3rd DOME 4.0 Hackathon: Driving Innovation through Collaboration

At the UCL East, was held the 3rd Hackathon of the DOME 4.0, as a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and the quest for data-driven solutions in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape. Over two action-packed days, participants, experts, and keynote speakers gathered to focus on the technical intricacies of the DOME 4.0 project, pushing the boundaries of data interoperability, ontologies, and semantic technology.

From engaging presentations to hands-on hacking sessions, the event was designed to foster open dialogue and encourage practical, real-world solutions utilizing the DOME 4.0 platform. Here’s a closer look at what unfolded during this exciting event:

Day 1: Setting the Stage for Innovation

The first day kicked off with a warm welcome from the coordinator of the event, Amit Bhave, who set the tone for the two days ahead. Amit introduced the agenda, focusing on how the DOME 4.0 project is advancing the integration of data in various industries.

Adham Hashibon, from UCL’s Institute for Materials Discovery, gave an inspiring presentation on UCL’s leading role in the project, outlining the cutting-edge technologies being developed at the institute. His warm welcome and insight into UCL’s contributions created the perfect backdrop for the exciting sessions.

Keynote Insights: The morning’s highlight was the keynote presentation from Iker Ensaola of BASF Digital Solutions, who spoke on "Driving Innovation through Semantics at BASF." Iker shared his expertise on knowledge graphs, ontologies, and how semantic technologies are applied at BASF to foster innovation. His presentation sparked lively discussions with the audience, as participants explored the importance of semantics in industry and how these technologies can unlock new possibilities for data-driven decision-making.

Diving into the Platform: The afternoon was dedicated to technical deep dives. The DOME 4.0 platform took center stage, with demonstrations on uploading data, registering connectors, and consuming data through external platforms using OTEAPI. One key feature showcased was the newly developed VICOAT tool, which enables seamless integration of DOME 4.0 data into the VIPCOAT platform, enhancing workflow execution. Participants were eager to test these functionalities in real time, preparing for the hack sessions ahead.

Hack 1: First Hands-On Interaction with the Platform The day concluded with the first hack of the event. Participants were divided into groups, tasked with discovering data from other sources and interacting with the DOME 4.0 platform for the first time. Each group provided feedback on their experience, leading to valuable insights on how to improve the user interface and integration processes.

Day 2: From Concept to Execution

Day two opened with a recap of the previous day’s discussions and activities, setting the stage for a day packed with even more engaging content.

Keynote Presentations: The morning keynote by Christoph Mertens from the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) explored the Data Space Protocol and how interoperability on a global scale is being achieved. Christoph discussed the challenges of trust and data sharing, noting that companies currently share only about 2% of their data due to concerns around these issues. His presentation focused on the holistic approach IDSA is taking to bring data spaces to the global stage.

The final keynote speaker, Kate Lin from Google, presented on "Open Ecosystem for Data Discovery," offering insights into Google’s approach to finding datasets via their search tools. She highlighted the importance of open metadata formats and community-based standards, explaining how tools like Markap can be used to locate datasets, although further work is often required to refine them. Her introduction of the “croissant” metadata format for machine learning datasets opened up new discussions about how data can be shared and utilized efficiently across platforms.

Hack 2: Real-Time Data Integration The second hack session focused on integrating local workflows from the lab to create semantic datasets on the fly. Utilizing the new Discomat package developed at UCL, participants were able to choose ontologies and onboard these datasets into the DOME 4.0 platform, making them available for further sharing and use. This hack demonstrated the potential of DOME 4.0’s capabilities in transforming lab-generated data into standardized, interoperable assets.

A Collaborative Conclusion

As the event drew to a close, the final presentations reflected on the collective learning and collaborative spirit that made the Hackathon such a success. The discussions sparked by keynote speakers, the hands-on learning from the hacks, and the exchange of ideas between participants demonstrated the immense value of the DOME 4.0 project in advancing data-driven innovation.

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who made the event possible:

• Amit Bhave, our tireless coordinator, whose expertise and guidance helped ensure the event ran smoothly.
• Adham Hashibon and UCL’s Institute for Materials Discovery for graciously hosting the event and providing invaluable insights throughout.
• Our keynote speakers Iker Ensaola, Christoph Mertens, and Kate Lin for sharing their cutting-edge knowledge and sparking important conversations.
• Our moderators and participants for their energy, expertise, and willingness to engage deeply with the platform and its potential.

The 3rd DOME 4.0 Hackathon brought new ideas, fostering collaborations that will no doubt shape the future of data integration, ontologies, and interoperability.