-IBM collaborating with Mohamed Bin Zayed University of
Artificial Intelligence, Government of Kenya and the United
Kingdom's Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Hartree Centre to expand application of IBM's geospatial AI
technologies to urban heat island mapping, reforestation and
climate resiliency in aviation.
-IBM and NASA to create
new AI foundation model for weather and climate.
YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y.,
Nov. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM
(NYSE: IBM) today announced new efforts that apply its geospatial
AI technologies, including IBM's geospatial foundation model
developed in collaboration with NASA, to climate efforts including
analysis of urban heat islands in the United Arab Emirates (UAE); reforestation
across Kenya; and climate
resiliency in the United Kingdom
(UK).
IBM continues to advance its AI model strategy in part through
the creation, training, fine-tuning and open-sourcing of foundation
models – models that can be used for different tasks and apply
information from one situation to another – designed for domains
beyond natural language, including geospatial applications.
These models, which are trained on geospatial information such
as satellite images, present a unique opportunity to address
climate change because unlike traditional AI models tailored for
specialized tasks, geospatial foundation models – encompassing
satellite and weather data – create knowledge representations from
petabytes and exabytes of climate-relevant data that can facilitate
accelerated and streamlined discovery of environmental insights and
solutions. These models can also be fine-tuned and applied across a
multitude of areas driving or revealing climate change, from flood
detection to fire scars.
"Climate change is a real and pressing issue that we must find
new ways to address as quickly and efficiently as possible,
including through today's most advanced AI technologies," said
Alessandro Curioni, IBM Fellow and
Vice President, Accelerated Discovery at IBM. "AI foundation models
utilizing geospatial data can be a game-changer because they allow
us to better understand, prepare and address the many
climate-related events effecting the health of our planet in a
manner and speed never before seen. We are hopeful these
technologies can help accelerate the rate at which we derive and
apply solutions for a safer and healthier planet for future
generations."
Analyzing urban heat islands in the UAE
By the end of this century, many cities will likely experience
disruptive and excessive heat waves if GHG emissions continue
at high levels. To develop sustainable and equitable plans to keep
cities habitable, the rising heat levels must be accurately mapped
and addressed.
IBM and the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial
Intelligence (MBZUAI) are pioneering an attempt to apply foundation
models to the mapping of urban heat islands – areas with
significantly higher temperatures compared to surrounding
locations. This innovative research specifically applies a
fine-tuned version of IBM's geospatial foundation model to
understand the urban environment in Abu
Dhabi and how the underlying landscape in the UAE impacts
the formation of urban heat islands.
To date, the model has informed efforts that have succeeded in a
reduction of heat island effects in the region by more than
3oC (5.4 F)1. Going forward, the model is
expected to continue to provide unique insights that inform the
development of urban design strategies designed to help reduce
urban heat stress in changing climates.
Professor Tim Baldwin, MBZUAI
Acting Provost, said: "Our collaboration with IBM marks a
groundbreaking effort to utilize foundational AI models in
analyzing and identifying solutions to urban heat islands for
Abu Dhabi and parts of the UAE, a
region which is particularly affected by climate change. This
research underscores the vital role of AI in tackling global
issues, emphasizing the urgency of continued exploration and
innovation. By harnessing the power of AI, we are not merely
addressing challenges; we are proactively shaping solutions for a
sustainable future. In a world confronted by unprecedented
challenges, MBZUAI stands at the forefront of pioneering research
in AI, recognizing the transformative power it holds."
Advancing reforestation and water sustainability in
Kenya
In December 2022, President of
Kenya H.E. D.R William Ruto
unveiled the National Tree Growing and Restoration Campaign
designed to plant 15 billion trees across Kenya by 2032, including in areas of
critically affected water towers – forested landscapes that retain
water and source many rivers throughout Kenya. While water towers account for about
three quarters of the nation's water resources, deforestation is
contributing to increasing water scarcity in these regions.
IBM and the Kenyan government's office of the Special Envoy for
Climate Change Ali Mohamed have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to support the National Tree Growing and
Restoration Campaign through a new "adopt-a-water-tower"
initiative. The effort will be fueled by a new digital platform
that leverages IBM's geospatial foundation model to enable users to
track and visualize tree planting and tree growing activities in
specific water tower areas. Local developers can also create
fine-tuned models combining the IBM geospatial model with their own
localized information to monitor forest restoration and measure
above-ground biomass such as sequestered carbon, ultimately
mobilizing on-the-ground efforts to plant more trees across
Kenya's water tower regions.
