New ER 2.0 Oil Spill Challenges Posted
Greetings, InnoCentive Solvers—
Quick note to inform you that we’ve posted two new Emergency Response 2.0 Challenges around the Gulf Oil Spill disaster: Emergency Response 2.0: Oil Detection on Ocean Surfaces; and Emergency Response 2.0: Oil Collection in Gulf of Mexico.
Innovative solutions to these Challenges will help the organizers and crews clean the water and beaches in the short and medium terms.
For the Oil Detection on Ocean Surfaces Challenge we’re looking for new ways to improve the conventional imaging processes that are currently being deployed, i.e., satellite radar, visual, LIDAR, etc. We are also looking for ways to improve aerial tools aboard helicopters and aircrafts, and, to a lesser degree, surface spotting techniques.
For the Oil Collection in the Gulf of Mexico Challenge we’re looking for commercially available equipment, technology and ideas that would enable the rapid conversion of commercial vessels (e.g., fishing) into oil recovery units.
On the back-end, a board of advisers, currently being assembled, will review the submissions from both Challenges.
That said we also want to take advantage of the perspectives, skills, and talents in the InnoCentive network. In order to accomplish that, we have activated the discussion board within the project rooms.
Please take a look as soon as you can.
Best,
JD
Tags: Challenge, gulf oil spill, oil spill, solver
July 19th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
John:
Full disclosure requires that InnoCentive and Solvers know that The X-Prize Foundation is trying to line up a $10 million award for exactly the same things being pursued in these challenges.
See: http://www.xprize.org/news/official-statement-regarding-oil-spill-clean-up
Hate to see anyone motivated by financial compensation lose out due to public disclosure of their ideas.
July 20th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
Valid comment, Tom. In fact, when/where it makes sense we’re not shy about encouraging Solvers (our own and others) to attempt to get solutions into the right hands by any/all available means. The Gulf Spill is messy and many, many good peoples/sites are trying to help, as well as some that are of questionable intent. We’re taking a distinct position around the Public Good aspects of this Challenge set due to the disaster/ER/scale of the events in the Gulf; that said, we’re supportive of others who also making great efforts to help. Thanks for the comment. JD