We are excited to invite researchers, data scientists, and AI enthusiasts to participate in a Spatial AI (Artificial Intelligence) Challenge focused on advancing AI-ready spatial data and related machine learning models and applications while promoting FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles, and responsible and open science practices. The challenge is hosted on the I-GUIDE Platform (https://platform.i-guide.io), a cutting-edge cyberinfrastructure and cyberGIS environment designed to harness the data revolution to empower convergence science for sustainability solutions.

Challenge Overview

This challenge seeks to bring together participants from diverse fields to explore responsible spatial AI approaches to solving complex geospatial problems and tackling pressing sustainability challenges. Participants will be tasked with leveraging the I-GUIDE Platform’s capabilities to explore and share cutting-edge spatial AI research while demonstrating FAIR data principles and open science practices, ensuring that solutions are accessible, computationally reproducible, and trustworthy to the broader community.

Why Participate?

• Collaborative Platform: Gain hands-on experience with the I-GUIDE Platform’s advanced AI, cyberinfrastructure, and geospatial capabilities.
• Community Engagement: Connect with domain experts, AI and data scientists, and fellow researchers from various fields.
• Contribute to Open Science: Showcase your work in a challenge that prioritizes open, computationally reproducible, and responsible research, and FAIR data principles.
• Prizes and Recognition: Compete for awards, including recognition for contributions to open science and spatial AI innovation to tackle a variety of geospatial problems and sustainability challenges.

Who Should Participate?

We welcome participants from across the research community, including:

• Spatial AI and data science researchers
• AI and machine learning researchers
• Geospatial and sustainability scientists
• Educators and students with an interest in spatial AI and data science
• Industry professionals working on spatial AI and geospatial solutions

Key Dates

• Challenge Launch Date: Oct 15, 2024
• Abstract Submission Deadline: Dec 16, 2024
• Abstract Acceptance Notification Date: Jan 3, 2025
• Submission Deadline: Mar 31, 2025
• Open Competition Deadline: Apr 15, 2025
• Announcement of Winners: May 15, 2025

Important Information

• Platform: I-GUIDE Platform (https://platform.i-guide.io)
• Jupyter Notebooks: Each submission is required to include Jupyter notebooks that can be executed on the I-GUIDE Platform to demonstrate computational reproducibility.
• Abstract Submission Form: Application Form
• Awards: Cash prize and/or travel support to attend future I-GUIDE events such as the annual I-GUIDE Forum.
• Publications: Winners will be invited to publish their works in the proceedings of the I-GUIDE Forum conference series and/or special issues of journals organized by the committees of the Spatial AI Challenge.
• SpatialAI-Challenge-FAQ

How to Get Involved?

Participants can register individually or as part of a team. Once registered, you’ll receive access to the I-GUIDE Platform, detailed challenge guidelines, and resources to help you get started. Throughout the challenge, we will host webinars, virtual consulting office hours, and discussion forums to support participants. We look forward to your participation in this exciting Spatial AI Challenge! Together, we can push the boundaries of spatial AI and data science and advance FAIR data and open science practices for the betterment of research and society.

• Contact Information: [spatial-ai-challenge@i-guide.io] and slack channel [link to be added].

Competition Tracks

Track 1:  Data, Models, and their Applications. Submissions may present new, integrated datasets to enhance spatial AI tasks, propose novel spatial AI models, or show these together within an application.  For example, while many datasets exist for forest fires, there may be gaps in fire risk datasets that integrate remote sensing imagery, ground measurements, and damage assessments—key components for spatial AI models and fire risk management.

Track 2: Open Problems.  For the track of solving open problems, submissions should identify a specific problem to address. A set of open problems will be published on the Spatial AI Challenge website (https://i-guide.io/spatial-ai-challenge-2024/open-challenge-problems/). Participants or teams may solve multiple open problems and/or submit a cohesive set of data, models and applications for a single problem.

Evaluation Criteria

Submissions will be evaluated based on:

• Computational Reproducibility: Quality of Jupyter notebooks for demonstrating the effectiveness and efficiency of spatial AI workflows.
• FAIR Data Principles and Open Science: Adherence to FAIR data principles and contributions to open science practices.
• Impact and Applicability: Potential real-world applications and broader societal impacts.
• Innovation and Creativity: Novel approaches to data, model, and/or application development for spatial AI and/or cutting-edge spatial AI solutions to open problems.
• Responsible Spatial AI: Attention paid to maximizing societal benefits and minimizing risks of harm in data acquisition and use, model development, and spatial AI applications.
• Technical Excellence: Quality and robustness of spatial AI models and methodologies.

Advisory Committee

• Arindam Banerjee, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
• Michael F. Goodchild, University of California, Santa Barbara
• Jiawei Han, UIUC
• George Percivall, IEEE Artificial Intelligence Standards Committee
• Seth Spielman, Microsoft
• X. Carol Song, Purdue University
• Michael Tischler, United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Shaowen Wang, UIUC
• More to be confirmed/invited

Technical Committee

• Shaowen Wang, UIUC
• Peter Darch, UIUC
• Ronny Hänsch, German Aerospace Center
• Wei Hu, UIUC
• Nattapon Jaroenchai, UIUC
• Rajesh Kalyanam, Purdue University
• Daniel Kiv, UIUC
• Dalton Lunga, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Dingqi Ye, UIUC
• Wen Zhou, UIUC
• More to be confirmed/invited

Partners

• I-GUIDE Partners: https://i-guide.io/partners/
• More to be confirmed/invited