EMODnet Open Sea Lab 4.0 Hackathon
Harness the power of EMODnet for the European Digital Twin Ocean
Published on the 31st of December 2024. 6 min read.
Table of contents
What is the EMODnet Open Sea Lab 4.0 Hackathon?
Why join?
Who can join?
Who are the stakeholders?
What are the hackathon challenges?
5.1. Challenge 1 - EMODnet for Supporting the Blue Economy Green Transition
5.2. Challenge 2 - EMODnet for a Healthy and Productive Marine Environment
5.3. Challenge 3 - EMODnet for Managing the Use of our Seas and Ocean
5.4. Challenge 4 - EMODnet for the Coast
5.5. Challenge 5 - Wild Card! Hack the Ocean with EDITO (Open challenge)
Hackathon timeline
How to participate
Need more info?
1. What is the EMODnet Open Sea Lab 4.0 Hackathon?
The Open Sea Lab 4.0 (OSL 4.0) virtual hackathon, taking place March 25–27, 2025, invites ocean innovators to harness EMODnet’s wealth of in situ data and the groundbreaking European Digital Twin Ocean (EDITO) platform.
This event will provide participants with access to Europe’s leading ocean data and cutting-edge tools to tackle challenges in ocean sustainability, from biodiversity restoration to advancing the Blue Economy.
Using the abundance of EMODnet services covering pan-European data/data products of the marine environment and human activities at sea, the Open Sea Lab Hackathon 4.0 welcomes participants to create meaningful solutions.
The hackathon winners will get the chance to network, exhibit, and pitch at the European Maritime Day 2025 in Cork, Ireland in front of a worldwide marine audience!
Watch the video from the last edition!
2. Why join?
Networking
Make new contacts and showcase your skills to leading EU and international marine organizations.
Upskilling & The EU DTO
Use the state-of-the-art tools and resources of the EMODnet network, along with open and in-situ data, to learn new skills and contribute to the co-design of the European digital twin ocean.
Coaching
Learn from the best mentors and authorities in the areas of marine data management, sustainability, innovation, ocean research, and the blue economy.
Join OSL 4.0 to innovate with Europe’s most comprehensive ocean datasets and shape the future of ocean sustainability.
Whether you're a data scientist, policymaker, entrepreneur, or early-career professional, this is your chance to make waves in marine innovation.
3. Who can join?
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To solve important maritime and environmental issues, contribute your knowledge of data science, AI, and machine learning.
For sustainable ocean resource management, your expertise in geoinformatics, earth observation, and remote sensing will be useful in identifying trends, optimizing solutions, and gaining insights.text goes here
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Your understanding of biodiversity, marine ecosystems, and climate science will serve as the cornerstone for developing creative and scientifically sound solutions.
Contribute your knowledge to make sure initiatives promote ocean sustainability while attending to ecological demands.
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Utilize your engineering expertise to advance maritime innovation.
Your input into the development of ocean technologies, renewable energy sources, and coastal infrastructure will propel workable, expandable solutions for sustainable marine development.
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To create effective, environmentally responsible initiatives, contribute with your knowledge of environmental policy, marine governance, and regulatory frameworks, to match societal and environmental goals with technology developments.
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Share your business savvy and entrepreneurial approach to turn concepts into workable solutions.
The creation of scalable ideas for a sustainable blue economy will be guided by your comprehension of industry challenges and market demands.
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Bring your energy, imagination, and new viewpoints to address urgent ocean issues.
In addition to giving you practical experience and chances to work with professionals, your involvement will aid in the development of creative solutions.
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Your expertise in coastal zone planning, sustainable development, and water management will guarantee that the solutions are socially and environmentally responsible.
Contribute your knowledge to balance ecological and economic priorities and safeguard maritime resources.
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Utilize your technical proficiency in data modeling, GIS, and computer science to create innovative systems.
Contribute your expertise in environmental solution optimization and complicated data visualization to have a real influence on ocean sustainability.
4. Who are the stakeholders?
The hackathon is co-organized by EMODnet, EDITO and the European Commission.
