The Colombian Air Force and the Universidad de los Andes with the sponsorship of Microsoft, e-geos, MAXAR and DevSavant, convened undergraduate and master's students in engineering and science programs to participate in CODEFEST AD ASTRA, an activity that tested their ingenuity and development of innovative ideas, so that, through software for the production of geospatial images of the FAC, mechanisms are created for the protection of water, biodiversity and the environment as prevalent and strategic assets of the nation.
CODEFEST AD ASTRA began on September 19 and until the 22nd, fulfilled an agenda of virtual conferences with subjects that provided participants with the technical mastery of the challenge, through talks related to the use and use of georeferenced image visualizers, space development in the Colombian Air Force, the use of existing libraries for the treatment and production of images, and image formats.
The first phase was carried out in the facilities of the Universidad de los Andes for 24 hours, starting on Friday, September 23 at 6 in the afternoon, there 70 young people from different higher education institutions of the country gathered for the marathon activity. There were 14 teams, each of them had a participant of the Computer Engineering program of the Military Aviation School – EMAVI, a cadet or ensign of the FAC.
This activity represented a valuable opportunity for the students, who learned about the Capabilities of the Colombian Air Force and had the possibility of accessing satellite images, they in the same way expressed their pride, knowing that through their work they can contribute to the care of the environment and ecosystems of the Nation.
In this challenge, interdisciplinary creation and collaborative work were key to determining the winners, who worked on the encryption of images, the denial of accessing the stored coordinates before possible unauthorized access, compression of files without altering pixel quality and compression of images for preview in SIG tools.
The event, held as part of the commemoration of the 103rd anniversary of the Colombian Air Force, was attended by the directors of the Universidad de los Andes, sponsors, and Brigadier General Luis René Nieto Rojas, Commander of Air and Space Operations of the FAC.
Source: Press - Colombian Air Force
