Abu Dhabi, July 20 2015 ” The Eye on Earth Summit 2015 launched its Data Innovation Showcase today, with two challenges calling on citizen scientists and designers to use open data for creative projects and captivating visualizations on the state of the global environment. An additional competition invites bloggers to write about how open data can enable a more sustainable future and healthier planet. The winners of each challenge will be given the opportunity to participate in the Eye on Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi, on 6-8 October.
The Data Innovation Showcase invites citizen scientists to submit project solutions that use open data to fight food waste, manage forest ecosystems or boost biodiversity in cities. The scope of the projects depends on the ingenuity of their developers and can include anything from a food donation platform matching excess with need, to a crowdsourced map using open data to do tree inventory. Three finalists of the Citizen Science Challenge will be given the opportunity to present their project to the delegates at the 2015 Eye on Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi, where a final winner will be selected.
The Data Visualization Challenge invites artists, designers, and creatives from across the globe to submit data visualizations that interpret the social and economic effects of poor air quality, oceanic warming and natural disasters. Applicants are invited to build images, data animations, infographics, 3D models, computer simulations, interactive maps and diagrams and other types of visualizations. One finalist will be selected to present their data visualization at the Summit.
The Blogging Competition invites writers and bloggers worldwide to help catalyze the #DataRevolution and address one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time “ how to enhance the availability of information and knowledge to enable a more sustainable future and healthier planet. Under the theme ˜A better world through knowledge and information', entrants are being asked to submit an inspirational piece that looks at how data and information can make a difference to ordinary people's lives. The winner will be named the Official Eye on Earth Summit 2015 Blogger and will be hosted at the Summit to report live on the event for a global audience.
The applications for each challenge can be found at http://www.eoesummit.org/challenges/data-innovation/ and http://www.eoesummit.org/challenges/blog-competition/, and the deadline to apply is 20 August 2015.
Supported by the Eye on Earth Alliance, the challenge themes highlight how environmental, social and economic data can generate new insights and solutions to help solve environmental issues.
This second Eye on Earth Summit is bringing together some of the world's foremost thought leaders in sustainable development to better understand the supply and demand dynamics, and enabling conditions for data to support sustainable development. The Eye on Earth Alliance, organizer of the Summit, comprises the Environment Agency “ Abu Dhabi through the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative, the Group on Earth Observations, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Resources Institute.
A global audience will be able to participate in the Summit and contribute to the dialogue via online and social media tools. Information on how to take part in the event and the competitions outlined is available via the Eye on Earth website www.eoesummit.org.
