Page 12 - July-December 2019 [Compatibility Mode]

ENVIS newsletter
ENVIS newsletter

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
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With the help of Artificial
intelligence Services, IBM is testing a new
way to reduce Beijing’s stagnant air
pollution. China’s capital, like many other
cities in the country, is surrounded by
factories, fuelled by much coal, which
releases harmful particles. Pollution levels
may vary depending on industrial activity,
traffic congestion and weather conditions.

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IBM researchers are testing a computer system that can learn to predict the severity of air pollution in
different parts of the city in a very short time, combining large volumes of data from various models. The system
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could eventually provide specific recommendations on how to reduce pollution to an acceptable level — for
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example, by shutting down some factories or temporarily limiting the number of drivers on the road. A
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comparable system is being developed for a city in Hebei Province, a region heavily affected in the north of the
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country. As the field of AI continues to evolve, so does the ability to protect the environment. From land and air
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to drinking and seawater, AI is creating a key that governments, organizations, and individuals can tap into
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working toward a cleaner planet.
LAND:
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The land is under pressure from soil pollution, population growth, intensive agriculture, and other land
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use. According to the United Nations, its structure is not compromised (about one-third of the earth is already
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depleted) but is most dangerously contaminated (three million hospitals and 250,000 deaths worldwide due to
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pesticide poisoning).
AI has the power to make agricultural
practices safer for the land and the health of the
public. Machine learning combined with robotics
provides automated data collection and decision-
making to optimize farming processes. These
systems interact directly with crops, identify and
operate the best times to plant, spray, and harvest
plants, fertilizers, and pesticides contaminate the
soil. This will not only make agriculture more
efficient, but it will also lead to organic, land-
friendly crops.
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Similarly, AI monitoring helps communities protect larger territories than just farms; Ecosystems and
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habitats around the world will also benefit. AI solutions enabled drones, for example, to offer new opportunities
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to monitor and defend endangered areas. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, more effective
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plant disease detection, poacher root prediction, erosion monitoring, species identification, and animal migration
tracking are all reality with AI.
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