Selected from 30 projects shortlisted for the MyGalileoApp competition’s first development phase, the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA) has revealed the 10 projects that will now advance to the second development phase, at the end of which they are expected to deliver a fully functioning app.
The final 10 have until October 21, 2019 to deliver a fully-functioning version of their app. The finalists in the MyGalileoApp competition were judged to be the most exciting in terms of their level of innovation, market potential and technical feasibility.
Four of the 10 shortlisted projects are in the Augmented Reality and Games innovation area. In no particular order, they are: uMaze (Finland), ARGEO (Italy), STPR (Poland, Australia, Ukraine) and arstory (Germany). uMaze creates mazes in specific outdoor areas in which users can play, while ARGEO allows users to discover content such as prizes, coupons and shopping cards geo-located around the streets of a city. The STPR app combines a virtual environment with game-related physical experiences in the real world, and arstory is a complete augmented reality ecosystem based on four main components: Galileo location, virtual objects in the real world, clustering of objects and a wide array of content options.
The Smart Navigation and Infotainment innovation area accounts for three of the 10 finalists. The Ready Park app (France) makes parking easier by pairing drivers leaving a spot with users looking for one. GALILEONAUT (France) is a mobile app that helps sailors to navigate inside a port or a marina and provides a link to the harbor master’s office, while the Trukatu app (Spain) is a mobile C2C platform that connects people who want to rent or lease items with owners who have items to rent out.
Two of the finalists fall in the Fitness, Sport and mHealth category. The first of these—PanPan – Possible Assistance Needed (Germany)—serves as a backup safety solution for potentially dangerous activities that may leave users in need of assistance, while the second—LetMeAut (Italy)—makes everyday tasks easier for people with autism.
Finally, the Mapping, GIS and Agriculture innovation area accounts for one app among the top 10 shortlisted projects. Tractor Navigator (France) provides guidance for farmers driving tractors, enabling them to visualize their current position and trajectory in an open field.
“The standard of entry in this year’s competition was very high, which made the judges’ task a difficult one. However, the final 10 projects stood out in terms of their innovative approach and uptake potential and we are looking forward to seeing the final working apps in October,” said Justyna Redelkiewicz Musial, in charge of LBS and IoT market development at GSA, in a press release. “We hope that the 20 projects that didn’t make it into the second development phase will continue to develop their apps because, at the finals, they will also have the opportunity to demonstrate the progress that they have made,” she said.
What’s Next?
The 10 projects selected for the second development phase will have until October 21 to deliver a finalized version of their app with 100% functionality. During this phase the teams can receive technical support from the competition’s technical and business advisory team. At the end of the phase, the application should be already available for download on the Google Play and Apple platforms.
All teams that will successfully complete the second development phase will be invited to the finals, to be held in November 2019, where they will present their application to the GSA evaluation board. The awards will be decided after these presentations, with the first-place winner receiving a EUR 100,000 prize (about $110,000 U.S). The runner up and third place winners will receive EUR 50,000 and EUR 30,000, respectively.
