This had been the case for previous MITA app challenges, but not for challenges launched in the context of satellite data, as far as we know. With this in mind, when launching the Malta App Challenge we ensured that the final user were on board from the start. “they know that the app might be of use to someone, but they do not know for whom”. But these users remain theoretical, for now. Both apps could prove valuable for a certain niche of users, such as small NGOs unable to process their own datasets, or environment agencies. A feature currently lacking in Google Maps. Water Direct allows users to search for watercourses and add Instagram photos. For example Protar is an app that allows one to visualise changes in Europe’s natural protected areas (Natura 2000). In Berlin, no less than nine MYGEOSS apps were presented, each one more interesting than the next. So what else does, and how can more challenges help innovators plan for commercial success? Know the clients The often-quoted rule of thumb is that 9 out of 10 start-ups fail and innovation alone cannot determine their success. Where do they differ? In how they plan for the future. What do Eurisy’s, JRC’s, and other challenges have in common? They put geo-information and satellite data at the fingertips of developers. From mobile apps crowdsourcing data for disaster management, to apps that send flu alerts, to traffic congestion management, there is no shortage of ideas.
The applications that have emerged are numerous, in both cases. Some are developed by the EC, but most were developed through two calls for applications, with a third call underway. The platform aims to host smart Internet applications based on GEOSS -the Global Earth Observation System of Systems. We have also seen a profusion of App Challenges meant to stimulate innovation, including our own, co-organised with the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) and the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA) earlier this year.Īnother example that recently caught our eye at the 10th GEO European Project Workshop in Berlin is JRC’s MYGEOSS platform, funded as a 2-year Horizon2020 project (2015-2016). Nowadays there’s an app for everything and our Smartphones are bustling with new tech solutions. Most of us remember the first Snake game Nokia had put on their phone in the nineties.
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