Wednesday, March 6, 2019

AI Analyzes Volcanoes for Signs of Eruption

Around the world, about 800 million people live within 100 kilometers of a volcano, posing a threat to lives and livelihoods. Even eruptions that occur in remote areas can spread ash and disrupt public health, agriculture and economies. Some volcanoes spew lava all the time, while others erupt only once in every few hundred or thousand years. This makes it difficult to understand these natural disasters on a global scale.

However, deep learning can help researchers better spot signs of volcanic activity, according to Fabien Albino, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bristol School of Earth Sciences, and Nantheera Anantrasirichai, research fellow in the university’s Visual Information Laboratory.