The trans4num INSPIRE Hackathon is the 21st edition of the INSPIRE Hackathon series organized by Plan4All, this year hosted within the trans4num project, funded by the Horizon Europe programme. Unlike a one-time event, this hackathon follows the traditional INSPIRE Hackathon model, operating as an ongoing process that builds upon the results of previous hackathons to foster continuous innovation. In this edition, we will expand on the work from the Agrihub INSPIRE Hackathon 2022, which featured 16 challenges aimed at creating innovative solutions in areas such as agriculture, climate analysis, food transport, land use, and data integration. These challenges covered a wide range of topics, from smart farming tools and IoT, to AI technologies, drone usage, and environmental services.
Why participate? The INSPIRE Hackathon offers participants the chance to join a thriving international knowledge community. Each participant will receive a certificate recognizing their active involvement. Additionally, the top three teams, chosen by a jury based on specific criteria, will have the opportunity to contribute to peer-reviewed articles and citable publications documenting the results of the hackathon, offering a lasting legacy and boosting career prospects.
Participation and Registration
Each INSPIRE Hackathon defines a set of challenges in advance. Participants collaborate to find solutions to these challenges, working under the guidance of one or more mentors. The mentors play a key role in coordinating the team’s efforts, facilitating communication, and ensuring the results are presented at the final virtual event. All outcomes from the hackathon will be published and integrated into https://trans4num.eu/en/ and www.plan4all.eu.
With a total of 8 challenges, you can choose to participate in one, several, or even all of them – the choice is yours!
The challenges were announced on 1st October 2024, giving you time to decide which ones to tackle. Registration for this fully virtual hackathon opens now!
The hackathon is divided into two virtual phases:
- Phase One: In this phase, participants brainstorm and develop innovative solutions under the guidance of an experienced mentor. Communication will take place via virtual meetings, webinars, and other platforms like Google Drive, WhatsApp, or Skype. Mentors will ensure smooth communication with their respective teams.
- Phase Two: A virtual workshop concludes the hackathon, where the results will be presented to an international jury. All teams will be invited to create a 10-minute video showcasing their solution. These videos will be shared with the jury and published online, allowing the general public to vote on the top 3 winning solutions. The date for this workshop is yet to be confirmed.
TIMELINE
- Opening of registration – Call for participation 1st October 2024
- Virtual Hackathon – 21st October – 30th November 2024
- Preparation of presentations of results and final reports – by 7th December 2024
- Final workshop and results announcement – as of 16th December
| Challenge | Title | Mentors |
| 1 | Development of spectacular experimental and demonstration tools and content to establish and spread the use of NBS | Zoltán Fűzfa & Katalin Miholicsné Orbán |
| 2 | ALGAVERSE – Sustainable food for soil | Nayab Raza |
| 3 | AI-based cloud-free crop monitoring | Petr Šimánek & Jiří Kvapil |
| 4 | High-precision meteorological forecasting for optimizing agriculture and beyond | Miroslav Čepek & Michal Kepka |
| 5 | AI-enhanced geospatial analysis for rural development challenge | Alexander Kovalenko & Karel Charvát |
| 6 | Web-scraping for NBS | Adrian Müller |
| 7 | Regional nutrient balances for better decisions towards nutrient circularity | Hanna Frick & Adrian Müller |
| 8 | Fundamentally different case studies of nature-based solutions – how can they be integrated into a common agent-based modelling approach? | Anke Möhring |
Don’t miss out and register for one or more challenges via:
Final Event
The trans4num INSPIRE Hackathon 2024 will culminate in an exciting virtual workshop, where the results of the challenges will be showcased. This final event will feature presentations from all participating teams, who will share their innovative solutions developed during the hackathon. An expert jury will be present to assess the submissions based on predefined criteria, and their evaluations will determine the top solutions. The event will conclude with an award ceremony, celebrating the most outstanding contributions and recognizing the hard work and creativity of the participants.
Criteria for Evaluation
The trans4num INSPIRE Hackathon 2024 submissions will be evaluated based on a set of criteria to ensure a fair and thorough assessment of each team’s contributions. The criteria for evaluation are as follows:
- Relevance to NBS: How well does the solution align with Nature-Based Solutions for sustainable agriculture and land management?
- Innovation and creativity: Is the solution original and creative? Does it introduce new ideas and approaches?
- Impact and sustainability: What positive impact does the solution have on agriculture and the environment? Is it designed to be sustainable long-term?
- Feasibility and practicality: Is the solution practical and realistic to implement in real-world scenarios?
- Presentation and communication: How clearly and effectively is the solution presented? Is the documentation comprehensive and well-organised?
Collaborating Projects
The hackathon is supported by several collaborating projects, offering challenges, mentors, and expertise. These projects bring valuable resources and networks, enriching the hackathon and driving innovation in sustainable agriculture and land management. Their involvement ensures a broad and impactful reach across various sectors and regions.
This project aims to establish a Precision Farming Knowledge Transfer Ecosystem, involving universities, research centres, and business support organisations to foster digital capabilities, aiming to improve sector competitiveness.
The objective of PoliRuralPLUS is to foster a sustainable, balanced, equitable, place-based and inclusive development of rural and urban areas through improved connections, governance arrangements, and integrated territorial policies that prioritise experimentation and innovation in domains that favour bi-directional urban-rural synergies and the development of a well-being economy.
The ALIANCE project focuses on using AI, satellite imagery, and sensor data to enhance precision agriculture. It aims to improve weather forecasting accuracy and create more reliable methods for analyzing agricultural data by integrating various sources like climate and soil information.