The countdown has begun: The ESA App Camp is inviting developers from all over Europe with professional app experience to apply for entry by 21 July 2014.

From 8 to 15 September 2014, the European Space Agency (ESA) will be welcoming 20 app developers to its ESRIN facilities in Frascati (near Rome), Italy. At the event, participants will learn how to leverage Earth observation data – particularly coming from the European Earth observation programme Copernicus – for use on smartphones. Experience in integrating such data is not a prerequisite to participate, ESA will provide participants with access to satellite data they can use in creating mobile apps (for Android or iOS). By using a specially developed API, they can then incorporate these Earth observation data into the App Camp’s ultimate goal: functional app prototypes.

Sentinel-1A, the first satellite of the European Earth observation programme Copernicus, was successfully launched on 3 April 2014 and will already deliver data for use at the App Camp. The data and services it provides are now opening doors to countless new possibilities for apps in a wide variety of areas, including agriculture, emergency and rescue management, environmental protection, maritime environment and maritime transportation, and lifestyle and tourism.

When registering online, entrants can choose from various categories and apply either alone or as a team of up to four people. Among other criteria, these participants will be selected based on their previous programming work. Their travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by the ESA. The App Camp is being organised again by Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen, acting under an ESA contract.

In addition to serving as a competition for impassioned programmers, the ESA App Camp represents a chance to share ideas with like-minded people from all over Europe, to make interesting contacts at  ESA, and to gain exciting insights into the Agency’s work.

News from past App Camp participants:

Cheetah wins 2013 ESA App Challenge

At the 2013 ESA App Camp, Valentijn Venus and his team developed “Cheetah”, an app designed to minimise food wastage along the entire production and transport chain in Africa with the help of Earth observation satellites. The app was then named 2013’s best smartphone application by ESA as part of the innovation competition Copernicus Masters. The team is now in talks with partners in Africa with an eye towards starting field testing. Meanwhile, discussions are also under way regarding the team’s potential acceptance into the start-up programme of one of the ESA Business Incubation Centres. http://cheetah.ujuizi.com

For more information, please visit www.esa.app-camp.eu.
Source: Esa