Skip to main content

Posts

Google is enhancing its natural disaster tracking systems using artificial intelligence (AI) to predict and monitor wildfires and floods

Wildfire Detection and Tracking Google has improved its wildfire tracking system by advancing the use of satellite imagery. The system can now: FireSat is designed specifically to detect and track wildfires when they’re as small as a classroom. https://youtu.be/pmQlXLaHT_Y?si=tXQTvj-yutS_NlBB Our commitment to researching Identify and track wildfires in real-time Predict fire spread and assist in containment strategies Currently available in parts of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Australia In July 2025, Google's wildfire tracking system provided valuable information for over 30 large-scale wildfire incidents in the US and Canada, with Google Search and Maps recording over 7 million views related to these events. Flood Forecasting Google has developed a flood tracking system that predicts: When floods will occur Expected water depths In 2024, Google sent 115 million flood alerts to 23 million people. The flood tracking system has expanded to: 18 countries, inclu...
Post a Comment
Read more
Recent posts

Livestream of ongoing eruption at Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

Livestream of ongoing eruption at Kīlauea: www.youtube.com/usgs/live   This morning, December 23, at approximately 2 a.m. HST, elevated earthquake activity began at the volcano’s summit.  https://m.blog.naver.com/blueocean_no1/223703683519 live streaming By 2:30 a.m., the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory observed eruptive activity in Kīlauea summit webcam images, indicating that an eruption has commenced within Halemaʻumaʻu and the summit caldera in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.   Activity updates are being shared with partners and emergency management. The ongoing eruption is occurring away from infrastructure. USGS is in close contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, which has closed areas susceptible to ongoing, persistent volcanic hazards such as volcanic gas.   Video Description: Lava fountains and fissures active within the summit caldera.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Yangtze River "digital twin" is revolutionizing flood management and mitigation

  The Yangtze River "digital twin" is revolutionizing flood management and mitigation along Asia's longest river. This innovative technology creates a virtual replica of the entire Yangtze River and the Three Gorges Dam, allowing for real-time monitoring, simulation, and prediction of flood events.   Ships pass the five-tier ship lock of the Three Gorges Project in October. WANG GANG/XINHUA Key Features and Benefits Real-time Monitoring: The digital twin provides instant access to critical metrics of the Three Gorges Dam, enabling continuous monitoring of dam pressure and safety. Flood Prediction: By analyzing existing flood data in the upper reaches, the system can predict future flood trends in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze.   Early Warning System: The digital twin enables earlier and more accurate flood warnings, allowing for safer evacuations and more targeted flood defense measures. Comprehensive Database: A database of 706 polders along the Yan...
Post a Comment
Read more

NOAA Participates in Republic of Korea - U.S. Joint Maritime Oil Spill Response Workshop

  In mid-November 2024, a Scientific Support Coordinator from OR&R’s Emergency Response Division participated in a Republic of Korea - U.S. Joint Maritime Oil Spill Response Subject Matter Expert Exchange Workshop held in Busan, Republic of Korea (ROK). NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator for the Pacific Islands Region, presents an overview of NOAA and NOAA’s role in oil spill response. Image credit: USCG. The purpose of the workshop, sponsored by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, was for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and key ROK stakeholders to develop working relationships and procedures in order to effectively respond to an oil spill from a USFK facility or operation in the ROK. USFK operates several installations and contingency locations in the ROK, as well as associated vessels and other equipment. Workshop participants included representatives of the ROK’s Coast Guard, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and Ministry of the Environment; Korea Environment Institute; Marine Environmenta...
Post a Comment
Read more

Amazon announces new slate of AI models, Introducing Amazon Nova

Today, Amazon announced Amazon Nova, a new generation of foundation models (FMs) available exclusively through Amazon Bedrock. These models offer cutting-edge AI capabilities and industry-leading price-performance ratios. Here's a summary of the key features: Understanding Models 1. Amazon Nova Micro    - Text-only model with lowest latency and very low cost    - 128K token context length    - Ideal for tasks like summarization, translation, and simple coding 2. Amazon Nova Lite    - Low-cost multimodal model for image, video, and text inputs    - Processes up to 300K tokens    - Suitable for real-time customer interactions and document analysis 3. Amazon Nova Pro    - Highly capable multimodal model with optimal accuracy, speed, and cost    - 300K token input context    - Excels in complex tasks and financial document analysis 4. Amazon Nova Premier (coming in early 2025)    - Most advan...
Post a Comment
Read more

[Intel's CEO Pat Gelsinger has resigned] Leadership Transition: The unexpected resignation of CEO Pat Gelsinger after a difficult tenure highlights the instability at the top of the company.

