At the annual TIDE Hackathon, Allied Command Transformation brought together young, enthusiastic coders, engineers, architects, Information Technology experts and yes, hackers – to infuse energy into NATO’s complex interoperability challenges.
Allied Command Transformation, as NATO’s Strategic Warfare Development Command, has developed the TIDE Hackathon to innovate and to promote the idea of federating “Interoperability by Design” between the NATO Alliance, its Partner Nations and Non-NATO Entities.
TIDE Hackathons address future needs by applying a proven hackathon format to engage diverse groups of experts in a competitive and highly intensive work environment, over a limited period to focus on specific challenges related to interoperability and to develop innovative solutions that provide a deeper understanding of the impact that emerging and disruptive technologies have on federated interoperability.
TIDE Hackathons also provide an opportunity for small teams to demonstrate and improve their skill, facilitating rapid experimentation and collaboration, and to learn more about the challenges facing NATO. While they do not replace the traditional capability development process, these events can incubate innovation and accelerate warfare development.
The 2024 TIDE Hackathon, co-hosted by Dutch IT Command, targeted three interoperability problems: Wargaming, Pharmaceutical Thesaurus, and Noisy Speech to Text.
The Wargaming challenge prompted the development of a wargame simulator utilizing Large Language Models; winners of this challenge were the Ukrainian Valkyrie 2 team, with team The Office from Germany ranking second.
The Noisy Speech to Text challenge invited hackers to create a Speech-to-Text system capable of accurately transcribing audio communications, overcoming various types of noise pollution such as background noise, radio feedback or multiple speakers; winners of this challenge were the British Defence Digital with team DSEC from the Netherlands as the runners-up.
The Pharmaceutical Thesaurus challenged participants to develop a software application to translate formulary information and identify drugs and medications in a multinational mission context; winners of this challenge were the Ukrainian team Valkyrie 1 with the Jam Team getting the second place.
The Ukrainian team Valkyrie 1 also won the overall TIDE Hackathon prize for the best solution.
Congratulations to the winners, and to all participants, for their results! The solutions provided will be further developed and are a testament to the ingenuity, the skills and the perseverance of these brilliant minds. Allied Command Transformation is also grateful to the Commando Materieel en IT for the venue and the outstanding support provided organizing the TIDE Hackathon.
The TIDE Hackathon is an integral part of the Interoperability Continuum led by Allied Command Transformation, which also includes the “TIDE Sprint” and the “Coalition Warrior Interoperability Exercise (CWIX)”. By fostering collaboration and innovation, the TIDE Hackathon plays a crucial role in advancing interoperability and supporting NATO’s mission in the digital age.
