Welcome to the EOPF Zarr Community Notebook Competition! We're inviting Sentinel data users and developers to create and submit their own innovative Jupyter Notebooks. The goal? To showcase the power of cloud-native workflows using the EOPF Zarr Sample Service and its accompanying plugins.
This competition is a great opportunity to expand your skills, contribute to the Earth observation community, and win prizes. Whether you're a seasoned expert or just starting your journey into cloud-native data, this competition is for you. We'll provide all the resources you need to get started, including the EOPF 101 book, which is packed with case studies, example notebooks, and documentation.
The competition is structured in five stages, designed to guide you from learning to submission and, finally, to an awards showcase.
The competition officially begins with its launch at Big Data in Space on 30 September 2025. During this stage, you'll be able to register your interest to receive updates!
This is where you'll dive deep into the EOPF 101 book and start building your notebook. We'll provide support through our Slack workspace.
The EOPF Sentinel Zarr Sample Service JupyterLab will be your primary development environment.
Once you access with your CDSE credentials, you will get the chance to choose the language you want to develop with! If you are not yet registered, you can do it here.
When starting your server, you will be able to select the Docker image you want to work with. The EOPF Toolkit has designed updated environments to support your development!
You can select: Specify an existing docker image.
Once you click, the following box is displayed:
In the box, you can copy and paste the following custom lines:
-
If you would like to develop your workflow in Python:
4zm3809f.c1.de1.container-registry.ovh.net/eopf-toolkit-python/eopf-toolkit-python:competition -
Or, if you prefer to use R:
4zm3809f.c1.de1.container-registry.ovh.net/eopf-toolkit-r/eopf-toolkit-r:competition
And select Start.
You will be redirected to your development space in the JupyterLab!
To get some ideas on how to get started with your development, watch the introductory session here.
Submit your completed Jupyter Notebook via GitHub once complete, between 1 November 2025 and 15 March 2026 (23:59 UTC+1).
You will need to fill in a Submission Form (in a Markdown file), and follow these instructions.
For a step-by-step on how to submit your work, you can follow this video. Here we guide you through the submission in GitHub!
A panel of expert judges will evaluate each submission based on technical soundness, effective use of the EOPF Zarr data and plugins and educational quality.
The competition culminates in an online award showcase where winners and highly commended entries will be announced.
The top notebooks will be featured in the EOPF 101 book as new case studies and you will be given the chance to be a co-author of a publication on EOPF-101.
There is also a prize pool of 10 000 Euros in upskilling vouchers sponsored by thriveGEO. In addition, there will be exciting ESA swag such as Sentinel-2 Lego sets up for grabs!
The competition is open to individuals and teams. All participants must register through the official registration form." to "All participants must submit their notebooks and submission forms using GitHub. If you need help, please join our Slack workspace.
Submissions must be a Jupyter Notebook (.ipynb file).
- The notebook must be functional and reproducible.
- The notebook must make use of the EOPF Zarr Sample Service data.
- The notebook may incorporate one or more EOPF plugins, though this is not a mandatory requirement.
- All code must be original or be clearly cited. All AI use must be disclosed.
By submitting a notebook, you grant the European Space Agency and thriveGEO GmbH a non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, and display your work for promotional and educational purposes, including featuring it in the EOPF 101 online book.
All notebooks will be submitted and published with an open source license. Detailed instructions to follow.
Submissions will be judged on the following criteria:
- Technical Soundness: Does the notebook work as intended and demonstrate a complete workflow? (30 points)
- Effective Use of EOPF Sentinel Zarr Data: How well does the notebook leverage the unique advantages of the EOPF Zarr format? (30 points)
- Educational Quality: Is the notebook well-documented and easy for others to understand and learn from? (40 points)
The EOPF Zarr Sample Service provides a way to access Earth observation data in the cloud-native Zarr format. This allows for fast, efficient data analysis without having to download large files.
Absolutely not! This competition is specifically designed for Sentinel data users who are new to cloud-native workflows. The EOPF 101 book and our support channels will provide all the resources you need to get up to speed.
Yes, you can. You'll be able to form teams during the learning and development phase of the competition. We'll encourage participants to use the Discourse forum to connect with potential teammates.
There is a prize pool of 10 000 Euros worth of upskilling vouchers provided by thriveGEO. In addition to prizes, winning notebooks will be featured in the EOPF-101 book and showcased at the awards ceremony, giving you visibility within the Earth observation community. You will be given the chance to be a co-author of a publication on EOPF 101.
We'll be offering support through our dedicated Slack workspace.