By Roy Mabasa

The United States Embassy in the Philippines will host its second National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Apps Challenge beginning Friday, October 18, 2019, bringing the global event to Davao and Iloilo provinces.

The Space Apps Challenge, which is now on its 8th year, is a NASA-led international hackathon taking place simultaneously in different cities around the world, aiming to address pressing challenges on Earth and in space.

During the Challenge, individuals and communities from different backgrounds gather together to share their talents and skills while using NASA’s free and open data to create solutions to real-world problems.

A statement from the U.S. Embassy said this year’s challenge categories include protecting Earth’s oceans, studying our moon, exploring planets near and far, analyzing stars and beyond, and understanding our world and planet.

More than 18,000 participants from 75 countries gathered in last year’s Space Apps Challenge.

In the Philippines, the U.S. Embassy hosted the hackathon, in collaboration with the American Corner in De La Salle University and other partners including: the Department of Science and Technology, PLDT, Animo Labs, and long-time local organizer Michael Domagas.

It said that the joint effort resulted in the Philippines’ first-ever NASA Space Apps Global Champion, Team iNON, who developed a mobile app enabling fisherfolk to have access to real-time information on weather and sea conditions, even without smartphones or internet access.

Following this achievement, NASA invited the team to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in July 2019, where they presented their work.

Aside from Davao and Iloilo, De La Salle University will again host the Manila leg of the hackathon.

The event is in collaboration with the American Corners in Ateneo de Davao University, Central Philippine University, and other partners including the Department of Science and Technology, Amazon Web Services, Cebu Pacific, and the Innovate Iloilo Expo.