement of units and assets require effective and efficient logistics, often taking place in remote areas with sparse or non-existent road infrastructure. To prevent crises and deploy missions quickly, (whether for defence, search and rescue, emergency response or humanitarian aid) knowledge of the terrain and its accessibility is necessary to enable cross-terrain mobility. Elevation profile, water bodies, vegetation, soil trafficability, and weather conditions should also be considered when moving large ground convoys.
This challenge called on tomorrow’s trailblazers to develop innovative concepts or design new products or services that enable cross-terrain mobility for defence forces, emergency response teams, and humanitarian aid forces in a variety of weather conditions. To achieve this, they had to leverage European space data and services from Copernicus, Galileo & EGNOS to bring their ideas to life. We encouraged participants to explore the areas of:
- Up-to-date terrain and environmental intelligence
- Terrain route plotting (from point A to point B)
- Mission planning for defence, security, and emergency response operations
- Operational logistics for defence, security, and emergency response operations
- Support for search and rescue operations
Challenge #
Making the seas more secure
As the world’s second largest exporter and the third largest importer, the European Union relies heavily on maritime transport. Unfortunately, these sea routes have come under pressure due to piracy, armed robbery, geo-strategic rivalries, and other organised criminal activities. Illegal fishing, dumping and dredging are also destroying invaluable marine ecosystems. Building up maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities using satellite data could be the most effective response to the EU’s security challenges.
This challenge called on tomorrow’s leaders to develop innovative concepts or design new products or services to strengthen maritime intelligence against direct security threats, organised crime, and environmental crime. To achieve this, they had to leverage European space data and services from Copernicus, Galileo & EGNOS to bring their ideas to life. We encouraged participants to explore the areas of:
- Detection, identification and tracking of ships and other vessels
- Monitoring and mapping of security threats at sea
- Monitoring and mapping of illegal maritime activity
- Safe shipment route planning
Challenge #
Protecting our critical infrastructure
Society’s most critical infrastructure systems are regularly exposed to threats that could greatly impact daily life, public services and global supply chains. Cyberattacks, civil unrest, social engineering, sabotage and armed conflict could leave people without access to hospitals, schools, media, or other public services, and severely impair the delivery of goods, services and information. Climate-related disasters like floods, droughts, storms and wildfires could influence operating conditions and capabilities. Luckily, space data could offer a solution by providing intelligence in critical situations when our infrastructure is disrupted.
This challenge called on tomorrow’s changemakers to develop innovative concepts or design new products or services that assess the risk of disruption to critical infrastructure and plan for mitigation and recovery scenarios. To achieve this, they had to leverage European space data and services from Copernicus, Galileo & EGNOS to bring their ideas to life. We encouraged participants to explore the areas of:
- Monitoring potential threats to critical infrastructure
- Assessing and forecasting security and environmental risks
- Identification of weak points in infrastructure networks
- Mitigation and recovery planning for governments and businesses
The hackathon locations
The 5th CASSINI Hackathon took place simultaneously across 10 different locations on
24-26 March 2023. Use the interactive map below to discover the locations!
-
Organised by:
RST-TTO
Sofia, Bulgaria
-
Organised by:
ZICER
Zagreb, Croatia
-
Organised by:
C.I.P Citizens in Power
Nicosia, Cyprus
-
Organised by:
Starburst Accelerator
Paris, France
-
Organised by:
Design Terminal
Budapest, Hungary
-
Organised by:
Planetek Italia
Bari, Italy
-
Organised by:
Impact Hub
Liepaja, Latvia
-
Organised by:
Blue Dot Solutions
Gdańsk, Poland
-
Organised by:
IdEA
Bucharest, Romania
-
Organised by:
Ultrahack
Lulea, Sweden
The hackathon locations
The 5th CASSINI Hackathon took place simultaneously across 10 different locations on
24-26 March 2023. Use the interactive map below to discover the locations!