The 2025 Earth Observation Coding Challenge, powered by EO Africa DUNIA and hosted by the Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel (OSS), presents a unique opportunity for innovators across Africa to leverage satellite data for sustainable development. Running from May 22 to October 31, 2025, this fully online competition invites participants to develop cutting-edge solutions for water management and agricultural efficiency using Earth Observation (EO) technologies. The challenge will culminate in a virtual award ceremony broadcast from Tunis, celebrating the most impactful contributions.
Challenge Overview
As part of the GMES Africa initiative, the competition focuses on three critical areas:
- Drought condition mapping: Assessing and predicting drought patterns to enhance resilience.
- Crop stress assessment: Monitoring agricultural health to improve food security.
- Vegetation and forest cover change monitoring: Tracking environmental changes for better land management.
Participants will utilise coding, machine learning, and EO tools via the DUNIA cloud platform, developing interactive and actionable Python or R notebooks within the DUNIA Sandbox environment.
Key Components of the Challenge
- Learning and Development: Throughout September 2025, a series of expert-led webinars and hands-on training sessions will be conducted, offering participants deep insights into:
- DUNIA’s Sandbox and Application Hub
- Advanced EO data processing techniques
- Best practices in machine learning for geospatial analysis
- Competition Timeline
- Registration opens – May 22, 2025
- Training webinars and platform deep dives – September 2025
- Registration closes; official challenge begins – October 1, 2025
- Team presentations (virtual or in-person in Tunis) – October 30, 2025
- Winners announced – October 31, 2025
- Prizes and Recognition
Successful participants will receive:
- Opportunity to present at the GMES Forum in Cairo (subject to funding availability)
- Feature highlights by ESA, OSS, and DUNIA
- DUNIA usage credits, exclusive merchandise, and certificates
- Awards for:
- 1st Place
- Runner-Up
- People’s Choice
Eligibility and Participation
The challenge is open to:
- Teams of 1–3 members
- Individuals aged 18 and above
- Women in EO and tech are strongly encouraged to apply
How to Register
Interested participants can register via the official link.
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