Why Only Data Scientists can Save the World from Environmental Collapse?

People use big data and artificial intelligence (AI) to help with research, and get new insights.

Data science is one of our most powerful tools for discovering and analysing difficult problems, finding solutions, and monitoring progress. Every day, people use big data and artificial intelligence (AI) to help with research, get new insights for businesses and society, and address some of our most difficult problems, such as maintaining our planet healthy. While technology isn't the sole solution to the problem, data science and artificial intelligence are assisting in the advancement of massive environmental projects ranging from climate monitoring to animal conservation and connecting people with the environment. Here are 3 ways how Data Science is helping the environment:

#1. Digital Twin of Earth

To begin, a "digital twin" is a virtual copy, in this case, of Earth's land, water, air, and life. The European Union is heading the "Destination Earth" endeavor to imitate natural and human activity and help analyze the planet's health.

The planetary-scale digital model will collect continuous, real-time data and give very accurate forecasts for severe weather events and natural disasters (such as fires, storms, droughts, and floods), climate science, and the Earth's resources.

Destination Earth (also known as DestinE) will be phased in over the following 7–10 years. The purpose is to give policymakers, scientists, and other users a tool for evaluating potential scenarios and better supporting sustainable development and environmental measures.

#2: Accelerating Scientific Research at NASA

NASA's data collections are "increasing at a geometric rate, including an estimated 100 petabytes of Earth science imaging alone." (A petabyte is equal to one million gigabytes.)

The NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS) is combining AI and Machine Learning with high-performance processing to make sense of it all. The idea is to speed up scientific research while also allowing experts to study and visualize data.

NASA-funded scientists and engineers are attempting to speed up initiatives including landslide detection, surface water sensing for reservoir management, and habitat viability prediction.

#3: Using AI for Ocean Cleanup

Through its AI for Earth program, Microsoft provides scientists and research groups with access to AI and ML technology. AI for Earth, which was founded in 2017, provides funds to projects addressing climate change, agriculture, biodiversity, and water.

Ocean Cleanup is one such endeavor. The initiative is aimed at eliminating marine plastics, which hurt seabirds, sea turtles, whales, fish, and other species while also contributing to a plethora of other issues.

Ocean Cleanup uses AI to automate the time-consuming operation of identifying debris in hundreds of thousands of photos. The project's goal is to combine the identification system with an automated collection mechanism that can eventually collect plastic for disposal.

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