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Nasa, IBM Team Up on Global Hackathon to Solve Earth's Problems


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The Earth, as seen by astronauts on the Apollo 17 mission, 1992.

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration is teaming up with IBM to hold its fourth annual space apps hackathon.

Credit: Wikipedia

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) this weekend will hold its fourth annual space apps hackathon challenging developers, scientists, artists, and engineers to design apps addressing the space agency's unique needs.

The three-day event will take place at more than 135 locations around the world, including Washington, DC, and New York City.

NASA has issued specific challenges in several fields such as robotics, earth science, space exploration, and human health. The agency is looking for solutions such as apps that can control small drones in space, print space food, and improve the ability to grow crops in space. Winners will be selected in five categories, including "best use of data" and "most inspiring," and they will have a chance of NASA adopting their apps for use in the space agency's projects.

This year, NASA is partnering with IBM for the event. IBM will provide participants with access to several resources, including its Bluemix platform and its Watson supercomputer. IBM employees also will be available to provide technical support. In addition to offering participants access to its services, IBM will award $120,000 worth of Bluemix services to the 30 winners who design the most innovative apps.

From The Washington Post
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Abstracts Copyright © 2015 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA


 

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