The National Center of Excellence ML4Earth, in collaboration with Helmholtz AI and the International Future Lab AI4EO, successfully hosted the Foundation Models for Earth Observation Workshop at the Conference Center Kolpinghaus Munich on September 18, 2024. The event attracted 31 on-site participants and 31 online participants. It featured engaging talks from Prof. Jocelyn Chanussot and Dr. Zhitong Xiong, followed by an insightful round table discussion with Prof. Chanussot, Prof. Zhu, and Dr. Thomas Brunschwiler (IBM, FAST-EO project), addressing the present and future of foundation models in Earth observation.

In the afternoon, participants were introduced to hands-on sessions on Foundation Models, culminating in the launch of the ML4Earth Hackathon, which ran from September 18 to 23, 2024.

Our six-days ML4Earth Foundation Model Hackathon attracted 141 participants, challenging them to leverage cutting-edge foundation models to create high-resolution maps from aerial imagery. Participants selected state-of-the-art models, fine-tuned them with datasets provided by the organizers, and pushed the limits of machine learning in Earth observation. Ultimately, there were 6 successful submissions.

We are thrilled to announce that on September 26, 2024, we selected three outstanding winners from the hackathon, who demonstrated exceptional skills in developing innovative Earth observation solutions.

We extend our gratitude to all who participated, both in person and online, and look forward to future events aimed at advancing Earth observation technologies.