In cooperation with Copernicus Marine Service:
5. What are the hackathon challenges?
The EMODnet Open Sea Lab 4.0 hackathon encourages people to organize into Teams to tackle particular Ocean concerns.
There are five tasks in all, which are as follows:
5.1. Challenge 1 - EMODnet for Supporting the Blue Economy Green Transition
Participants will use EMODnet's multidisciplinary marine and human activity data to create solutions that advance sustainability and innovation in Blue Economy sectors such as fisheries, aquaculture, renewable energy, and coastal tourism.
Solutions should improve decision-making, promote sustainable operations, assess environmental impacts, and support biodiversity restoration.
Emphasis is placed on leveraging in situ data to enhance efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and monitor emissions for more sustainable ocean-based activities.
5.2. Challenge 2 - EMODnet for a Healthy and Productive Marine Environment
Explore how EMODnet’s localized in situ data can enhance the evidence base for implementing the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and Birds and Habitats Directive (BHD) within the EU Green Deal framework.
Participants will develop tools or applications using EMODnet data to improve marine environmental assessments at European, regional, and national levels, supporting policy implementation, quality status reports, and ecosystem health evaluations.
5.3. Challenge 3 - EMODnet for Managing the Use of our Seas and Ocean
Participants will use EMODnet’s in situ data to support adaptive and climate-smart Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) at national and cross-border levels.
The goal is to create solutions that balance ecological, economic, and social needs while addressing future climate impacts. Emphasis is on enhancing tools and knowledge for transboundary MSP by integrating human activity, marine environment, and coastal data into forward-looking planning decisions.
5.4. Challenge 4 - EMODnet for the Coast
Participants will use EMODnet’s in situ data, complemented by other open sources, to create applications assessing coastal ecosystems' health and status.
Solutions should address coastal challenges like sea-level rise, pollution, eutrophication, and climate change impacts.
Focus areas include understanding and monitoring coastal ecosystems, enhancing resilience, and supporting evidence-based management of the land-sea interface and inland waters to benefit coastal communities and the Blue Economy.
5.5. Challenge 5 - Wild Card! Hack the Ocean with EDITO (Open challenge)
Participants are invited to leverage the EDITO platform and the European Digital Twin Ocean to create innovative, open-ended solutions.
By combining EMODnet in situ data with Copernicus satellite observations, climate models, and other open data sources, teams can develop impactful applications for ocean monitoring, environmental protection, or sustainable resource management.
This challenge encourages creativity in addressing emerging ocean challenges through unique data integrations and cutting-edge approaches.
6. Hackathon timeline
Registrations and team formation kick off in December 2024, followed by a warm-up ideation session on March 7.
Teams finalize their ideas by March 17 before diving into the hack days starting March 25.
Key deliverables, including project summaries, presentations, and optional supporting evidence, are due by March 26, with a video pitch wrapping up submissions.
The evaluation begins immediately after, leading to the final pitching and winners' announcement on March 27.
🟢 Registrations and team formation opens - 15 December @ 00:00
🌊 Ideation warm-up starts - 7 March @ 16:00
❌ Registration and team formation closes and💡Idea submission - 17 March @ 18:00
⛵ Hack days start - 25 March @ 10:00
📃 Deliverable 1 // Project Summary - 25 March @ 14:00
🗃️ Deliverable 2 // Presentation - 25 March @ 18:00
🔗Deliverable 3 ️[OPTIONAL] // Supporting evidence link - 26 March @ 18:00
📽️Deliverable 4 // Video Pitch - 26 March @ 18:00
👩⚖️ Evaluation process starts - 26 March @ 18:01
🎉 Pitching and winners announcement! - 27 March @ 15:00
7. How to participate
1) Register for the hackathon
Go to Eventornado and fill in the registration form!
2) Form Teams
Connect with participants and form diverse teams with complementary skills.
3) Get familiar
Explore EMODnet services, the EDITO platform, and open data sources
4) Solve challenges
Develop innovative solutions tailored to the hackathon’s themes.
5) Pitch your idea!
Present your solution and get your chance to pitch at the European Maritime Day 2025 in Ireland!
8. Need more info?
For any questions about the event you can drop us an email to hello@pristineagency.eu