Intel's CEO Pat Gelsinger has resigned after a challenging tenure, marking a significant shift for the once-dominant chipmaker. Gelsinger's departure comes as Intel struggles to keep pace with rivals in the rapidly evolving AI chip market. ## Gelsinger's Tenure and Intel's Challenges Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger delivers a speech at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center during Computex 2024, in Taipei on June 4, 2024. Gelsinger returned to Intel as CEO in February 2021, tasked with revitalizing the company amid fierce competition and production delays. Despite his efforts, Intel's prospects continued to decline: - **Stock Performance**: Intel's stock plunged 61% during Gelsinger's tenure. - **AI Boom**: The company missed the AI boom, falling behind competitors like Nvidia. - **Cost-Cutting Measures**: In August, Intel announced a 15% staff layoff as part of a plan to cut $10 billion in costs. ## Market Shift and Nvidia's Rise The AI revolution, sparked by innovat...
Post a Comment
Read more

Elon Musk's SpaceX launches fifth mission bolstering US government reconnaissance satellite architecture

  Elon Musk's SpaceX launches fifth mission bolstering US government reconnaissance satellite architecture SpaceX conducts fifth launch of National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) proliferated architecture   Trump joins Elon Musk to watch SpaceX Starship rocket launch President-elect Trump watched the launch from Texas. It took place before sunset on Tuesday.   SpaceX conducted its fifth launch of National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) proliferated architecture on Saturday from California.     The NRO said it partnered with the U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 30 and SpaceX to successfully launch the NROL-126 mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.   It happened from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 3:10 a.m. ET.   "This mission is the fifth launch of the NRO’s proliferated architecture, showcasing the efficiency of delivery on orbit for this program," the NRO said in a statement. "Today’s successful...
Post a Comment
Read more

27 November 2024, heavy snowfall covered large parts of South Korea

At the end of November 2024, heavy snowfall covered large parts of South Korea for two consecutive days, blanketing large areas of the country.⁣ ⁣ In the capital, Seoul, 16 cm of snow accumulated—the highest recorded for November since 1907. The severe weather led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights, nationwide road closures, and at least five deaths. ⁣ ⁣ Snow-covered areas around Seoul are seen in this image acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites on 29 November.⁣ ⁣ The Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission is equipped with the Ocean Land Colour Instrument (OLCI), which provides multispectral data in 21 different spectral bands with a daily revisit time. The OLCI spectral measurements allow important snow properties to be extracted with a spatial resolution of 300 metres.⁣ ⁣ #CopernicusEU⁣ #ImageOfTheDay⁣ #Sentinel3⁣
Post a Comment
Read more

Around 1.5 million years ago, four walkers( Paranthropus boisei, Homo erectus) traversed the muddy shore of a lake, leaving footprints

  Around 1.5 million years ago, four walkers traversed the muddy shore of a lake, leaving footprints. If they did not cross paths, they would have missed each other narrowly — probably by hours if not minutes.   Left: A footprint hypothesized to have been created by a Paranthropus boisei individual. Right: A footprint hypothesized to have been created by a Homo erectus individual. (Kevin Hatala/Chatham University) What makes the discovery of these footprints so remarkable is the identity of those who left them.   Using innovative technology, researchers have analyzed the prints in detail, concluding that the footprints were made by two distinct species of hominins — our prehistoric relatives — at around the same time.   While one set of tracks belonged to an ancient primate, Paranthropus boisei, the other footprints were left behind by three Homo erectus individuals, an archaic human species, researchers believe. Their findings were published in the journal Sci...
Post a Comment
Read more