The President's Spokesperson, Mr. Hussein Mohamed, MBS, said: "We recognize
that technology plays a pivotal role in unlocking our full
potential, optimizing resource utilization, and seizing
opportunities. It serves as a means to ensure that we harness our
resources most effectively to drive our grassroots-driven economic
transformation agenda. Through our partnership with IBM, we have
the capability of harnessing the power of artificial intelligence
and geospatial data to advance our climate ambitions. These
ambitions include planting 15 billion trees, rejuvenating our vital
water towers, fostering increased collaboration with the private
sector to promote a just energy transition for communities around
our forests. Simultaneously, this collaboration will enhance our
capacity to equitably participate in the carbon economy. The
potential of this collaboration extends beyond our borders and has
the capacity to be replicated in other nations seeking to enhance
their forest cover while also improving the economic and health
well-being of their communities."
Elevating climate resiliency across the United Kingdom
In 2021, IBM and the Science and Technology Facilities Council's
(STFC) Hartree Centre collaborated to explore the application of
next-generation technologies including AI from IBM to address
climate risk and resiliency across the UK.
Now, IBM, STFC and Royal HaskoningDHV, a global consulting
engineering company, have collaborated to establish a new service,
leveraging IBM's geospatial AI tools, that seeks to automate and
scale climate risk assessment processes for organizations. The
service's first use case will focus on the aviation sector, in
which IBM's geospatial AI will assess impacts weather-related
issues, including:
- Short-term impact of extreme weather on aviation
operations.
- Long-term impact of climate change on future airport operations
and infrastructure.
In addition, IBM and STFC Hartree Centre, through the Hartree
National Centre for Digital Innovation, are advancing a new area of
research with Dark Matter Labs and Lucidminds, as part of their
TreesAI project. The research project will apply IBM geospatial AI
technologies to their Green Urban Scenarios (GUS) model to map
urban locations where trees can be planted to help alleviate the
risk of surface water flooding. The effort will eventually inform
an end-to-end digital planning platform for urban planners, project
developers and green urban investors across the UK.
Kate Royse, Director at STFC's
Hartree Centre, said: "There has never been a more important
time to prepare for the challenges posed by climate change, both
from an industrial and societal perspective. Here at STFC's Hartree
Centre we're excited to be working with IBM and Royal HaskoningDHV,
using advanced AI technologies to help the aviation industry
prepare for climate risks, and become more resilient against the
effects of extreme weather. Equally, our collaboration with
IBM and Dark Matter Labs on the TreesAI project through our HNCDI
programme will enable smarter decisions based on accurately
predicting and managing flood risk, which is critical to all future
city planning. Advanced AI technologies are key driver in enabling
us to build a more resilient world against the adverse impacts of
climate change."
Djeevan Schiferli, Climate Intelligence Business Strategist,
Royal HaskoningDHV said: "Operational and strategic planners
in every company require a clear understanding of how weather and
climate-related incidents affect their business operations. By
harnessing AI and geospatial data, we will super charge our climate
risk assessments on a global scale."
Chloe Treger, TreesAI UK Lead,
said: "Over 300,000 properties are at risk of surface-water
flooding. Without action, this figure is set to almost double by
2055 due to climate change and urbanisation. Through our
collaboration with IBM and STFC, we have been able to observe how
trees contribute to reducing surface water flooding risks across
the city under different scenarios, using GUS. This has enabled us
and our partners to make the business case for tree planting and
maintenance. After a successful pilot in Glasgow, we are now looking for further
locations to embed this powerful data-enabled decision-making
tool."
Extending NASA collaboration to apply generative AI to
weather
Beyond their initial commitment to build and deploy
a geospatial foundation model, IBM and NASA have also
announced work on a new, separate AI foundation model for weather
and climate. By applying AI technology from IBM, the model aims to
improve the accuracy, speed and affordability of weather
forecasting and other climate applications. Sample applications of
the model not only include forecasting, but also
super-resolution downscaling, identifying conditions conducive
to wildfires, and predicting meteorological phenomena. IBM
researchers will work alongside NASA domain experts to train and
validate the model.
IBM at COP28
These latest efforts and IBM's role at COP28 builds on the company's long history
of action, research, and advocacy around the environment. IBM
issued its first environmental policy more than 50 years ago, in
1971, and published a formal position on climate change in 2007.
IBM is also a founding member of the United Nations Environment
Programme's Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment and
the Climate Leadership Council, and supports communities vulnerable
to climate change and other environmental issues through
initiatives like the IBM Sustainability Accelerator.
To follow IBM at COP28, please
visit: https://www.ibm.com/events/unfccc-cop
About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and
consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries
capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business
processes, reduce costs, and gain the competitive edge in their
industries. Thousands of government and corporate entities in
critical infrastructure areas such as financial services,
telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud
platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital
transformations quickly, efficiently, and securely. IBM's
breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing,
industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and
flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's
long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility,
inclusivity, and service.
Media Contacts:
Sarah Benchaita
IBM Research
sarah.benchaita@ibm.com
Bethany Hill McCarthy
IBM Research
Bethany@ibm.com
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