We are excited to announce the results of the Spatial AI Challenge 2025-26, a global competition that invited researchers, developers, and innovators to harness the power of artificial intelligence and geospatial data to tackle real-world sustainability challenges. Hosted on the I-GUIDE Platform, the challenge emphasized reproducibility, FAIR data, and open science.
Thank you to all participants!
We extend our deepest gratitude to every individual and team who participated. Your contributions demonstrate the power of collaboration, transparency, and innovation in solving some of today’s most complex geospatial challenges. After a rigorous review process based on six core criteria we are proud to recognize the top-performing teams whose work stood out in both technical rigor and societal relevance.
First Place: MURD-ViT: Urban Retrofitting Detection with Vision Transformer
Team Members:
- Raj Bhattarai, Department of Geography, Virginia Tech University
- Fangzheng Lyu, Department of Geography, Virginia Tech University
Second Place: GeoLocate: Spatial Modeling of Market Entry Viability
Team Members:
- Jaiany Rocha Trindade, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), and Center for Geographic Analysis, Harvard University
- Vinicius Andrade Brei, School of Management, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), and MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Devika Jain, Center for Geographic Analysis, Harvard University
Third Place: From Mobility Intensity to Market Infrastructure:
A Spatial AI Framework for Recovering Hidden Spatial Regimes and Multiscale Variation
Team Members:
- Rafael Albuquerque, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil)
- Jéssica Miranda, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil)
- Vinicius Andrade Brei, School of Management, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), and MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Siqin (Sisi) Wang, Spatial Sciences Institute, University of Southern California
Honorable Mention: Physics-informed Geo-AI for Irrigation Quantification
Team Members:
- Esmaeel Adrah, Department of Geography, Kent State University
- Daniel Dominguez, Department of Computer Science, Colorado State University
Honorable Mention: Probable Flood Inundation Mapping using Physics-Aware Spatial AI
Team Members:
- Jibin Joseph, Lyle School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University
- Venkatesh Merwade, Lyle School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University
Prizes & Recognition
The I-GUIDE Spatial AI Challenge celebrates excellence, impact, and innovation in geospatial artificial intelligence. To recognize the outstanding achievements of our top teams, we are pleased to offer the following awards and opportunities:
🥇 1st Place
- Travel support including free registration for up to three team members to the I-GUIDE Forum 2026
- Featured showcase opportunity in the Forum program
- Official Certificate of Achievement
🥈 2nd Place
- Travel support including free registration for up to two team members to the I-GUIDE Forum 2026
- Official Certificate of Achievement
🥉 3rd Place
- Travel support including free registration for up to one team member to the I-GUIDE Forum 206
- Official Certificate of Achievement
Every team that completed the Challenge will also receive:
- Recognition on the I-GUIDE Platform website
- Promotion in the I-GUIDE Quarterly Newsletter and social media channels
- An invitation to share about their activities in our highly-regarded Virtual Consulting Office sessions
We look forward to celebrating these accomplishments at the I-GUIDE Forum 2026!