Details

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?

Who should participate? 

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.

The Rules 

• Competitors must own rights or have written permission from the owner for all software demonstrated in the competition. 
• Your submission could be as simple as just a single really insightful bar chart. Or maybe you will use machine learning to build a prediction. Surprise us! Judging will be based on the potential for impact, originality, and creativity. 
• Competitors can work solo or on teams of up to 5 members.
• Competitors are not allowed to submit projects containing confidential information 
• Required to use one source of public data, noting the source of the data in the presentation or within infographic, visual or slides
• Must be a current part-time or full-time student of an academic institution in Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador) or have graduated from one of these institutions in the past 12 months.