How do local initiatives gain international recognition? What makes the Podkarpacie region precisely the cradle of innovative solutions for NASA? This year’s NASA Space Apps Challenge in Stalowa Wola provides fascinating answers to these questions.
The event made history, breaking all records. For 48 intense hours, more than 500 participants – from high school students to seasoned professionals – worked on projects using NASA’s open data. Their efforts resulted in an impressive 194 innovative solutions, which were thoroughly evaluated by a 60-member panel of experts and mentors.
“On our way to Stalowa Wola, we wondered what awaited us and how we would cope,” recalled members of the GeoImpact Ventures team (consisting of Piotr Gątkowski, Aleksander Łabuć, Bogna Frykowska and Adam Łabuć). This uncertainty quickly turned into triumph – their project won the top prize. “Our decision to participate in the NASA Space Apps Challenge was the result of a desire to test ourselves in a completely new environment and take on a technological challenge,” the winners admit. “The very thought of the theme of the competition was very exciting. We wanted to see with our own eyes how innovative solutions are being developed in the space sector, which is now growing rapidly and having an increasing impact on everyday life.”
Team strength
“It was a challenge that allowed us to discover how much we can achieve by acting as a well-chosen and harmonized team,” the winners emphasize. This lesson proved invaluable. During the intense 48-hour marathon, the ability to work together effectively was as important as technical competence. “The inspiration for GeoScan came from our observation of the challenges of buying real estate,” the winners recount. “We saw how difficult it is to make location decisions. People are often guided by price, but ignore other key factors, such as environmental quality, access to infrastructure or security levels.”
The winning project, GeoScan, was born out of observations of real-world problems when buying property. “We noticed that people often focus solely on price, overlooking other important factors – the quality of the environment, infrastructure or the level of security,” the creators explain. The choice of the Community Mapping category, despite its open-ended nature, proved to be a hit.
“If we had to point out what we couldn’t do the hackathon without, it would certainly be mentors,” the winners of the NASA Space Apps Challenge emphasize. At this year’s edition in Stalowa Wola, where some 500 participants worked on their projects, the role of 60 mentors proved invaluable. A special example of such cooperation is the GeoImpact Ventures team’s relationship with Artur Nowakowski, who accompanied them from the first concepts to the final presentation. “He unofficially became the ‘fifth’ member of our team. In moments when we were short of ideas, we could always count on his help,” the winners recalled. Mentors during the hackathon demonstrated not only their technical knowledge, but above all their ability to inspire and support teams at key moments in the project. Their commitment and availability throughout the event allowed the participants to overcome difficulties and find innovative technological solutions. As the success of the winning team shows, a well-chosen mentor can be the element that transforms ambitious ideas into viable, worthwhile projects.
“Throughout the hackathon, they were available and approached every difficult question we asked them with positive energy,” the participants recalled, emphasizing how invaluable it is to be able not only to answer questions, but more importantly to inspire them to ask the right questions. In a world where technology is evolving at a dizzying pace, the role of a mentor is evolving – it is no longer just an expert sharing knowledge, but a partner in discovering new solutions, helping teams understand the broader context of their work and see potential where others see only obstacles.
The future is born today
The team is already planning the next steps in the development of its GeoScan project. The first will be to apply to accelerator programs, which can provide not only financial support, but more importantly mentoring and access to valuable business knowledge. “We gained during the hackathon not only a prize, but above all invaluable contacts and experience,” the winners emphasize. The team has a clear vision for the future – they plan to continue developing the GeoScan platform on their own. “We are open to further collaborations and partnerships,” they point out. “We believe that through them we will be able to provide even more advanced solutions for our users.”
More than a competition – the social dimension of innovation
“The feeling that we are working on a problem that affects many people and can realistically improve their quality of life was incredibly motivating and rewarding for us,” GeoImpact Ventures team members emphasize. This reflection shows that the NASA Space Apps Challenge is much more than a technological competition – it is a space where innovative ideas meet real social needs.
The atmosphere of the event was conducive not only to creative work, but also to making valuable contacts. A special moment for the winners was a meeting with John Hall, who, after listening to their presentations, found time for a personal conversation with the team. Such interactions with experts and industry leaders show how the hackathon opens the door to a wider community of innovators.
“Each conversation gave us a new perspective on what we were trying to create,” the participants recalled. During the intensive hours of the hackathon, participants had a chance not only to showcase their technical skills, but most importantly to see how their work could translate into tangible benefits for society.
The event, organized by the Podkarpackie Innovation Center, the city of Stalowa Wola and the Regional Chamber of Commerce, with the strategic partnership of the Podkarpackie Province, proved that the region is becoming an increasingly important center of technological innovation. The Hackathon, part of NASA’s global initiative being implemented in 400 locations around the world, showed that Polish innovators are ready for international challenges.
