As artificial intelligence (AI) and big data become global driving forces, using data analytics to tackle ocean issues has emerged as a pivotal focus for nations worldwide. To keep pace with this trend, the National Academy of Marine Research (NAMR) has organized the NODASS Ocean Big Data Contest through the National Ocean Database and Sharing System (NODASS) since 2023. Now in its third year, the 2025 edition gathered 36 teams of high school and university students from across Taiwan to embark on a knowledge voyage that uses data as oars and creativity as sails. The 2025 3rd NODASS Ocean Big Data Contest Workshop was held in Kaohsiung from July 16 to 18, offering three days of training for young ocean enthusiasts in applying big data and AI programming to marine science. The program featured lectures by ocean scientists sharing the latest research findings and guided students on how to use NODASS in preparing for the upcoming competition.
Telling Stories with Data: Young Innovators Take on Ocean Challenges
In her welcoming remarks on July 17, NAMR President Chung-Ling Chen noted that the competition is more than a challenge—it is an opportunity to embed ocean literacy deeply in education from the ground up. Through hands-on engagement with marine data, students transform their appreciation for the ocean into meaningful understanding and responsible action. “The value of the NODASS Ocean Big Data Contest,” Chen said, “lies not only in solving current problems but also in cultivating future leaders with the ability to change the world.”
The workshop’s rich curriculum included practical sessions on the use of the NODASS system, Python data processing, and QGIS satellite imagery overlay taught by industry instructors. Technical staff from the National Science and Technology Council’s Oceanography Division introduced techniques for marine biological data analysis and spatial-temporal mapping of marine heatwaves. NAMR researchers also shared cross-disciplinary projects, including studies on near-inertial internal waves around Taiping Island in the Nansha Islands, environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis, and historical ocean mapping. Whether participants were coding beginners or advanced data explorers, each found new pathways for growth and discovery.
Art and Creativity: Interpreting Marine Data Through Imagination
Creativity becomes a vessel for expressing data-driven insights and inspiring emotional connections to ocean issues. The “Rooted Tree” team from Taipei Municipal Neihu Senior High School created illustrated works inspired by news reports on climate anomalies and natural disasters, transforming concern into scientific exploration of heatwave causes and impacts. “We are part of this planet,” the team explained. “The Earth’s environment needs our protection. With heatwaves happening more frequently, ecosystems are being damaged, corals are bleaching, and wildfires are spreading. Through our study of heatwaves, we hope to understand these disasters better, learn how to face them, and contribute our part to the world.”
Youth Set Sail Toward the Future with Data as Their Compass
“This is not just a competition—it is the beginning of a journey to explore the future.” The workshop also featured a special cross-border message from Dr. Hyoung Chul Shin, President of the Korea Society of Oceanography, who offered his encouragement to Taiwanese students, inspiring them to actively engage in marine sustainability and international collaboration.
According to the organizers, the workshop was designed to emphasize interdisciplinary integration and hands-on learning, enabling students to develop both practical skills and critical thinking in addressing marine challenges. The finalist teams will advance to the championship round in November, where they will apply what they have learned to propose innovative, feasible solutions and compete for the annual grand prize. Through this mission that unites science, data, and creativity, the National Academy of Marine Research (NAMR) and young participants are together writing a new chapter in Taiwan’s ocean education. Looking ahead, these young “seeds” are expected to grow into the core force guiding the course toward a sustainable blue future.
