Mitchell Earth Sciences, Hartley Conference Center, 1st Floor.
397 Panama Mall, Stanford, CA 94305
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Event Details:
Transforming Earth Observation data into impact with mapping and AI
Where is the “ChatGPT for the Earth”?
Despite the recent rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI), its potential to address critical environmental issues has yet to be realized. In this talk, Dr. Ben Strong, Lead Scientist at the nonprofit Earth Genome, discusses the untapped potential of AI in tackling pressing environmental challenges through organizing, analyzing, and communicating environmental data.
As a case study, Dr. Strong presents Earth Genome’s groundbreaking "Earth Index'' platform. Earth Index rethinks environmental monitoring by leveraging large AI foundation models. This monitoring approach enables any user – regardless of technical background – to create actionable, locally fine-tuned maps of environmental impact through iterative human-in-the-loop training of custom machine learning models. Earth Index’s practical applications are vast, ranging from tracking gold mining in the Amazon to uncovering previously unmapped Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in the American South. The value of this approach is demonstrated by real world impact, including collaborations with indigenous groups, journalists, and other NGOs.
Through the lens of Earth Genome's experiences, Dr. Strong makes a case for the necessity of foundational AI research and cross-sector collaborations between academia, nonprofits, and other industries. This talk is a journey into how AI can be a pivotal tool in environmental mapping and action, leading to significant on-the-ground impacts.
Bio:
Dr. Ben Strong (Stanford Geophysics PhD ‘22) is Lead Scientist at Earth Genome, where he leads efforts to envision and build tomorrow’s “AI for the Earth.” In this role, he manages the development of Earth Genome’s Earth Index platform, which allows anyone to quickly search across terabytes of Earth Observation (EO) data to monitor relevant environmental trends. He has also led the successful implementation of these state-of-the-art technologies in several applications, including Amazon Mining Watch, a platform designed to closely monitor illicit and environmentally destructive gold mining activities within the Amazon.
Prior to his work at Earth Genome, Dr. Strong was a Research Scientist at X, Google's "moonshot factory." At X he collaborated with a pioneering team to leverage AI's potential in comprehending the risk factors associated with climate catastrophes and was awarded several patents for his original inventions. He obtained his doctorate in geophysics from Stanford, where he was advised by Professor Paul Segall.
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