The CASSINI Hackathons and Mentoring, initiated by the European Union is a series of six hackathons aimed to tackle global challenges using services and data from the EU Space Programme. In its third edition, this hackathon provides access to European space data and services from Copernicus, Galileo, and EGNOS to help participants take on various challenges and uplift Europe’s tourism industry.
Europe’s tourism industry is bursting with potential. In the last four years alone, the continent has welcomed over 2 billion global tourists, providing a primary source of income for European economies.
From the medieval streets of Prague and the beaches of Barcelona to the modern skyline of Oslo, Europe truly holds something for everyone. Because of this, the 3rd CASSINI Hackathon will focus on preserving these unforgettable destinations and how we access them. You will be challenged to develop ideas that support sustainable travel, enhance the experience in local cities and cultures, and promote thoughtful exploration of Europe’s nature.
The top ideas will be awarded at both local and EU levels, and the overall winners will enter a six-month mentoring programme that includes 100 hours of customised expert mentoring.
What’s the plat du jour?
If you are a rising innovator in Europe, you are invited to participate in the CASSINI Hackathon at one of our ten locations. Each hackathon location features its own unique set of experts, prizes, and additional special features. Once you select a location, it’s time for registration, team formation and ideation!
Your team will choose to solve one of three challenges, all related to the theme of European tourism:
- Creating sustainable destinations: Develop innovative ideas, design new products or services that reduce the carbon footprint of tourism travel. For this challenge, participants are encouraged to explore the areas of carbon footprint measurement, alternative destinations or modes of transport, online travel agents and other intermediaries, disruptive travel concepts, and understanding travel patterns between cities or countries.
- Experiencing lesser-known cities and cultures: Develop innovative ideas or design new products or services to offer travellers a unique and sustainable way to experience local destinations while supporting local businesses and communities. For this challenge, participants are encouraged to explore the areas of crowd management and slow tourism, personal recommendations and itineraries, social recognition and social media, state-of-the-art virtual travel experiences, and supporting local businesses and communities.
- Exploring nature with care: Develop innovative ideas or design new products or services to offer tourists a unique and sustainable opportunity to explore our nature. For this challenge, participants are encouraged to explore the areas of conservation of local nature and biodiversity, social recognition, and social media, supporting local businesses and communities, the generation of (new) routes and points of interest, and tourist information about the environmental state of areas.
Remember, no previous space experience is required! This is your chance to engage with the EUSpace sectors even if it’s for the first time. The application process couldn’t be easier: Simply choose a challenge and decide how you’ll leverage EU space technologies to reshape European tourism. Register here: hackathons.cassini.eu
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