Desert locust swarms represent one of the greatest threats to food security in Africa. Capable of consuming their weight in crops daily, these pests devastate livelihoods, destroy agricultural economies, and leave millions vulnerable to hunger. Climate change has only worsened the problem, creating unpredictable weather patterns that fuel locust breeding and make outbreaks increasingly difficult to manage. Our research has contributed significantly toward locust breeding ground prediction, however much work remains to fully mitigate this persistent and complex threat.
The GeoAI Hackathon on 4-5 February 2025, offers a unique opportunity to address this critical challenge. Co-organised by InstaDeep and datacraft, the hackathon invites AI enthusiasts, developers, and innovators to create solutions that harness the transformative power of artificial intelligence and geospatial data.
Participants will focus on InstaGeo, InstaDeep’s open-source geospatial machine learning framework, to develop an operational early warning system. This system will use InstaGeo’s Data pipeline, providing fast, seamless access to satellite data via the ESA, US Geological Survey and NASA alongside observations sourced from the United Nations FAO Locust Hub to predict and monitor locust activity in real time.
The GeoAI Hackathon is one of 35 projects selected to be showcased as part of the AI Convergence Challenges at the AI Action Summit, aimed at promoting projects tackling ambitious technological problems or societal issues and demonstrating the value of AI for humanity as a whole. As part of the summit’s broader focus on collaboration and innovation, the hackathon provides a platform to explore how cutting-edge technology can create scalable solutions to global crises.
More than just a competition, the GeoAI Hackathon represents a collaborative effort to drive meaningful impact. Participants will work in teams, drawing on mentorship from industry experts, and will have the chance to test the limits of their creativity, innovation and technical skills.
InstaDeep Research Engineer Ibrahim Yusuf from our AI4SG Team shared his advice for teams aiming for the top: “A truly winning solution goes beyond exceptional predictive performance—it’s one that can also be operationalised to make a real-world impact. That’s why we’ve equipped participants with comprehensive data and state-of-the-art tools to inspire their creativity and drive innovation.”
With the world increasingly looking to AI for solutions to pressing issues, the GeoAI Hackathon stands out as an opportunity to innovate for good. Participants won’t just develop AI-powered solutions but will also contribute to a movement that showcases AI’s potential to address complex global challenges, earning one of a series of cash prizes for the top team’s approaches.
Ready to take on the challenge? Register now for GeoAI Hack and together, we can harness the power of AI for good to create solutions that truly matter.
February 4-5, 2025 at 3, place Louis Armand, Paris, France.
Applications are open now at geoaihack.com
