My Gov launches Planetarium Challenge – Check Significance & Aim of the Challenge

Inspired by the Chandrayaan launches, Indian Space Research Organization conducted the ISRO Quiz competition 2019 in collaboration with MyGov where several schools, parents and enthusiastic mentors made it memorable through their active participation. 

Looking forward to a repeat of the ISRO Quiz, MyGov India, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), launched the Planetarium Innovation Challenge on 11th September 2021.

Read our blog further to know all about this challenge and its significance.

What are planetariums?

A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation.

A dominant feature of most planetaria is the large dome-shaped projection screen onto which scenes of stars, planets, and other celestial objects can be made to appear and move realistically to simulate the complex ‘motions of the heavens’.

Significance

Planetariums in metros and other big cities attract a large number of students and provide first exposure to learn more about Space. There have been efforts to increase the number of Planetariums available in smaller cities and even rural locations. Efforts to integrate Augmented Reality (A.R.), Virtual Reality (V.R.), and Merged Reality (M.R.) technologies into planetariums have been made all around the world.

Mobile planetariums have also grown popular, allowing people in rural regions to enjoy the wonders of planetarium. Several Indian start-ups and IT companies have the ability to develop AR/VR/MR solutions as well as mobile planetarium solutions.

Aim of the Challenge

The challenge intends to bring together Indian tech companies and start-ups with the potential to develop an indigenous planetarium system software employing latest technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Merged Reality (MR).

It also aligns with the objective of the nation’s progressive digital transformation under the larger umbrella of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Key Highlights of the Challenge

• The initiative welcomes start-ups and tech entrepreneurs to submit proposals for developing state-of-the-art technology for Indian planetariums. Planetariums in India have the opportunity to deploy new technologies (Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Merged Reality), all of which are Made in India, especially for smaller cities and rural areas.
• Experts from all areas of Planetarium Technology are invited to participate in the Innovation Challenge. The applicants may include Start-ups, Indian Legal Entities;even Individuals (or Teams) are welcome to submit ideas.
• The application will be judged on a number of factors, including problem-solving approach, product idea, degree of innovation, and novelty of approach.
• The participants will be evaluated by a Grand Jury based on parameters including Innovation, Replicability, Scalability, Usability, and Ease of deployment/roll-out and potential risks involved in implementation of the solution.

Stages of the challenge

Program Launch and Registration

The programme began on September 11th, 2021, and registration will be open until October 10th, 2021. To apply for the Challenge, participants do not need to be registered Indian companies or startups. Once shortlisted at the Ideation Stage, competitors will be expected to register as Indian Start-ups/Companies and present proof of application at the Prototype Submission Stage.

Ideation stage

This stage aims to bring together the brightest minds to brainstorm and propose innovative and cutting-edge solutions to their problems. A Selection Committee made up of specialists from academia, industry, and government will assess the proposals for technical competence.

Prototype Stage

This is the most important part of the Innovation Challenge, since it involves developing a prototype of an indigenous software solution using the latest technology (A.R./V.R./M.R.). The participants would present their prototypes to a distinguished Jury, which would then choose the top three (3) entries. Mentors will be assigned to the top three finalists if necessary to assist Planetarium innovation challenge in developing the best solution for the requirements.

Product Building

Selected participants may be offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deploy a fully functional product based on their working prototype at planetariums. The Grand Jury will evaluate the prototype based on characteristics such as innovation, replicability, scalability, usability, and ease of deployment/roll-out, as well as any potential risks associated with the implementation of the solution.

Winning Prize 

The first winner, second winner and third winner under the contest will get the cash prizes of Rs.5 lakh, Rs.3 lakh and Rs.2 lakh respectively. 

In addition to that the winners and participants will get the opportunity to meet peers in the field and get to know the latest advancement in the Ecosystem.

A high viewership platform will provide them the opportunity to showcase/ promote their Innovation to Leaders from organizations across Indian Industry Sectors. 

They will also be given an opportunity to be deployed in various cities and rural areas by getting them listed on the GeM portal.

About MyGov

MyGov is a citizen engagement platform, launched by the central government on July 26, 2014 in order to promote the active participation of Indian citizens in the governance and development of India. It aims to create a common platform for Indian citizens in a bid to “crowdsource governance ideas from citizens”.

World’s Largest Planetarium

The Shanghai Astronomy Museum, the world’s largest planetarium in terms of building scale, was officially opened in July 2021.

Covering approximately 58,600 square meters, the museum is located in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Lingang Special Area. It is a branch of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (SSTM).

The museum features innovative architecture, exhibition areas with various themes, immersive technologies, and precious collections.

With this we come to the end of this blog. We covered all the major details related to the Planetarium innovation Challenge. Keep reading on hranker.com for more such blogs.