Hello participants,

Following a recent investigation, we have identified that some submissions may be benefiting from unintended signals related to geospatial information. Specifically, it is possible to significantly improve leaderboard scores by leveraging latitude/longitude data in combination with external occurrence datasets. We want to remind you that, as per the competition info and rules:

• Only the datasets provided for the competition may be used
• Latitude/longitude features are not permitted for model development or inference

These rules are in place to ensure a fair and consistent evaluation based on the intended TerraClimate features.

If your approach may have used restricted data or signals (including indirect use of latitude/longitude or external datasets), please take one of the following actions by 23:59 GMT on Saturday 25 April:

1. Request removal of the affected submissions from the leaderboard by emailing me (megan[@]zindi.africa)
2. Submit your code for review so we can verify compliance with the competition rules (zindi[@]zindi.africa)

As per Zindi’s competition rules, we reserve the right to request code from any participant at any time. Failure to comply or submission of non-compliant solutions may result in disqualification from this challenge.

This is about ensuring fairness and maintaining the integrity of the challenge for everyone. Thank you!