It's a wrap on the 3rd CASSINI Hackathon!

Participants used their skills and knowledge to solve global challenges and make a positive impact! 
We were looking for determined participants with a passion for developing sustainable solutions and they came through! 

No previous space experience was required. They just chose a challenge that interested them, and proceeded to leverage EU space technologies to reshape tourism across Europe! This is how they got involved:  

Chose their location
Chose their
location
Applied as a participant
Registered before
11 May
(17:00 CEST)
Joined the Big Ideas Campaign 25-28 April
Joined the Big Ideas Campaign
25-28 April
Formed a team
Formed
a team
Hacked their way to success (12 - 14 May)
Hacked their way
to success

Why participate

Code
the future

Drew on their unique skills to create solutions that solve critical problems that literally affect our future.

Put their skills
to the test

Rolled up their sleeves and competed against fellow coders, creatives and business experts for a chance to win big!

Discover
EU Space

Developed their understanding of Copernicus, Galileo & EGNOS with our tailor-made training and support, and learned to design for the future.

Expand
their network

Met fellow hackers and experts from inside and outside the European space ecosystem. Gained experience networking and grew their connections.

Access
expert knowledge

Engaged with our technical and business experts who were on-hand throughout the event to help, advise and support them in reaching goals.

Take home
the prize

Won prizes on a local and European level. Cash and mentoring opportunities were just two of the many prizes up for grabs!

Explore our theme and challenges

Participants explored new destinations as they uplifted the tourism sector with resilience, sustainability and digitalisation during the 3rd CASSINI Hackathon.

The EU and regional and national governments required their fast thinking to revitalise tourism and to create new, climate-friendly ways to access European destinations. We were looking for innovative minds to develop sustainable solutions that stabilise and advance Europe’s tourism sector.

The hackathon was open to anyone enthusiastic about entrepreneurship, tourism and EU space technologies. Participants embarked on the challenge of their choice by using one or a combination of the following tools:

  1. Geospatial information from Copernicus Earth observation data and its services
  2. Satellite positioning and navigation services from Galileo & EGNOS
  3. Emerging digital technologies (e.g.  machine learning, augmented/virtual reality or blockchain)

Take a look at our three tourism-themed challenges below

Challenge #

Finding sustainable destinations

Each year, many European citizens vacation within the continent, concentrating primarily on a limited number of cities and regions. Reliant on the income and employment the tourism sector generates, these destinations have to balance the high cost to their environment and communities. Travel to and from Europe’s top locations depends heavily on aeroplanes, cruise ships, busses and cars, all of which leave a high carbon footprint. As travellers become increasingly aware of their climate impact and actively seek out sustainable tourism options, it’s the ideal time to present more transparent travel options.

This challenge called on tomorrow’s inventors to either develop innovative ideas or design new products or services that reduce the carbon footprint of tourism travel. Leverage European space data, information and signals from Copernicus, Galileo and EGNOS to turn their ideas into reality. We encouraged participants to explore these areas of focus: 

  • Carbon footprint measurement of travel
  • Alternative destinations or modes of transport
  • Online travel agents and other intermediaries
  • New, disruptive travel concepts
  • Understanding travel patterns between cities or countries

Challenge #

Experiencing cities and cultures

Travelling offers rich experiences from food and culture to history, music and art. Sharing these moments on social media brings the experience home by providing a direct window to the destination, but viral images can also lead to congestion and over-tourism. At a time when travellers are keen to discover lesser-known places, it’s important to harness the power of social media and utilise innovative digital technologies such as augmented and virtual reality to create unique experiences.

This challenge called on tomorrow’s inventors to either 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. Participants leveraged European space data, information and signals from Copernicus, Galileo and EGNOS to turn their ideas into reality. We encouraged participants to explore these areas of focus: 

  • Crowd management and slow tourism
  • Personal recommendations and itineraries
  • Social recognition and social media
  • State-of-the-art, virtual travel experiences
  • Supporting local businesses and communities
     

Challenge #

Exploring nature with care

Europe’s outdoors offer many activities for travellers, such as hiking, cycling, water sports, winter sports and more adventurous experiences. From the countryside and beaches to the forests and mountains, travellers frequent these destinations for days, weeks and even months at a time. With so many visitors taking advantage of what the outdoors have to offer, a key focus of tourism must be on nature protection.

This challenge called on tomorrow’s inventors to either develop innovative ideas or design new products or services to offer tourists a unique and sustainable opportunity to explore our nature. We encouraged participants to explore these areas of focus: 

  • Tourist information about the environmental state
  • Conservation of local nature and biodiversity
  • Generation of (new) routes, points of interest and activities
  • Social recognition and social media
  • Supporting local businesses and communities
     

The hackathon locations

The 3rd CASSINI Hackathon took place simultaneously across 9 different locations on
12-14 May 2022. Use the interactive map below to discover the locations!

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  • Austria

    Organised by:

    Science Park Graz

    Graz, Austria

    Science Park Graz
  • France

    Organised by:

    MURMURATION and OTL

    Nîmes, France

    MURMURATION and OTL
  • Greece

    Organised by:

    Corallia

    Athens, Greece

    Corallia
  • Hungary

    Organised by:

    Design Terminal

    Budapest, Hungary

    Design Terminal
  • Italy

    Organised by:

    Lazio Innova

    Rome, Italy

    Lazio Innova
  • Netherlands

    Organised by:

    Space Business Innovation Centre Noordwijk

    Rotterdam, Netherlands

    SBICxSubwebGroup
  • Norway

    Organised by:

    Bølgen bærekraftsenter

    Kristiansand, Norway

    Bærekraft Kristiansand
  • Poland

    Organised by:

    Kraków Technology Park

    Kraków, Poland

    Krakowski Park Technologiczny
  • Portugal

    Organised by:

    Instituto Pedro Nunes

    Coimbra, Portugal

    Instituto Pedro Nunes

The hackathon locations

The 3rd CASSINI Hackathon took place simultaneously across 9 different locations on
12-14 May 2022. Use the interactive map below to discover the locations!