As part of the new innovation competition GMES Masters the European Space Agency (ESA) will award the ESA App Challenge to the best application idea for the usage of GMES on mobile phones. Proposals shall address one or more GMES main thematic areas (land, air quality, ocean, climate change, emergency response). ESA is looking for ideas that can be implemented quickly into a profitable business.

The submission of the application should consist of a base app containing info and news on GMES, as well as one or more specific content modules that provide relevant location-based data to users in real time. Please note:

• Participants are required to submit application ideas incl. business concepts.
• Working prototypes are welcome but not necessary to be eligible.
• Participants are requested to upload a visualisation (e.g. screenshot) of the app design.
• In addition to concepts for new mobile apps it is also possible to submit ideas of how to extend existing apps  by adding GMES data (e.g. enriching weather apps by providing information on location-based UV-radiation).
• Participants are requested to describe which data they will need to make their app operational, on the basic assumption that GMES data will be available and free of charge.
• Submission is open for all mobile operating systems.

The winner will be considered for support by one of the five European Space Agency's Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs) across Europe. The incubation package has a value of up to 60,000 Euro. Furthermore the winner will enter the final evaluation with the chance to become the overall winner - the GMES Master, a title which is endowed with a cash prize of 20,000 Euro.

About GMES

As the most ambitious Earth observation programme to date, Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) will provide accurate, timely and easily accessible information to improve the management of the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure safety and security for the European citizens. The GMES programme is led by the European Union (EU).The European Space Agency (ESA) is the overall coordinator of the GMES Space Component and will, inter alia, ensure the delivery of data from upwards of 30 satellites (the GMES Sentinel Missions and the national or European Contributing Missions). The European Environmental Agency (EEA) is responsible for the GMES In-Situ Component, i.e. for data from airborne and ground sensors, while the EC, acting on behalf of the European Union, is responsible for the GMES Programme management and the GMES services.