Alibaba Cloud German AI Challenge 2018

AI For Earth Observation

Organizers:

1. Introduction

According to the United Nations, 68% of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas by 2050. As cities around the world try to accommodate this enormous influx, urban planners and logisticians are faced with monumental challenges to ensure the benefits of urbanization are realized by all. With the boundaries of big data technology being expanded, the successful management of urban growth can now be assisted by the consolidation of large volumes of sensor data collected by Earth observation satellites.
In the latest Tianchi competition, contestants will try to address the urbanization challenges by using datasets of several million matched image patches from European Earth observation satellites Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2. The datasets will include radar and multispectral sensor data, covering 42 cities. The goal of the competition is to classify the data into 17 so called local climate zones, which will help to identify solutions for urban planners. For example, the data could potentially be used for quantifying urban heat island magnitude or mapping urban terrain.

This contest consists of three phases: the qualification, the semi-finals, and the finals. Specific timelines and regulations are as follows:

1.1. The Qualification (6 November, 2018 – 8 January, 2019 GMT+1)

1) After successful registration, contestants can download data from the Tianchi platform, debug the algorithms locally, and submit the results online. If a contestant submits results multiple times within a day, new results will overwrite old ones.

2) From 15 November, 2018 onwards, the system will carry out an evaluation and ranking every day. The evaluation starts from 9:00 a.m. GMT+1 and contestants will be ranked based on evaluation scores. The ranking list will show the best result of the contestant within the present phase. 

3) The test set is divided into two sets: A and B. The leader board will initially show the ranking and score on the set A to help players adjust the model. In the last two days -- 7 and 8 January 2019, we will switch to set B for the ranking. The final result on the test set B shall prevail. Please be noted that contestants are required to submit new results of test set B during 7 and 8 January 2019. 

4) The deadline of the qualification phase is 9:00 a.m.GMT+1 on 8 January, 2019. The top 200 teams of test set B will win the qualification to the next phase. 

5) All the contestants are required to complete the identity verification and then get the qualification to the next phase. For international participants who do not use Alipay, please upload an ID card for verification. (Verification Guide: http://t.cn/R3pWEuJ)

1.2. The Semi-Finals (22 January, 2019 – 13 February, 2019)

1) Contestants can download the new data from the Tianchi platform, debug the algorithms locally, and submit the results online. If a contestant submits results multiple times within a day, new results will overwrite old ones. There are no venue limitations.

2) From 23 January, 2019 onwards, the system will carry out an evaluation and ranking once a day at 9:00 a.m. GMT+1. The ranking list will show the best result of the contestant within the present phase.

3) The test set is divided into two sets: A and B. The leader board will initially show the ranking and score on the set A to help players adjust the model. In the last two days -- 12 and 13 February 2019, we will switch to set B for the ranking. The final result on the test set B shall prevail. Please be noted that contestants are required to submit new results of test set B during 12 and 13 February 2019. 

4) The deadline of the semi-final phase is 9:00 a.m. GMT+1 on 13 February, 2019. The top 20 teams of test set B will have to send their code and report for review. 6 teams will be selected and invited to the finals.

1.3. The Finals (February, 2019) 

1) The finals will take the form of team presentation and defense. Specific arrangements will be informed later.

2) Contestants should prepare materials for the finals in advance, which may include but not limited to: slides for presentation, summary of the research, and core codes of the algorithms. The organization committee will calculate a comprehensive score for each team based on their algorithms, codes and online ranking. 

3) The awards ceremony will take place at MWC Barcelona 2019 on 26 February, 2019. 

2. Participation Eligibility

2.1. The contest is open to the public.

2.2. Contestants may form a team of 1 to 5 members to participate.

2.3. Employees of DLR, Stepstone and Alibaba Cloud should not compete in this contest.

3. Registration

3.1. Registration time: from 1 November, 2018 to 8 January, 2019 GMT+1. The registration entrance will be closed and team change will be disabled at 9:00 a.m. on 8 January, 2019 GMT+1.

3.2. Registration rules: A contestant team may include one to five members. The registration information must be correct and valid. Any false information or cheating behavior will lead to disqualification for ranking and awarding.

3.3. Registration method: Contestants can log on to the Tianchi platform with the Alibaba Cloud account.
       Click here to get: Detailed Registration Instruction

4. Awards

The following prizes are made out to the top 6 teams of this contest: 

First prize: one team, $10,000 USD; 

Second prize: two teams, $6,000 USD for each;

Third prize: three teams, $3,000 USD for each.

Organizers

Stepstone

People find their dream job with StepStone. More than 60,000 companies use the StepStone job boards successfully for the recruitment of qualified specialists and executive staff. StepStone is one of the most successful online job board businesses today. But StepStone is more than just a machine or a website. More than 3,000 enthusiastic people work very hard to deliver the best possible results for customers and jobseekers alike. The company was founded in 1996 and is an Axel Springer SE subsidiary.

https://www.jobsens.ai/

DLR

The German Aerospace Center (German: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.), abbreviated DLR, is the national center for aerospace, energy and transportation research of Germany. DLR is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in national and international partnerships. In addition to conducting its own research projects, DLR also acts as the German space agency. As such, it is responsible for planning and implementing the German space programme on behalf of the German federal government.