The solution addressing agricultural water pollution caused by nutrient runoff has won the Dutch edition of the 11th CASSINI Hackathon, held from 24 to 26 April in at the CometLab and organised by Groundstation.Space. The 1st prize went to a project, developed by team Solum, that uses satellite data and geospatial analysis to identify areas at risk of nutrient runoff from manure and support more targeted monitoring, with clear relevance for the Dutch water and infrastructure context. Read on to discover more and find out what’s next for the top team.
This is an extract of the news announcement on the Groundstation.Space website
During the three-day event, teams of students, developers, researchers and entrepreneurs developed, prototyped and pitched ideas addressing water-related challenges using satellite data from European programmes alongside Dutch data sources. The hackathon was more than a competition for students and early-career participants. It also served as a meeting point where stakeholders from research, government and industry connected real-world water challenges with available data and solutions.
Participants worked on three core challenges: improving equitable and efficient access to water; tracking and preventing water pollution; and monitoring disaster risk. These themes reflect ongoing priorities in the Netherlands, where water management plays a central role in infrastructure, agriculture and public safety.
At the end of the long and inspiring weekend, the winners were announced and shared by Groundstation.Space.
“Connecting capabilities to real-world needs requires collaboration between different stakeholders”
Kees van Duijvendijk, Netherlands Space Agency
Prize winners
The 1st prize (3000 euros) went to team Solum for a concept that enables authorities to identify high-risk areas where pollution is likely to occur. By combining satellite data with environmental indicators, it supports more targeted inspections and earlier intervention, offering a clear pathway from data to application. The 2nd prize (1000 euros) was awarded to team Well-D’s idea for detecting illegal groundwater extraction. The 3rd prize (CometLab prototyping award) was for the disaster response application of team Aegis.
Team Solum wins 1st prize: The winning idea is an app that combines satellite data, geodata and national manure regulations to reduce water pollution from manure surpluses in agriculture. Discover more
Meet winning team at the NL Space Campus Network & Drinks at PLNT on 30 April >>
Expert mentorship
Over the course of the weekend, experts from many of the partner organisations, including SBIC Noordwijk business coach Martin Haselhoff and Netherland Space Agency’s Kees van Duijvendijk, senior adviser satellite applications.
“Connecting capabilities to real-world needs requires collaboration between different stakeholders,” commented Kees. “Formats such as hackathons provide an open setting where people from different backgrounds, including students and professionals, can exchange perspectives and explore early-stage ideas.”
Victories all around
As they say, taking part is what counts. For all the teams and participants, opportunities extend beyond the winning teams – as a potential first step toward internships, startup support or further collaboration. As one participant Mohammad Umar (pictured standing in the below photo) commented:
“Despite not taking home the win, the real victory was building a working 3D simulator prototype over a weekend with an incredible team. We tackled the fascinating ‘Space for Water’ theme, leveraging space tech and data for flood intelligence and spun it into a viable business idea.”
The hackathon is part of the European CASSINI programme, an initiative of the European Commission supporting innovation and entrepreneurship based on space technologies. The Dutch heat winning team advanced to the European CASSINI competition final with further prizes and up to 100 hours of expert mentoring to further develop their project.
Read full news release on the Groundstation.Space website.
Credit for all photos: Arend Jan Hermsen, Par-Pa Fotografie
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