For more than 40 years, “Earth Observation” (EO) satellites developed or operated by space agencies, and by the European Union since the launch of the Copernicus programme, have provided a wealth of data. The availability of a growing volume of environmental data from space represents a unique opportunity for science and applications, but also poses a major challenge to achieve its full potential in terms of data exploitation. The availability of large volumes of EO data raises new issues in terms of discovery, access, exploitation, and visualization. Different communities, having different needs, methods, languages and protocols, need tools to facilitate access to the large volume and heterogeneity of environmental data, to cooperate to give the EO data and derived information the significance they need.
Responding to these technological and community challenges requires the development of new ways of working, capitalizing on software and hardware developments to facilitate the mining, exploitation, analysis, sharing and visualization of massive EO data sets and high-level products and we are convinced that the FOSS4G community can play a crucial role in addressing these challenges.
With the FOSS4G EO Data Challenge, we are challenging startups, developers, students and researchers to come up with useful, valuable or interesting open source applications using large volumes of EO data (and their evolution in time) and state-of-the art technologies (AI/ML, HMC, STAC, data cube, COG). Linking of EO data with other sources of open data (e.g. OpenStreetMap, Copernicus Services – Land, Atmosphere, Climate) is highly encouraged. Our voluntary mentors will guide the process to mature and demonstrate your ideas.
Applications for the FOSS4G EO Data Challenge 2019 need to submitted by 5th June 2019. Details of the competition and how to join at https://2019.foss4g.org/schedule/open-source-eo-data-challenge/
