The Ocean of Data Challenge is a week-long event where participants work use one or more types of ocean data to create a diagram, a technology solution, an analysis of data, or something else, as long as it is a solution to the Challenge. To help narrow down the scope of the challenge, it is broken down into three Challenge Streams: Under the Water, On the Water, and Around the Water.
DeepSense and the Centre of Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE) decided to join forces to create an event that not only shows the importance of ocean data, but also to encourage interdisciplinary thinking! The ocean sector isn’t just for marine biologists and fishers, there are numerous opportunities for those working in oceans.
Any part-time or full-time students or recent graduates from post-secondary institutions in Atlantic Canada are welcome to join either on their own or on a team of up to 5 people. We want to encourage interdisciplinary teams, so anyone one studying Computer Science, Engineering, Biology, Sustainability, Business, or any other programs is invited to join!
Keep an eye on our social media for when we announce the next Challenge. Once announced, you will be asked to sign up for the introduction webinar where you will learn more about the Challenge theme. Afterwards, signed up participants will be emailed a registration form and the challenge is kicked off.
To ensure any student across Atlantic Canada can participate, the challenge is all virtual.
November 7 – 21, 2022
Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE), DeepSense, and ShiftKey Labs hosted the fourth Ocean Data Challenge supporting creative collaboration and idea generation. The free event kicked off virtually on Monday, November 7th with an introduction to the Challenge, presentations from experts, and the chance to ask questions to help with idea exploration. Final presentations were held virtually on November 21st at 6pm.
For this Data Challenges students at post-secondary institutions across Atlantic Canada were invited to use ocean data to examine what should our future digital harbour look like. All challenges run for two weeks, allowing participants to explore ways to learn about ocean data and meet others with the same interests and bring together unique skills to create a team (or work solo). The Data Challenge is a fantastic way to show off design, programming or other talents. Not to mention more than $2,000 in prizes!
Halifax Harbour is a critical hub for Atlantic Canada and continues to rapidly grow. Creating a digital harbour could lead to more efficient decision-making, as well as being opportunities to be more transparent with the data in our harbour and how it is shared with the public. The idea of a a digital harbour is about creating a harbour that is monitored using underwater sensor platforms and above-water (land and space) sensors and platforms. The data collected through this wired harbour can help us better understand our harbour by creating opportunities and partnerships for companies to build AI and machine learning solutions. Halifax Harbour is considered a mid-size port with naval, commercial, research and recreational activities happening on the water plus has a strong collection of ocean and aerospace companies, making the Halifax Harbour a great prototype in which to test the digital harbour concept!
This Data Challenge will invite participants to explore what it means to create a Digital Harbour in Halifax. Imagine how best it would be to set it up, how and what sort of data should be collected, how should it be stored or shared, how it could drive harbour efficiency and sustainability and help us better understand and communicate the benefits of being a digital harbour, or any other ideas you might have.
The challenge is broken down into three Challenge Streams: Under the Water, On the Water, and Above the Water. Individuals and teams will be asked to choose one stream and provide interdisciplinary ideas for helping understand the benefits of having a digital harbour in Halifax.
Each stream can be used to explore different types of data, for example: “Under the Water” can explore how we can better understand the sound and movement of vessel movement or optimization, and “On the Water” can include people movement, and “Above the Water” can include a bigger picture view of the interactions.
Challenge Stream #1: Under the Water
Some examples you can explore: How can technology be used underwater? How can a digital harbour keep our waterway safe? Are there measurements we need to consider now and in the future?
Challenge Stream #2: On the Water
Some examples you can explore: What considerations should be made about the movement of people, vessels and other future activities on the water? What systems need to be built? What impacts will future technology have on today’s vessels and movement using the Halifax Harbour?
Challenge Stream #3: Above the Water
Some examples you can explore: How can technology on land or in the sky help us better understand the harbour? Are there considerations that need to be made about the evolving waterways? How will aspects of the harbour change that need to be included in the overview of how we evaluate the ocean?
The best ideas come from interdisciplinary teams, so we invite those studying Computer Science, Engineering, Biology, Sustainability, Business, or any other programs! As long as participants are students who are registered full or part-time at an Atlantic Canada post-secondary educational institution or graduated from one of those institutions in the past 12-months. You can go solo, or work with a team of up to five people. The Challenge kick-off will take place on Monday, November 7th at 4pmADT and streamed online, with a recording uploaded the next day. Please ensure you read the Official Rules below.
November 2 – 9, 2021
Post-secondary students from institutions across Atlantic Canada are invited to use ocean data to explore the opportunities with the proposed Bedford Ferry and help transform the daily commute of thousands living in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
February 8 – 15, 2022
The Ocean Frontier Institute joins COVE and DeepSense to help host the second Ocean of Data Challenge. Teams explored interdisciplinary ideas and concepts that would help coastal communities adapt to impacts cause by climate change.
May 2 – 20, 2022
Join the Halifax Port Authority, PSA Halifax, COVE and DeepSense for the next Ocean of Data Challenge!
PSA Halifax now owns the Fairview and the Atlantic Hub container terminals in Halifax, making our port unified like few others. The Port of Halifax now has one terminal operator, one railroad operator, and one port authority. This change helps Halifax become a One Port City and will create new opportunities for our community.
Melanie Nadeau, CEO of COVE
Captain Allan Gray, President & CEO of Port of Halifax
Kelvin Tan, Deputy CEO of PSA Halifax
Sheila Patterson, COO of COVE
Rahul Mehra, Director of Sr. Practice Lead at Intelligent SystemsIBI
Patrick Bohan, Director, Government Relations & Stakeholder Engagement at the Port of Halifax
Our newsletter and online community will help you connect with like-minded people, learn about how to participate in the growing potential of AI, and discover the infinite uses of ocean data.