How do I register to participate in the Visualize This! Challenge?
Anyone interested in this competition must register their interest here. If you have any questions, please contact us via email.
Can we work in a team?
Yes, participants can form teams, but a team will be considered as a single entrant and will be eligible to win only one prize.
Is there a limit to how many people can be on a team?
No. There is no limit to the number of people who can be part of your team. It can be as large or as small as you like.
Do all team members need to register their interest?
No. Only one member of the team needs to register your interest in the challenge. Click here to register your interest.
What are the deadlines?
Both datasets will be available for downloading from October 1 to November 30, with submissions due by midnight Pacific Time on November 30, 2018. Winners in both tracks will be announced in December.
How will my application be judged?
Submissions will be reviewed by members of the Compute Canada Visualization Team. Points will be given for:
Who is eligible to participate?
The competition is open to anyone affiliated with a Canadian post-secondary institution (college or university) or research organization. Participants from all research fields are encouraged to enter. The competition datasets provide a valuable learning opportunity to enhance your visualization skills, no matter what your research area may be.
I have never used WestGrid or Compute Canada resources before. Can I still participate in the Challenge?
Yes. Your visualization does not need to be developed or implemented on WestGrid or Compute Canada’s platforms. However, if you would like to use WestGrid or Compute Canada computational resources for your visualization, you can register for an account here. If you have any questions about getting an account, please email accounts@computecanada.ca.
I am not affiliated with a Canadian university, post-secondary institution, or research organization. Can I participate in the Challenge?
Yes. If you partner with or join a team of someone who is affiliated with a Canadian university, post-secondary institution or research organization, you can participate in the Visualize This! Challenge.
I don’t live in Canada, but I have a WestGrid or Compute Canada account. Can I participate in the challenge?
Yes. If you have a WestGrid or Compute Canada account and are registered in the Compute Canada DataBase (CCDB), you are eligible to participate in the Visualize This! Challenge, even if you are not living in Canada.
What visualization tools can be used in the competition?
Participants can use any open-source visualization tool, including ParaView, VisIt, domain-specific packages, online Javascript/WebGL tools, Python visualization libraries, or any other open-source software you feel comfortable using.
Will any technical support be provided to participants?
If you have a specific technical question, please email us. In general, we expect participants to create their own visualization(s), so technical help will be limited to answering very specific questions.
Who owns the Intellectual Property (IP) rights?
Both datasets for this year’s competition were kindly provided by Canadian researchers and are their property or the property of their university. Participants own the rights to their visualization, but not to the original dataset(s). By submitting an application to the Visualize This! Challenge, the participant is providing consent for the use, reproduction, publication, transmission and/or broadcasting of his/her name, likeness, and/or prize information, and the solution, without compensation, in any publication or promotion by WestGrid or Compute Canada for the purposes of promoting the competition, the winners, and/or the benefits of visualization to research.
Can I use my own dataset?
No. In both the scientific and humanities tracks, all participants will work with the same dataset, which has been provided to the Challenge by a researcher. Both datasets will be made available on the competition webpage, and participants can download it anytime after October 1, 2018.
How do I submit my solution?
Solutions must be submitted via email.
Please follow these instructions when submitting:
When do I submit my solution?
Participants can submit their solutions at any time during the competition between October 1, 2018 (12:01 am PST) and November 30, 2018 (11:59 pm PST). Late submissions will not be considered.
Can I submit more than once?
Yes. Each submission will be time-stamped and the last submission received before the deadline date/time from each participant will be what is considered the final for submission.