Innovative, data-driven women and men have arrived​​ virtually in Puglia from all over Italy and Europe for the first three-day online Copernicus Hackathon promoted by the European Commission and organized by Planetek Italia.

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The event was organized with the local support of The Hub Bari and onData, with the collaboration of Airbus, Apulian Aerospace District (DTA), CreoDias, GeoUniversity, Hexagon Geospatial, CIHEAM Bari (Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari) and Mediterranean Fishermen Association .

Due to the health emergency, this innovation challenge took place online, allowing you to push the boundaries of your audience: 200 registered people from all over Europe. A 48-hour marathon, held over the weekend from 5 to 7 June, which also turned into a showcase of local projects and teams of excellence.

The event also managed to attract thousands of external people who connected and virtually participated in both the inauguration of the event and the grand finale. The Copernicus program, funded and coordinated by the European Commission, collects satellite images from various sources, including in-situ sensors, processes them and provides reliable and updated information such as Free and Open Data in six thematic areas: land, sea, atmosphere, climate change , emergency management and security. Using this data and supported by expert coaches, the different teams conceived and developed new projects following the proposed challenge paths, competing for fantastic prizes.

Developers, graphic designers, interface designers, women and men, innovators and data enthusiasts have collaborated in multidisciplinary teams to create innovative solutions using the satellite data made available by Copernicus. A large team of coaches supported them throughout the marathon, making a valuable contribution to the design and growth of promising business ideas based on Copernicus data and services.

An extraordinary jury selected three winning ideas. Giorgio Saccoccia, president of the Italian Space Agency, Giuseppe Acierno, president of the Aerospace Technological District of Puglia and Giovanni Sylos Labini, CEO of Planetek Italia, are just some of the eminent members of the jury of this edition of the Copernicus Hackathon.

The winners are...

Poseidon

The Poseidon team wins the first prize of the jury, thanks to the creation of a robot that goes to clean the coasts of the Posidonia algae. Thanks to the use of Copernicus satellite data, Poseidon is able to move in total autonomy, intercepting and collecting the Posidonia seaweed which, in a green and circular economy perspective, is reused for the production of beauty products.

Epicoast

Project to optimize the management of bathing establishments. It allows the end user to choose their establishment based on the data collected by the satellites such as:

• water temperature

• weather forecast  

• number of umbrellas and crowding of the beach  

Uncover

Uncover has created an application that, thanks to artificial intelligence, recommends the best trekking route according to your needs.

Thanks to the use of Copernicus satellite data, Uncover provides you in real time with maps with the safest and most enjoyable routes for your holidays!