1.   Background

Jointly organized by the International Knowledge Centre for Engineering Sciences and Technology under the Auspices of UNESCO (IKCEST), China Knowledge Centre for Engineering Sciences and Technology(CKCEST), Baidu and Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU), the big data algorithm contest aims to identify top talents through the contest format in the global big data and artificial intelligence sector, particularly in countries along the strategic “One Belt One Road” route, in an effort to help the Government, Industry, and Higher Education Institutions jointly drive the research, application and development of the big data industry, consolidate the contest’s theoretical and practical foundations and accelerate the nurturing of innovative AI talents.

2.   Organization

Advisers: Teaching & Learning Advisory Committee for University Computer Curriculum in Institutions of Higher Education of Ministry of Education

              Universities Alliance of the New Silk Road

Sponsors:

International Knowledge Centre for Engineering Sciences and Technology under the Auspices of UNESCO (IKCEST)

China Knowledge Centre for Engineering Sciences and Technology (CKCEST)

Baidu, Inc.

                Xi’an Jiaotong University

3.   Rules

(1) Topic: Urban Functional Classification Based on Remote Sensing Images and User Behavior

With accelerated pace of urbanization and smart city initiative bringing new challenges to refined urban governance, understanding urban functions and mastering urban spatial structure are critically important for the improvement of urban governance. The aim of the contest is to design an urban functional classification model based on remote sensing images and online user behavior. As a multimodal learning process where remote sensing images are represented in image modality and user behavior in temporal modality, the model mandates the use of creative thinking by the contestants.

(2) Timeline

The contest comprises the preliminary, semi-final and final rounds. In the preliminary and semi-final rounds, contesting teams are required to build an urban functional classification model (residential area, schools, industrial parks, railway station, airport, park, commercial area, governmental area and hospitals, etc.) by inputting remote sensing images and user visit data of a designated geographical region while forecasting the region’s functional classification and training the model in different stages based on remote sensing image and user visit characteristics. The contesting teams shall download the data to design algorithms and debug locally. (Please refer to official website for topic details).

About 50,000 sample data sets will be provided for the preliminary round and 500,000 for the semi-final round, with each sample corresponding to one urban functional area and one high resolution remote sensing image and one desensitized user visit record provided for each area. (All data are accessible free of charge).

For the final round, the contestants are required to conduct demonstration and oral defense on site. The detailed schedule and requirements are as follows:

1.   Preliminary Round (April 30^th, 2019 -June 25^th, 2019)

    1) April 30^th – Data available for download;

2) May 2^nd – Online evaluation open. Each team is allowed 5 online evaluations a day and the rankings are updated daily;

3) June 25^th – End of preliminary round. The first 100 highest ranking teams of the preliminary round enter the semi-final round (Increase or decrease based on actual situation. List of semi-finalists shall be determined by organizers in time).

4) Complimentary high-performance computing power support

The preliminary round will use the PaddlePaddle deep learning framework. Contestants can log onto AI Studio (https://aistudio.baidu.com) to use the AI Studio’s remote GPU training cluster function to acquire complimentary high-performance computing power support for model training. The platform will also release sample projects to assist contestants with operation.

2. Semi-Final Round (July 1^st, 2019 - July 31^st, 2019)

    1) July 1^st - Data available for download;

    2) July 3^rd - Online Evaluation open. Each team is allowed 5 evaluation opportunities one day and the ranking list will be updated at 8:00am Beijing Time (UTC+8) every day;

3) July 31^st – End of semi-final round. The semi-finalists shall submit files and codes in time as per requirements;    

4) August 8^th – Finalists announced. The first 16 highest ranking teams of the semi-final round enter the final round (Increase or decrease based on actual situation. List of finalists shall be determined by organizers in time).

3.   Final Round (October, to be further advised)

The final round will be in the form of an on-site defense session, the location of which shall be advised separately.

 

(3) Qualified Participants

The contest is open to all institutes of higher learning, scientific research organizations, businesses, maker teams and individuals around the world. Each team shall have 1-5 members including at least one current student.

Note: Individuals affiliated with the Baidu Contest Problems Team are not allowed to participate in the contest. The ultimate power of interpretation is vested in the Contest Organizing Committee.

(4) Application

1. Registration and application shall be made at https://dianshi.baidu.com with a Baidu account from April 25^th – June 10^th, 2019. After which, no team may be formed or merged;

2. Official contest communication channel: Please join the QQ Contest Communication Group after application: 143749418 (Please indicate the name of your team for evaluation and approval by the administrator);

3. Each team shall be comprised of 1-5 members including at least one current student. Each person can only participate in one team;

4. The name of the team must not indicate any school or organization, and shall be free of any offending wording. Please fill in your team’s name carefully;

5. To ensure fairness of the contest, each contestant can only join one team;

    6. The information filled out on the application must be accurate and valid, otherwise the team’s qualification or any awards granted will be withdrawn.

(5) Evaluation Process

1. Time: The rating system will be up and running from April 30^th. Each team is allowed 5 evaluation opportunities one day and the ranking list will be updated at 8:00am Beijing Time (UTC+8) every day.

2. Evaluation method: All submissions are automatically rated by the system with a judge verifying the results;

3. The score of the semi-final round accounts for 80%, the defense of the final round accounts for 20%.

(6) Prizes (Before-Tax) Prize money amounts to RMB150,000

International Special Prize: 1 team (RMB 50,000 and prize certificate);

          International First Prize: 2 teams (RMB 30,000 each and prize certificate);

          International Second Prize: 3 teams (RMB 10,000 each and prize certificate);

          International Third Prize: 10 teams (RMB 1,000 each and prize certificate);

  Other awards:

1.   All contestants entering the semi-final round will be granted a job interview opportunity with Baidu (no written test required; valid for two years);

2. Admission tickets for premier offline events including Baidu ABC Summit and Baidu Developers’ Salon;

    3. Free online training courses by Baidu ABC College.

 

The committee reserves the right to adjust the contest timeline if necessary, and has the final right of interpretation of the rules.