NASA's International Space Apps Challenge 2017 Just Around The Corner

NASA’s International Space App Challenge, an international mass collaboration focused on space exploration is being held for the fifth time in Nepal. The two-day event is being conducted on April 29 and 30 at Thapathali Trade Tower, Kathmandu. The event is being conducted under the framework of SERVIR Hindu Kush-Himalaya, Mercycorps Nepal and The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

The two days hackathon will embrace the solving of two different challenges i.e. global challenge by NASA and Local Challenges by Mercy the Nepal and ICIMOD. Likewise, Robotics Association of Nepal (RAN), Nepal Engineers’ Association, Young Innovations Pvt. Ltd and Kathmandu Living Labs will be helping organize the event as well. The organizers will come up with certain problems and anyone who has the interest to solve the problem can participate.

The International Space App challenge by NASA will take place over 48 hours in cities of the world. This is the fifth time it is being organized worldwide. The main goal of the event is to produce relevant open-source solutions to address global needs applicable to both life on Earth and life in space. Also, the event marks as the opportunities for participants to create local apps with which they can benefit from along with the agencies and public. There will be around 20-30 challenges on Earth Theme in five challenge categories such as:

The Earth and US
Planetary Blues
Warning! Danger Ahead
Ecological Neighborhood
Ideate and Create

Local Challenges

The participants who engage in the local challenge will not be able to take part in the global competition. But, they can clarify their apps and prototype even after the event with the support of organizers. The topics for local challenges are:

Cost effective Irrigation technology for sandy river bank
Cost effective water supply for uphill settlement above river
River Shifting trend analysis and projection Early Warning System (EWS) for Creep Landslide Agricultural Drought Forecasting
Sugarcane potential area mapping and flood hazard modeling

The merits for the participation include Rs. 30,000.00 for the Champion, Rs. 20,000.00 for First Runner-up, Rs. 10,000.00 for Second Runner-up and a $100 Amazon Web service credit for each participant.

The global champion team can get the chance to visit NASA during their rocket launch, and a chance to work with ICIMOD and Mercycorps if the workable prototype is obtained as a result of the NASA Space Apps. Last Year, ICIMOD funded Team Smart Nepali for the development of a Low-cost Early warning system for landslide. T-shirt, Certificates, Lunch, Dinner, all are free of cost.