Copernicus Hackathon, a gateway to the 12-month Copernicus Acceleration program, is coming to Poland for the second time. Planned between March 7-14, 2020, in Łódź, the event focuses on finding new ways to use the Earth Observation (EO) data being collected by the European Commission and the European Space Agency’s Copernicus EO Program. At the same time, the Hackathon will expedite the development of new companies and projects in the EO sector that aim to improve the living conditions on Earth in the background of climate change, weather instability, and the rapid depletion of natural resources.
Who Should Participate
Anyone who would like to start a business in the space industry – programmers, remote sensing specialists, space enthusiasts, geodesy and cartography enthusiasts, as well as people with a marketing mindset and entrepreneurial spirit. Teams are encouraged to go through the list of challenges (below) and finalize their ideas/areas of interest beforehand.
Hackathon Challenges
This edition of Copernicus Hackathon has 8 challenges:
- Spatial planning and automatic detection of changes
- Natural hazard prevention and management
- Monitoring of agricultural fields
- Meteorological and hydrological analysis
- Inventory of excavation and piles
- Monitoring of forests
- Environmental degradation
- Adaptation to climate changes
More information about each of these challenges can be found here.
What to Expect
The event consists of two parts – a full-day workshop on March 7 and the final competition on March 14. During the week, the participating teams will get an opportunity to interact with both technical and business experts through remote mentoring sessions. The primary winner of the contest will get a direct entry into the 12-month Copernicus Acceleration program. There are several other awards planned for the runners-up.
The second edition of Copernicus Hackathon Poland is being facilitated by the Kapitech company together with Astri Polska, the Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, and SkyHub co-working space. The registration form can be found here.
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Ask any map addict or geography buff, there is nothing quite like curling up with an educational and entertaining book about maps. Below, you will find five new, intriguing books about geography and maps that would make for a great addition to any geogeek’s bookshelf.
World War II Map by Map
By DK Smithsonian | Hardcover: $23.49
In this stunning visual history book, custom maps tell the story of the Second World War from the rise of the Axis powers to the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Each map is rich with detail and graphics, helping you to chart the progress of key events of World War II on land, sea, and air, such as the Dunkirk evacuation, the attack on Pearl Harbor, the D-Day landings, and the siege of Stalingrad.
Atlas of Vanishing Places
By Travis Elborough | Hardcover: $27.30
Discover ancient seats of power and long-forgotten civilizations through the Mayan city of Palenque; delve into the mystery of a disappeared Japanese islet; and uncover the incredible hidden sites like the submerged Old Adaminaby, once abandoned but slowly remerging. With beautiful maps and stunning colour photography, Atlas of Vanishing Places shows these places as they once were as well as how they look today: a fascinating guide to lost lands and the fragility of our relationship with the world around us.
Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds
By Ian Wright | Hardcover: $19.95
Brilliant Maps is a singular atlas of 100 infographic maps, ranging from thought-provoking to flat-out fun. Which countries don’t have rivers? Which ones have North Korean embassies? Who drives on the ‘wrong’ side of the road? How many national economies are bigger than California’s? And where can you still find lions in the wild? You will learn answers to these questions and many more!
Airline Maps: A Century of Art and Design
By Mark Ovenden and Maxwell Roberts | Paperback: $20.46
In this nostalgic and celebratory look back at a century of passenger flights, Ovenden and Roberts look to the skies and transport readers to another time. Inside, you will find hundreds of images – right from the rudimentary trajectory of routes to the most intricately detailed birds-eye views of the land to be flown over. Airline Maps is a celebration of graphic design, cartographic skills and clever marketing, and a visual feast that reminds us to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
An Atlas of Geographical Wonders
By Gilles Palsky, Jean-Marc Besse, Philippe Grand, and Jean-Christophe Bailly | Hardcover: $41.39
The first book to catalog comparative maps and tableaux that visualize the heights and lengths of the world’s mountains and rivers, An Atlas of Geographical Wonders is full of 19th-century maps. Beginning with the work of explorer Alexander von Humboldt, these historic drawings reveal a world of artistic and imaginative difference. Expect to find several maps from the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection at Stanford University.
