Students Develop WhatsApp-Based Satellite Data Solution; Project Selected from 10,000 Submissions in NASA’s Hackathon
A team of B.Tech students from NIT Hamirpur’s Department of Physics and Photonics Science has achieved international recognition by excelling in the NASA Space Apps Challenge 2024. Competing against 10,000 submissions from over 150 countries, the project created by Girish Gaurav Sharma, Aarushi Saini, Ajay Mokta, and Shabd Patel was selected for the next stage of the world’s largest public hackathon.
The students developed an innovative solution to streamline the transmission of satellite data. Their project enables the delivery of accurate date and time information about satellite data acquisition directly through WhatsApp. This user-friendly feature aims to improve the accessibility of data for researchers and scientists while also enhancing the accuracy of information obtained from NASA’s LandSat program and the European Space Agency’s Sentinel satellites.
By integrating this feature into everyday communication platforms like WhatsApp, the students’ solution not only increases accessibility but also simplifies data delivery for scientific research purposes. This could be a game-changer for various research fields dependent on timely and accurate satellite information.
The NASA Space Apps Challenge is an internationally renowned hackathon, organized in collaboration with leading global space agencies such as the European Space Agency (ESA), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). It challenges participants to develop creative technological solutions to pressing global problems.
This year’s competition highlighted the creativity and innovative spirit of participants like the NIT Hamirpur team, whose project has the potential to contribute significantly to scientific advancements. Their achievement brings pride not only to their institution but also to India, as young engineers from the country continue to shine on the global stage.
