EMODnet Open Sea Lab II: Hackathon

  Are you a Coder? Communicator? Data enthusiast? Or Entrepreneur? Join us at the second EMODnet Open Sea Lab hackathon and develop innovative solutions with marine open data to address blue society challenges! During three days, in the vibrant and historical city of Ghent (Belgium), teams will compete and bring their expertise to develop novel marine and maritime applications using EMODnet, ICES and Copernicus Marine’s wealth of marine data and services. No previous experience is required! Experts in European marine data management and digital innovation will help build your team (if you don't already have one), lead workshops and coach you to bring your innovative ideas into working solutions.   Why Maritime Open Data matters? With four seas, two ocean basins, 89,000 km of coastline and approximately 50% of the population living in our coastal areas, Europe is truly a maritime continent. And with the diverse and expanding blue economy there is a lot of demand for marine data and applications by industry and wider society. Marine resources like fish and minerals offer a huge potential but are under pressure and need to be sustainably managed.  Access to accurate and adequate marine data has never been more important. EMODnet, ICES and Copernicus Marine are working to provide you with access to open data on many aspects of the physical and chemical state of our European seas and oceans, their depth, the geological structure of their seabeds, the habitats that they support, the biodiversity that inhabits them and the human activities that take place there. These are open resources and we want to see them used in innovative ways to solve your problems or to create new applications. The Open Sea Lab hackathon will bring together teams and will involve ideation, co-creation, prototype development and validation by mentors.   The EMODnet Open Sea Lab hackathon 2019 in a nutshell 4-6 September 2019 in the Zebrastraat located in the historical and vibrant city of Ghent (Belgium); Challenges to address in three main categories: Blue Growth Blue Society & Ocean literacy Marine environment protection & management (including climate change); Around 20 coaches & experts on-site from EMODnet, ICES, Copernicus Marine & imec; Many workshops available, from Co-creation and Business modelling to Machine learning, Data visualization and Story mapping; Tools for participants, prizes, side events, inspirational speakers and many networking opportunities!   Registration opens on 24 May 2019. Stay informed!