GEOG-Led Project Selected for $1.4 Million Award for AI-Driven Digital Twin of Central Africa’s Forests

NASA grant supports the development of AI-driven technologies and information systems to drive the Earth Science Division’s future advancements.

A research team led by the Department of Geographical Sciences has been awarded a 1.4M grant under NASA’s Advanced Information Systems Technology (AIST) Program to lead an innovative project aimed at integrating knowledge-based models and artificial intelligence (AI) for the conservation of carbon and biodiversity corridors in Central Africa. The project is one of 24 cutting-edge initiatives selected for funding under the 2023 AIST solicitation, which seeks to develop novel technologies to advance capabilities for NASA’s Earth System Digital Twin efforts.

Titled “A Digital Twin Integrating Knowledge and AI for Understanding Carbon and Biodiversity Corridors in Central Africa,” the project is spearheaded by Assistant Professor Yiqun Xie, who is also an affiliate faculty at the Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland (AIM), along with Professor and Associate Chair George Hurtt, Assistant Research Professor Lei Ma and Assistant Professor Catherine Nakalembe. The team will be working with co-investigators from the University of Pittsburgh and Northern Arizona University, as well as collaborators from Yale, Imazon (Brazil) and WildlifeDirect (Kenya).

The initiative will receive funding to develop high-resolution digital twins—virtual representations—of carbon and biodiversity corridors, enabling scientists to analyze current conditions and forecast future scenarios with unprecedented details and flexibility.

These efforts are particularly critical for Central Africa's forests, which house the world’s second-largest contiguous rainforest, serving as a major global carbon reservoir and home to thousands of endemic species of plants and wildlife. However, decades of land use, climate change and resource exploitation have led to significant and continued degradation.

The digital twin technology developed through this project will combine advanced AI, remote sensing data and high-fidelity ecosystem modeling to address gaps in current conservation approaches.

“Preserving Central Africa's unique ecosystems is essential for both biodiversity and climate mitigation,” said Xie. “This project will provide the tools needed to make data-driven decisions for conservation efforts and sustainable development.”

The AIST Program, part of NASA’s Earth Science Division, funds research that advances information systems technology to meet the needs of Earth science missions over the next decade. By supporting innovative projects like this one, the program aims to enable groundbreaking observations, improve predictive capabilities and deliver actionable insights for addressing global environmental challenges.

 NASA’s AIST Program and other funded projects

This article by Renata Johnson originally appeared on the Department of Geographical Sciences website. The screenshot is from NASA’s Advanced Information Systems Technology (AIST) Program's 2022 Advanced Information Systems Technology (AIST) Earth Systems Digital Twin (ESDT) Workshop Report.
 

Published on Fri, Jan 17, 2025 - 3:18PM