IEEE ITSS Hackathon @ITSC2026 – Call for Participants

09:00 to 13:00, September 18, 2026
Parthenope Building: Aula Grande Room

The IEEE ITSC 2026 Conference Committee invites innovators, students, professionals, and ITS enthusiasts to participate in the IEEE ITSS Hackathon during the ITSC 2026 in Naples in September 2026, themed around “ITSS Smart Mobility Data Challenge”.

The aim is to actively engage event participants in a 4-hour data-centric competition. Leveraging the power and scalability of AWS Cloud services, participants (students, PhD students, experts) will tackle real-world challenges on urban mobility issues.

The competition is designed to be highly inclusive, requiring no advanced programming skills but focusing on data analysis and the optimisation of specific KPIs. Teams will use visual analysis tools and computing environments provided by AWS to explore a heterogeneous “Data Hypercube” and propose solutions that will be automatically evaluated by a scoring system, with rankings updated in real time.

Why This Hackathon Matters

  • The exponential growth of data necessitates the development of novel management solutions.
  • You gain more practical experience in 4 hours of building than in weeks of theoretical study.

Eligibility Criteria

Participation is open to all students, researchers, and enthusiasts registered for IEEE ITSC 2026.
Attendance is limited to the first 100 registrants to ensure a high-quality experience.

How can I reserve my seat?

Don’t miss the opportunity to secure your spot at the upcoming Smart Mobility Challenge event! We highly encourage you to reserve your seat as soon as possible to guarantee your attendance at this exciting and insightful gathering focused on the future of transportation and technology.

For registration:

  1. Visit our Official Event Page: All reservations are processed exclusively through our dedicated event website, which can be found at https://itsc-2026smartmobilitychallenge.io.
  2. Easy Reservation Process: Simply navigate to the registration section on the site, where you will find detailed information about the agenda, speakers, and venue. The intuitive reservation form will guide you through the quick and simple steps to confirm your attendance.
  3. Await confirmation and detailed instructions to participate in this new challenge.

We look forward to welcoming you to the event and sharing an inspiring experience together!
Reserve your seat today at https://itsc-2026smartmobilitychallenge.io

Challenges

The “ITSS Smart Mobility Data Challenge” focuses on challenges similar to the following examples:

  • Local Public Transport (LPT): Defines the network structure: routes, stops, scheduled bus and underground timetables.
  • Road Traffic: Aggregated and anonymized GPS data from fleets (e.g. taxis, logistics) to map average speeds and congestion levels on the road network.
  • Micro-mobility: Create and implement enhanced strategies for mitigating environmental damage.

Scoring System

This is the heart of the competition, designed to eliminate the need for a jury and rely on objective optimization, as per the requirements.

The Scoring System is based on the following concepts:

  • Participants do not submit code, but rather the solution (e.g., a list of coordinates, a schedule matrix)..
  • The solution is sent to an endpoint that performs a “simulation”.
  • The simulator calculates the score (the KPI) and returns it.
  • A Live Leaderboard shows the rankings in real time. The winner is whoever gets the best score in the shortest time (used as a tiebreaker).

Prizes

IEEE will award prizes to the top two teams and additional recognition includes IEEE ITSS Certificates for all participants.

🥇 1st Prize: A prestigious IEEE ITSS Travel Grant to attend the IEEE ITSC 2027 conference in Boston, United States (September 2027)! This is your ultimate ticket to network with global leaders in intelligent transportation systems.

🥈 2nd Prize: A €300 cash prize, proudly powered by the Scuola Politecnica e delle Scienze di Base, University of Naples Federico II.

Important Dates

Submission deadline for Regular and Invited Session papers:
1 March 2026

Proposal due for Workshops/Tutorial Sessions:
1 March 2026

Notification of Acceptance:
1 May 2026

Final paper submission deadline:
15 May 2026
29 May 2026

Submission deadline for Industry Track Contributions:
30 June 2026

Announcements
  • Deadline Extension for Presentation Form Change Request

    The deadline for submitting a Presentation Form Change Request has been extended up to September 7 2026.
    For further information, visit here.

  • On booking a tour of Naples

    Tour bookings of the cultural heritage of Naples and its surrounding areas are now available.
    Click here for further information, as well as to gain access to the booking form.

  • Special Arrangement for International Participants

    Are you unable to travel to Italy due to official VISA-related restrictions?
    If no co-author or colleague can present on your behalf, you can request a change to your presentation format.

    Action Required: Complete the Presentation Format Change Request Form, which can be accessed here.
    Official Details: Review the full guidelines on the IEEE ITSC 2026 Registration Page here.

  • Submissions for Industry Track Contributions have closed.

    As of June 30, 2026, the ITSC 2026 Industry Track Contributions has officially stopped accepting new submissions.
    You can find further information here.