50 Cities Announced for International Space Apps Challenge 2013

NASA has announced that it will be holding its second International Space Apps Challenge on 20-21 April 2013 which will take place in 50 cities across the planet on all continents as well as in space at the International Space Station. DailySocial, working together with the US Embassy as we did last year, will host the event in Jakarta and will be inviting participants to register for the event in March.

As explained by program lead Ali Llewellyn, International Space Apps Challenge is a two day event to create mobile apps, solutions, and data visualizations to assist in figuring out how to improve life on Earth as well as in space exploration programs. Participants will be able to collaborate with each other, not just within each location but across the globe.

Last year's event was held in over 20 cities as well as the McMurdo Station in Antarctica and the International Space Station, with around 2000 participants. This year, there will be 50 cities involved and 50 challenges to be tackled by participants.

We asked a number of questions about the event last year such as why was Jakarta selected as a participating city when the country isn't known for having much of an interest in space exploration, what is the expected outcome of the event, why hold the event in the first place, and several others. You can find out the answers to those questions and more in our interview with Ali Llewellyn about International Space Apps Challenge last year.

There will be some changes to the event's details but in general, it will be the same event and will be held similarly. More details will be revealed in March including the venue for this year's event in Jakarta, the list of challenges to be solved, the awards, prizes, and the registration to participate.

If you're a seasoned software developer looking for a challenge, you should consider giving this event a shot. It will be two days full of coding, software development, discussions, and if we're lucky, a conference call with NASA's crew in space as well as on the ground. If you are interested in supporting or sponsoring the event, feel free to email our sponsorship liaison, Rahmat Harlyadie.

Join the cause and let's hack the planet!