The hackathon, themed "Space for Sustainability," took place from Dec. 8-11, 2023. The event featured four key themes: "Loss and damage and climate-induced disasters," "Air Quality," "Water Pollution," and "Land Use and Land Cover."

SAASST researchers have chosen the land use and land cover theme aligning with their ongoing work on the Sharjah-Sat-2 CubeSat. The collaboration involved researchers from different labs within the academy, including Manar Anwer from the Space Weather and Ionosphere Lab, Samar Hassan, and Anoud Alzaabi from the Radio Astronomy Lab. Furthermore, three space technology engineers from the CubeSat Lab, namely Abdulrahman Gamil, Ali Almajedi, and Ahmed Altunaiji, were also part of the collaborative effort.

Their project was centered on applying deep learning and data analysis, resulting in the creation of a segmentation model capable of categorizing pixels in satellite images. In addition to image segmentation, the team conducted thorough data analysis on temperature, greenhouse gases, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for satellite images observed over Expo City. Their findings concluded that the construction and operation of Expo City from 2018 to 2022 was environmentally friendly and did not contribute to any adverse effects on the surrounding ecosystems. Furthermore, the SAASST team had the unique opportunity to present their work in front of H.E. Sara Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology and the Chairperson of the UAE Space Agency, together with H.E. Salem Butti Al Qubaisi, the UAE Space Agency's Director General. Additionally, they got the chance to collaborate with outstanding companies in the field, such as Bayanat, enhancing the interdisciplinary nature of their work and fostering valuable industry connections.