Getting SMART About Using AI and ML to Study Earth’s Surface Changes

Element 84 has been working on big problems in Earth science and geospatial for over a decade—it’s part of our DNA. We’re always on the lookout for new challenges and today we’re excited to announce a project with Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency (IARPA) and Accenture Federal Services to use artificial intelligence and advanced machine learning to reduce the time and cost of analyzing large volumes of geospatial imagery.

As part of IARPA’s Space-based Machine Automated Recognition Technique (SMART) program, the project will bring together partners from Boston University, Cornell, MIT, North Carolina State, South Dakota State University, University of California Riverside, University of Tennessee, and I2R Corporation to develop new systems for detecting change in the Earth’s surface due to climate change, human migration, urban growth, resource utilization, and other factors.

The project will leverage cloud computing, and research around emerging technologies like computer vision and machine learning to improve data models and help researchers answer important questions about our planet.