Data Challenge

Each year, SECOORA’s Data Challenge focuses on a distinct coastal or ocean dataset obtained from secoora.org. Participants are tasked with converting these datasets—such as buoy, web camera, high-frequency radar, or event-driven data—into practical tools or products addressing real-world questions.

With $3500 available in two categories, this challenge inspires students and young professionals to craft competitive proposals and develop innovative solutions.

GOALS PAST CHALLENGES AWARDEES

NOW OPEN – APPLY FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TODAY!

We host annual
Data Challenges to:

Inspire a broad audience to engage with SECOORA.
Use technologies, tools, videos and creativity to visualize, analyze and use Southeast coastal and ocean data.
Encourage the use of data resources available from SECOORA.
Encourage students and young professionals to develop competitive proposals.

There are two categories for the Data Challenge: Category 1 aimed for undergraduates and Category 2 welcomes graduate students or early career professionals to compete.

Each category offers a prize of $3500.

“Being chosen as a winner of the SECOORA Data Challenge is an honor! This project aims to provide an exciting new web tool showing the location and properties of eddies within SECOORA coastal high frequency radar coverage areas.”

Douglas Cahl, University of South Carolina College of Arts and Sciences

Past Data Challenges

Discover the awardees, products, and coastal ocean datasets featured in previous Data Challenges.

2023 | Integrating Data to Understand a Coastal Ocean Event

Integrating coastal ocean data to uncover insights and address coastal challenges from environmental phenomena like hurricanes, algal blooms, floods, and more.

Meet the Awardee 2023 Webpage

2022 | Integrating Data to Understand a Coastal Ocean Event

Integrating coastal ocean observing system data to tell a meaningful story or to better
understand an environmental coastal ocean event.

Meet the Awardees 2022 Webpage

2021 | Using Buoy and Shore Station Data to Meet User Needs

Utilizing buoy or shore station datasets, participants were encouraged to create projects that range from visualizations or multi-year data analysis to educational plans or event driven overviews.

Meet the Awardees 2021 Webpage

2020 | Using High Frequency Radar Data to Meet User Needs

A competition to turn high frequency radar data into a tool or product that tackles real-world questions and curiosities.

Where are the Eddies?
Doug Cahl, University of South Carolina | Category 2 Awardee

Explore a tool that leverages HF radar’s unique data set to identify where eddies are located. Whether looking for the best fishing spot or researching ocean currents, this tool makes it so you do not have to be an expert to locate eddies.

Meet the Awardee 2020 Webpage

2019 | Using Web Camera Data for Environmental Monitoring

Transforming environmental monitoring with web cameras. Contestants identified ways in which WebCOOS video footage can be applied for societal benefits.

Analyze Timing and Duration of Dune Erosion Events
Deanna Edwing and Kelsea Edwing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington | Category 1 Awardees

Utilize an algorithm that automatically identifies maximum water-levels at hourly intervals from web camera footage in the Southeast. It provides a valuable method for quickly detecting the timing and duration of dune erosion events and providing additional validation data for coastal erosion models developed by stakeholders.

Remotely Calibrate Coastal Web Cameras
Matthew Conlin, University of Florida | Category 2 Awardee

The Surf-camera Remote Calibration Tool, or SurfRCaT, is an open-source tool that solves for camera parameters needed to transform webcam landscape images into bird’s-eye-view maps that are scaled and oriented. These maps allow users to track coastal and nearshore geophysicial processes in real time and can be used to validate rip-current forecast models or augment existing coastal-zone monitoring activities.

Meet the Awardees 2019 Webpage

2017 | Using Data to Meeting Stakeholder Needs

Seeking our next generation of coastal and ocean scientists, managers, decision makers, entrepreneurs to create a new way to use data to tell a meaningful story or support decision-making.

Meet the Awardees 2017 Webpage

“Our team is very honored to have been selected to receive the 2019 data challenge award. Working with SECOORA and their WebCAT cameras will provide us with the resources, support, and opportunity to create and share our dune erosion algorithm with potential end-users. This algorithm will provide a valuable method for quickly detecting the timing and duration of dune erosion events and providing additional validation data for coastal erosion models developed by the USGS, NOAA, and others. We are extremely grateful for this opportunity and are excited to work with SECOORA on this project.”

Deanna Edwing and Kelsea Edwing, University of North Carolina Wilmington