Challenge Background

Innovative, data-driven solutions are essential for developing the resilience of America’s infrastructure. From its unique vantage point in space, NASA collects critical long-term observations of our changing planet. NASA produces vast amounts of Earth system science data from satellites, radars, and ships, as well as model outputs, offering a wealth of opportunities for innovative thinkers to leverage these sources. The Sustainable Business Model Challenge is designed to identify and foster sustainable business models built around NASA's Earth system science data.

The challenge seeks entrepreneurs, researchers, startups, and innovators to use NASA's publicly available Earth system data sources to create sustainable business models to help build resilient infrastructure.

NASA is committed to broadening participation in its solicitations and fostering technology advancements. The Sustainable Business Model Challenge seeks to engage innovators capable of building sustainable businesses that make use of NASA's Earth system science data or models. The primary goal is to catalyze the creation of business models that build resilient infrastructure and foster long-term, scalable solutions.

By engaging new entrepreneurs and fostering innovation, the challenge also serves as a pathway to NASA's SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program, helping to scale solutions that can make a real difference in building resilient infrastructure within the United States.

Challenge Overview and Goals

This Challenge calls for the submission of innovative business concepts, supported by robust business models, leveraging NASA’s Earth system science resources to enable applications with paying customers that can sustain the business. The challenge seeks to move beyond simply building data-driven tools, focusing instead on the sustainability and viability of the associated business model.

The Challenge has four primary goals:

Participants are required to develop a Challenge Submission that includes the following key elements:

Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of Earth science data experts. Up to 10 winners will be awarded cash prizes of $10,000 each and receive the following additional benefits:

NASA’s Earth Science Data Sources, Considerations, and Use Cases

As a core requirement of this Challenge, participants must incorporate at least one NASA Earth science-related resource, e.g., climate data, projections, or models, into their business model. This dataset should play a critical role in the development of the proposed solution, demonstrating how NASA’s Earth science data can be applied to address specific resiliency challenges. Participants are encouraged to explore and leverage relevant datasets from NASA’s Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS), Global Climate Change Data Portal, Ocean Biology DAAC, or other related sources listed below. 

Successful submissions will illustrate how the selected data source adds value to the business model, meets a customer need, supports decision-making, or drives the scalability and sustainability of the proposed business.

Table 1. NASA’s Earth System Data Sources and Resources

Important Solution Consideration: 

Data Infrastructure and Delivery: To address the common pitfalls companies face with data infrastructure and delivery, it's essential to prioritize the development of a robust data engineering strategy. Many companies have struggled to efficiently manage the size and computational demands of commonly used geospatial data (e.g. raster and vector data), leading to challenges in product delivery. Optimal solutions should involve pulling data from NASA on-demand, rather than hosting large datasets internally, to minimize storage and compute costs. Additionally, enhancing API capabilities to effectively deliver tailored data products is crucial, as previous attempts have often fallen short. This approach will ensure that the data is not only scientifically accurate but also practically usable and scalable in real-world applications.

Caution with AI/ML Proposals: Given the complexities associated with AI/ML solutions, it is crucial to thoroughly evaluate how these technologies are implemented within the proposed solutions. Simply saying the solution is AI-enabled or using the latest buzz words will not be an effective approach to winning a prize award. Proposals should clearly describe how they will operationalize and scale AI/ML-generated data while maintaining reliability. It is essential for participants to demonstrate their ability to handle uncertainties and quantify the potential impact of errors, such as false positives and false negatives. This ensures that the solution can transition from a theoretical or research phase to a practical, deployable product that delivers real-world value and meets the customer requirements.

Potential use cases and business applications to consider exploring include:

Additional Resources

Contact us by posting a comment on the Public Clarification Board or by emailing nasa@freelancer.com