CARY — SAS wants to use artificial intelligence and scientific analysis to see the planet with new eyes.
On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the Cary-based software firm announced that it is teaming up with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).
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The goal: to implement the next generation of crowd-driven artificial intelligence (AI) to help power AI algorithms designed to help us better understand our planet.
They are jointly launching an online crowdsource-driven app to gather the collective intelligence of the crowd. They are asking volunteers – an army of citizen scientists from middle school students in today’s virtual classrooms to artists, engineers and professional data scientists – to kick-start this effort by reviewing and judging images of the rainforest.
“By combining the power of our environmental science research platforms, SAS’ AI and computer vision technologies, and the sheer intellectual power of concerned citizens, we will develop AI models that will exponentially increase the value of human insights and strive to deliver near real-time assessment of global environmental change,” said Albert van Jaarsveld, CEO at IIASA, in a statement.
“Since image analysis is an important first step for the accurate assessment and projection of deforestation, we are asking people to see what technology can’t see, by examining and reporting on images of smaller incremental forestry incursions worldwide,” added van Jaarsveld. “Crowdsourcing helps improve the AI algorithms, expediting what used to take years to analyze, thus helping to drive vital policy responses to protect our forests more quickly.”
IIASA is an independent, international research institute that is placing a spotlight on the issue of deforestation to learn about the application of AI to elucidate the interconnectivity of Earth’s ecosystems.
While the first phase of this partnership focuses on deforestation, there are plans to extend this platform to other environmental concerns where crowdsourcing can help serve the greater good.
