The picture shows a geographical styled worldmap with the Arctic being the center – with pictograms of birds flying over it. Besides the visual elements, there is the following text placed on the image: Hackathon, European Space Data Hackathon. Connecting the Arctic. 5-7 Nov. 2021. Online & at Spielfeld Digital Hub, Berlin.

Hello data scientists, developers, UX/product designers, space engineers and impact pioneers, let’s hack with a purpose!

Imagine we could better understand climate change and its impact on the world, even the remotest parts, by leveraging European Space Data, information and signals from secure connectivity infrastructures, Copernicus, Galileo, EGNOS and more.

  • How could your AI know-how help to forecast migration routes for animals?
  • How do we connect remote sensor data measurements from Scandinavia, Alaska, Russia and Canada to fight climate change?
  • What if you could design new solutions to protect wildlife in the Arctic?

Take your chance as an innovator at the 2nd CASSINI Hackathon that takes place simultaneously across Germany, Croatia, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia and Spain from the 5th to 7th of November. Be part of the German chapter and create a glimpse of a sustainable future by working in diverse expert teams with access to several datasets, webinar sessions and mentorship on demand – online and on-site at Spielfleld Digital Hub in Berlin.

Make your skills count at a pan-European innovation event that connects people with visions and resilience beyond borders. Join us for a weekend and take climate action by creating digital solutions targeting the most pressing issues in the Arctic region!

Hit the APPLY NOW button. You will be redirected to TAIKAI, the official CASSINI Hackathon platform to register your participation.

Hackathon day 1 will happen online and in Spielfeld Digital Hub Berlin

Friday, November 5, 2021

6:00pm - 9:00pm

Hackathon day 2 will happen online and in Spielfeld Digital Hub Berlin

Saturday, November 6, 2021

9:00am - 5:30pm

Hackathon day 3 will happen online and in Spielfeld Digital Hub Berlin

Sunday, November 7, 2021

9:00am - 6:30pm

What Are the Hackathon Challenges?

Join or initiate an idea or concept that targets one of three hackathon challenges that you can find below. Together with WWF we set a spotlight on wildlife preservation in the Artic region – and bring additional expertise and mentorship on that topic into the pan-European hackathon event.

Safe Passage at Sea

Rising temperatures in the Arctic will ultimately lead to more seafaring vessels in the area that will rely on safe navigation. Those shipping lanes require better connectivity and accurate positioning services – participants will dive into the areas of:

  • Navigation route optimisation
  • Extreme weather and sea ice warnings
  • Supporting the development and connectivity of future shipping lanes Environmental disaster and emergency management

Caring for Our Wildlife

Wildlife in the Arctic includes many species of fish and marine mammals, birds and land animals. As human activity and industry look to expand to untapped areas of our planet, the natural habitats of these animals become threatened.

Rising temperatures also threaten the livelihoods of animals living on the ice and feeding in surrounding areas. Participants will dive into the areas of:

  • Protecting marine biodiversity
  • Understanding and forecasting migration routes
  • Understanding and mitigating the effects of exploration and development on wildlife
  • Understanding the effects of climate change on natural habitats

Life on Land

With the Arctic climate changing, countries in the region have to adopt to a loss of sea ice as well as rising air and water temperatures. To find a way forward in that field, participants will work on solutions tackling:

  • Environmental monitoring & climate change mitigation
  • Renewable energy exploration
  • Environmental protection
  • Improving connectivity (higher speeds and lower latency) for research stations in remote areas

Meet Our Experts and Jury Members

Dr. Peter Prokosch, jury member of the 2nd CASSINI Hackathon in Germany

Expert & Jury Member

DR. PETER PROKOSCH

Chairman of the Board

Linking Tourism & Conservation

Alfred Schumm

Jury Member

ALFRED SCHUMM

Director Innovation, Sciences, Technologies & Solutions

World Wide Fund for Nature Germany

BIRTE SOLVEIG KULLA, jury member of the 2nd CASSINI Hackathon in Germany

Jury Member

BIRTE SOLVEIG KULLA

Policy Advisor

Environmental Information at the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear safety

Jennifer Meyer, jury member of the 2nd CASSINI Hackathon in Germany

Jury Member

JENNIFER MEYER

Data Analyst & Software Engineer

N3XTCODER

Dr.Katharina Schaefer, jury member of the 2nd CASSINI Hackathon in Germany

Jury Member

DR. KATHARINA SCHÄFER

Global Head of University Alliances

SAP

Johannes Schumacher, expert of the 2nd CASSINI Hackathon in Germany

Expert

JOHANNES SCHUMACHER

Managing Director

Celestial Space Technologies

Joanna Ruiter, expert of the 2nd CASSINI Hackathon in Germany

Expert

JOANNA RUITER

Advisor Satellite Applications

Netherlands Space Office (NSO)

Elise van Tilborg, expert of the 2nd CASSINI Hackathon in Germany

Expert

ELISE VAN TILBORG

Founder IMARA.earth, Lecturer GIS, Study Advisor

Wageningen University

Cem Avsar, expert of the 2nd CASSINI Hackathon in Germany

Expert

CEM AVSAR

Master of Space Engineering Program Manager

Technische Universität Berlin

The Big Ideas Campaign

Excited about the upcoming Hackathon? Learn more at our info sessions and workshops that will equip you with all the tools you need to succeed. Hear some inspiring stories from our local hackathon jury members and experts. You’ll also have the chance to meet other hackers who have signed up for the hackathon and form your team!

