In a new technological development, Google has launched a new AI framework named ”AlphaEarth Foundations” which is claimed to act like a “virtual satellite.”
The model draws on a system known as “embedding,” which operates by feeding huge amounts of pubic data from the different sources every day, including optical satellites, radars, and climate simulations, and mixing them all.
It then separates land and sea waters into 10×10 meter squares, which it then examines and follows over time. The squares in the virtual satellite are color-coded to show various properties, including types of vegetation and material properties.
The firm explained that AlphaEarth Foundations simplifies its data to use by producing what it terms a “highly compact summary” for every square of land or seawater it observes.
The compact summaries reportedly require 16 times less storage than those generated by similar AI systems, hence lowering the costs required for Earth observation.
Additionally, Google described how researchers may use the model to generate detailed maps on demand for a variety of purposes, including monitoring crop health or tracking deforestation.
During its announcement, the company asserted that the model performed well on a broad set of tasks over various periods when it was tested.
”AlphaEarth Foundations marks an important milestone in knowing the condition and behavior of our evolving world,” Google said.
The company gave over 50 organizations access to the model’s Satellite Embedding dataset, a collection of its annual embeddings, to test its use in real-world applications over the past year.
Now, it has released the dataset in Google Earth Engine so that other scientists can use it for their research.
Other Applications
Some notable applications of AlphaEarth Foundations include:
- Mapping Ecosystems: The Global Ecosystems Atlas project is leveraging the dataset to build a definitive source for mapping the world’s ecosystems
- Deforestation tracking: MapBiomas in Brazil is using the tech to track agricultural and environmental shifts, such as deforestation in the Amazon rainforest
Overall, AlphaEarth Foundations represents a significant step forward in understanding the state and dynamics of our changing planet, and its potential applications are vast and varied.