Same procedure as every year: once again we attended the award ceremony of the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) and the GMES Masters. (For last year’s report, see here). Both ideas challenges have relied on Schaltzeit technology since 2011. With the tool we provide, participants can conveniently submit their ideas online, and experts can view and evaluate them directly on the platform. For the organizer of the competitions, the Anwendungszentrum Oberpfaffenhofen (AZO), the software simplifies management processes, serves as a statistics tool, and ultimately also as an archive database.
We are pleased that both competitions keep growing, and this year, once again, the number of submitted ideas increased. Most of the submissions are apps that use satellite data, for example location-based services or navigation applications for emergency and rescue. Also striking is the high share of applications linked to mobility in one form or another. Interestingly, most submissions come from startups rather than established companies. And they are THE target group: the competitions are also meant to scout candidates for the ESA Business Incubation Centre program. The international character of the competitions adds a special appeal: with a colorful crowd of participants from more than 40 countries, you become aware of their global reach, and you know for certain that you are part of a very special event.
Once again, the event was perfectly organized. The well-rehearsed host duo Ulrike Daniels and Thorsten Randolph guided the award ceremony with great professionalism (though, at three hours, it was admittedly a bit too long).
The list of nominated ideas is too long to reproduce here, but it can be studied online in the results brochures of the ESNC and the GMES Masters competitions. A special mention goes to the overall winner of the GMES Masters: “Cerberus – Crowdsourcing and E-Learning Platform.”
My personal highlight at the ESNC was the regional winner for the partner region Baden-Württemberg,EmoCityMapping – Unfolding Emotions in Living Spaces.
After the award ceremony, the Bavarian State Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, patron of the ESNC and co-initiator of the GMES Masters, hosted a reception in the Kaisersaal of the Munich Residenz. Kathrin, head of our Munich Schaltzeit office, explained to us that normally “not just anyone gets in” here – the rooms are actually reserved for state receptions.
The success story continues in 2013: the ESNC will celebrate its 10th anniversary, and the GMES Masters will enter its third round. More challenges have already been announced informally – BMW, for example, plans to launch a separate prize at the GMES Masters in 2013. And Schaltzeit will remain IT partner. After an evaluation phase of the online platforms, we will use the time until the next submission phase to further optimize the software together with the team at the Anwendungszentrum.
Further information on the partnership with AZO can be found in the press releases on the ESNCand GMES Masters from 2011.
