WorldWide Drilling Resource®

18 FEBRUARY 2020 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® 2020 Geothermal Design Challenge is Underway Adapted from Information by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Idaho National Laboratory The U.S. Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office along with the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), are hosting the 2020 Geothermal Design Challenge™: GIS Mapping Student Competition. This design challenge will focus on a nontechnical obstacle for geothermal development - promoting the understanding of geothermal energy technology. Teams of two or three students will be chal- lenged to create a map showing how GIS can be used to encourage geother- mal development. GIS (geographic information system) is a computer system which analyzes and displays geographically referenced information. They will use GIS mapping to create a compelling infographic, poster, or interactive map to discover potential opportunities for geothermal development. The competition is open to graduate, undergraduate, and high school students across the country. An educational sponsor, such as an instructor/teacher with the registrant’s educational institution or faculty/staff member affiliated with the registrant’s university, is required for each team. The sponsor should only help guide the students to make sure the products are accurate. The challenge question for this year’s competition is: Geothermal energy is difficult to understand because it is located underground. How can geospatial mapping increase our understanding of this important renewable energy resource? How can GIS improve how we visualize and communicate about geothermal energy? Teams can use a variety of software (public or private license), such as Tableau, QGIS, Grass GIS, City Scape, Arc GIS, or any other software suite/package they choose. This competition will not only help students develop valuable geospatial mapping skills, it will increase their understanding of geothermal power and its potential as a renewable power source. Teams must register and enter their draft submission by March 30th. For more information, visit inl.gov/geothermalchallenge/# The 2019 winner, the BALO Data Science Team, was a collaboration between DePaul University and Georgia Institute of Technology. This data visualization targeted those unfamiliar with enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) and machine learning. GEO