DLSU hosts NASA International Space Apps Challenge’s Manila hackathon

Since its inception in 2012, NASA’s International Space Apps Challenge has become the world’s largest hackathon, allowing thousands of scientists, designers, storytellers, makers, builders, and technologists across the globe to use NASA’s free and open data to build innovative solutions to various challenges.

At last year's event, which involved over 18,000 participants in 75 countries, a Philippine team was named the winner of the Best Galactic Impact category for offering "a solution with the most potential to improve life on Earth or in the universe."

This year will be the fourth time the Philippines is joining the hackathon, with events in Manila, Davao City and Iloilo City. De La Salle University will host the Manila event.

"I am thrilled and excited to continue the tradition of inviting students and professionals, beginners and veterans from the Philippines to join this prestigious global hackathon by NASA," said software developer Michael Lance M. Domagas, who has led the Manila event since 2016.

"In fact, a Pinoy team winning globally last year makes Filipinos inspired to use these technologies in helping the society we live in, especially now that a law has been passed creating the Philippine Space Agency," he added.

The winning Pinoy team's idea—an app seeking to use scientific data to benefit fishermen, even without Internet connection—is being incubated at Animo Labs, the technology business incubator of De La Salle University, in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology's Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development.

"Animo Labs looks forward to see these kinds of projects being developed by Filipinos with the help of NASA data and resources, and we are happy to host it again at De La Salle University," said Animo Labs executive director Federico C. Gonzalez said.

Email nasaspaceappsph@gmail.com for more information.

Press release from DLSU