The 2024 NASA Space Apps Challenge brought together coders, scientists, designers, and innovators across Kenya to tackle global and local challenges using NASA’s open data. With this year’s theme, “The Sun Touches Everything,” in collaboration with NASA’s Transform to Open Science (TOPS), participants celebrated the power of equitable, open knowledge sharing. Esri Eastern Africa took part in the event which ran from October 4–6, engaging diverse minds in creating solutions for earth and space.

Day 1: Training and Preparations

The hackathon began with expert-led training sessions. Christine Chege, Esri Eastern Africa’s Solutions Engineer, introduced participants to ArcGIS Online and developer tools, including APIs for Python and JavaScript, SDKs for native apps, and automation workflows. Emphasizing hands-on learning, participants explored data integration, tabular data workflows, and resources like the Living Atlas. These tools prepared participants to tackle challenges with geospatial insights and innovation.

Day 2: Development and Collaboration

Day 2 launched with an opening address by Dr. Ronoh, PS Agriculture, and a keynote from Brigadier Kipkoskey, KSA Director General. Panels featuring experts like Louis Njoroge (Satellite Engineering) and Fridah Cherotich (ILRI) explored topics ranging from earth observation to sustainable development.

Participants began working on solutions for challenges like “Leveraging Earth Observation for Agriculture” and “SDGs in the Classroom.” Esri EA provided ArcGIS licenses and on-ground mentorship to support the teams. By the end of the day, submissions were verified for alignment with the hackathon criteria: influence, creativity, validity, relevance, and presentation.

Day 3: Final Submissions and Judging

On the final day, participants polished their projects and presented them to a six-judge panel, including experts from Esri EA, ILRI, NASA Space Apps, and others.

• Winning Projects included:
  • Orbital Oracle: A 3D visualization tool to monitor space debris and prevent collisions in Earth’s orbit.
  • RNexus (Eco-Quest): An educational game for young students, promoting climate change awareness through story-driven challenges.
  • Cyber Morans: A platform leveraging satellite imagery for marine monitoring, combating piracy, illegal fishing, and habitat encroachment.

Each solution demonstrated creativity, real-world applicability, and the potential for global impact.

Awards and Recognition

The winners were awarded certificates, gift hampers, and free application hosting, courtesy of Esri EA and NASA. The event wrapped up with a vote of thanks, recognizing the participants, mentors, and sponsors who made the hackathon a success.

As the challenge concluded, the 2024 NASA Space Apps Challenge reaffirmed the transformative power of collaboration and open data in addressing critical challenges on Earth and beyond.