Ventspils

Welcome to NASA Space Apps Challenge Ventspils 2021!

Another year, another great opportunity to new challenges.

Space Apps Challenge – it is 48 hours hackathon that unites space enthusiasts around the globe to solve challenges of Earth and space using free and open NASA data.

This year, the event will be 100% virtual, and will nevertheless give participants the opportunity to connect with people from different backgrounds and talents to solve one of the challenges provided by NASA.

What is the purpose of Space Apps?

Space Apps, which started in 2012, has now become the largest global hackathon. While NASA provides awards to the top projects (see more below), Space Apps is all about collaboration! Our mission is focused on the following objectives:

- To inspire collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking

- To foster interest in Earth and Space science and exploration

- To raise awareness of NASA data around the world

- To encourage growth and diversity of the next generation of scientists, technologists, designers, engineers, artists, etc.

You are welcome to join if:

• You are a curious and bright mind: students, graphic designers, developers, UX/UI designers, data analysts, entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists, innovators, technology experts, communicators, marketers, activists of humanitarian causes, and all space enthusiasts.
• And/or you love data and you want to transform NASA’s open data sets into real-world applications
• And/or you are passionate about space and you want to join in building our future together for the benefit of humanity.
• And/or you love hardware. Yes! Hardware projects welcome - Space Apps is more than “apps”! Grab your favorite board and dream up a solution for Earth or your own mission in space.

Why Ventspils?

• Ventspils - The TOP 3 micro European city of the future (2020/2021) by FDI Intelligence which mission is: "Empower ICT founders & companies for rapid & sustainable growth in mindful & inspiring environment."
• Ventspils Municipality within UIA project "NextGen Microcities" together with main Ventspils IT ecosystem's stakeholders/drivers has developed a completely new IT Foreign Direct Investment strategy for the city with the title: "Tech Wonderland by The Sea". The city has set the top priority IT sub-categories to focus on and develop for the next years.
• Ventspils has a long history in being part of the Space research and solution development with Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre's infrastructure and it's researchers as the core and now is ready to take it to the next level by building a strong community around it.
• We are looking forward to gathering like-minded people together and work with the Global partner NASA to solve huge and maybe smaller problems which will lead us to an (even a little bit) better world and help us explore the mystique of the space.

To REGISTER for Ventspils Space Apps Challenge 2021 -> click the REGISTER button😉 !

Local Jury:

Vairis Caune - Ventspils University of Applied Sciences - Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology

Leading researcher - Institute of Engineering Sciences "Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Center"

Laura Čodere - Lead UIA Project Manager

Signe Kurpica - Lead UIA Project Manager

Liene Kataševska - Head of Ventspils business incubator at Investment and Development Agency of Latvia

Juris Kalvāns - Head of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Leading Researcher

Mentors:

Gints Rekens - Head of Liepaja business incubator at Investment and Development Agency of Latvia and a mentor for Business Academy

Kirill Vasiliskov - Developer with MSc in Astronomy

Linda Gulbe - Ventspils International Radio and Astronomy Center researcher

Mokhan Eugene - Accenture Senior iOS developer

Alexey Kulakov - Accenture UX/UI designer

Aleksejs Kanarčiks - Accenture Front-end developer / Analyst

Anton Krupskyi - Accenture Technology Security Specialist

Muhammad Haris - Accenture Design and Development


Main organizers and supporters:

VENTSPILS MUNICIPALITY within UIA project "NextGen Microcities of Europe" together with main Ventspils IT ecosystem's (and specifically SpaceTech) stakeholders/drivers:

VENTSPILS UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES - is a national higher education and science institution. VUAS has three faculties: the Faculty of Economics and Management, the Faculty of Translation Studies, and the Faculty of Information Technology. Altogether, 14 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral study programs are available.

VENTSPILS INTERNATIONAL RADIOASTRONOMY CENTER (VIRAC) - a science education center specializing in the implementation of high-quality future research services in the field of space technology and signal processing.

ACCENTURE LATVIA - A Fortune Global 500 professional IT services company with more than 490 000 consultants globally.

BASAFUL - the good cause student's owned digital service agency