By: Van
Soul Addey
The United Nations Office of
Information and Communications Technology (OICT) and the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) have brought innovators together in São Paulo, Brazil, for
the first Latin American edition of the Reboot the Earth hackathon, focusing on
how artificial intelligence (AI), open data and emerging technologies can help
address climate and environmental challenges.
The two-day event brought
together participants for collaboration, technology development and climate
action, with a particular focus on agriculture and AI.
Opening the event virtually,
Bernardo Mariano Junior, OICT Chief Information Technology Officer and
Assistant Secretary-General, delivered opening remarks emphasising the role of
collaboration and innovation in developing solutions to global challenges.
Participants also heard from
Rebeca Gonçalves, an astrobiologist and researcher in space agriculture, who
explored how space science and satellite data can help monitor and protect the
Amazon Rainforest.
Her presentation
demonstrated how technologies developed for space exploration and research can
contribute to addressing environmental challenges on Earth.
The hackathon was organised
by OICT and FAO, and hosted by NTT DATA Europe & Latam and the NTT DATA
FOUNDATION.
This first-ever Latin
American edition challenged innovators to explore practical applications of AI,
open data and emerging technologies in developing solutions to climate and
environmental problems.
The organisers said further
information on the solutions developed during the hackathon and the winners of
the first Reboot the Earth hackathon in Brazil would be announced.