Oct.27, Wednesday

17:00 CEST

The Data & Challenges Collide

By CASSINI Central Hub

18:00 CEST

Introduction to Satellite Communications

By CASSINI Central Hub

18:30 CEST

Conversation: Wildlife Preservation with Innovative Technologies

By N3XTCODER with Alfred Schumm, Dr. Melanie Lancaster and Helga Kuechly

Oct.28, Thursday

17:00 CEST

Galileo, EGNOS, and Copernicus Synergies

By CASSINI Central Hub

18:00 CEST

Introduction to JASON

By CASSINI Central Hub

18:30 CEST

Conversation: the Space Engineering Program at TU Berlin

By N3XTCODER with Cem Avsar

Hackathon Prizes

Cash Prize, Voucher & Coaching

The 1st will be awarded a:

  • 2,500 Euro cash prize - sponsored by SAP;
  • 1,250 Euro voucher for BERGFREUNDE.DE, one of Europe's leading online mountain sports retailers;

Additionally, they will receive a:

  • Coaching session with N3XTCODER in finding accelerator projects as well as funding programs;
  • Opportunity to pitch to the CASSINI jury to win +100 hours of expert mentoring.

Cash Prize & Voucher

The 2nd place will be awarded a:

  • 1,500 Euro cash prize - sponsored by SAP;
  • 750 Euro voucher for BERGFREUNDE.DE, one of Europe's leading online mountain sports retailers;

Cash Prize

The 3rd place will be awarded a:

  • 1,000 Euro cash prize - sponsored by SAP;

How Do You Participate?

Due to the COVID-19 regulations, only up to 50 people can be on-site at Spielfeld Digital Hub in Berlin Kreuzberg from the 5th to the 7th of November. Interdisciplinary expert teams will be curated from the ideas and concepts discussed in the CASSINI Hackathon Discord channel. Together, establish a foundation for your solution and bring your project to the next level. Participants who cannot make it to Berlin are invited to support their team digitally!

Icons in the following graphic are from the Noun Project.

The diagram shows the participant journey from reading about the event until the actual participation in the hackathon. This includes the following steps: 1. Registration: Hit the APPLY NOW button to register your participation on TAIKAI. Join the CASSINI Discord server to receive hackathon updates. 2. Get Involved: Say Hi to other hackers and get engaged on Discord. Generate your idea(s). Share your idea(s) via TAIKAI or Discord. Get the first feedback from the community and clear up your concept. Join the Big Ideas Campaign webinar sessions to get prepared for the hackathon weekend. Pitch or support an idea, form and find teams & get invited to hack on-site in Berlin. Participate in the hackathon weekend online or at Spielfeld Digital Hub in Berlin.

What Are The Key Dates?

Picture shows a diagram. The diagram includes a time schedule for the Big Ideas Campaign in between October 25 and 29 as well as a schedule for the hackathon day itself bewteen November 5 and 7. The Big Ideas Campaign is being described with the following text: “The campaign is a series of webinar events hosted by CASSINI and the 10 participating countries. Together with WWF, N3XTCODER will use this oppoturnity introduce hackathon chanllenges, strategies, mentors & selection criteria to participants”. The Hackathon is being summarised by the following text “The hackathon lasts for 3 days – with Saturday being the main day where innovators get further with their idea. Up to five predefined teams join the hackathon on-site at Spielfeld Digital Hub Berlin in Kreuzberg and get digital online support via Discord”. Lastly, the diagram points out that the Demo day & Award Ceremony happens on November 10.

Who Are We Looking For?

The graphic shows a photos of people working together. Additionally the following text is placed on the image: The hackathon is open to anyone with a passion for entrepreneurship, the Arctic and EU space technologies. Skills such as data analytics, development, engineering, design &  management are all highly appreciated. Remeber diversity makes a winning team!

Important To Know

ON-SITE LIMITATION

Due to the current COVID-19 regulations, only up to 50 people can physically hack from Spielfeld Digital Hub in Berlin. If you want to participate on-site, we strongly encourage you to inform us in the #hackathon-germany channel on the CASSINI Hackathons Discord server as soon as you’ve registered on TAIKAI. We plan to reserve free spots for those who actively engage there.

STAY IN TOUCH

It is very important to join the** CASSINI Hackathon Discord** server no matter your participation preferences. On the channels, you can stay updated with our latest hackathon news. Additionally you can find answers to frequently asked questions and engage with other participants before forming a hackathon team!

BE PROACTIVE

Join the Big Idea Campaign webinar sessions. Use the opportunity to get inspired by available datasets provided by the CASSINI Hackathon team and to network with other participants online. The earlier you start gathering ideas & forming a team, the better you can prepare your hackathon journey!

DIVERSITY MATTERS

Each team consists out of 3 to 8 participants – potentially with additional online support. Make sure to include participants with a diverse skillset in your team – one technical and one business profile per group is the minimum set by the CASSINI Hackathon standards.

Our Partners

About N3XTCODER

N3XTCODER is a Berlin based impact tech hub that helps young and established companies to develop and scale sustainable and social solutions. We identify and work with the best data-backed technology solutions and projects, providing them with the expertise and skills required to transform an idea into a disruptive digital product. At N3XTCODER, we strive to use data for good and work to build solutions that have the potential to tackle the most pressing problems that persist today. We strongly support the Global Goals and aim for all our projects and partners to contribute to one or more of the 17 Global Goals that have been launched by the United Nations in 2015.