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The new science of volcanoes harnesses AI, satellites and gas sensors (2020)
- smitty1e 6y ago> Ultimately, researchers are hoping that new tools and techniques will nudge them closer to being able to assign probabilities to the chances of a volcano erupting in a given time frame, much as meteorologists dole out the chances of rain or snow on any specific day. The real action is deep underground. I just took a remote sensing class a year or so ago, looked at this very topic, and didn't see a silver bullet. But someone else could.
- cinntaile 6y agoI'm not sure why you would find a silver bullet by taking a remote sensing class? Volcanologists do this for a living, many of them will also have remote sensing experience and they haven't found a silver bullet yet even though they've been searching for several decades. That's why they're collecting data (even data from deep underground) from all kinds of sources, this is mentioned in the article too: > Volcanologists are making substantial headway, thanks to a torrent of data from satellites that can detect subtle movements of mountains, ground-based sensors that track molten rock moving deep underground, and gas-sniffing devices that drones can carry over seething mountains. And the theoretical understanding of volcanoes has grown markedly as researchers have learnt to combine all these data into models of what is happening within volcanic systems. Researchers are now experimenting with machine learning to sift through the flood of data to identify subtle patterns, such as the early movement of Anak Krakatau months before it showed signs of waking. Like in many other fields, AI is starting to be used to find patterns in this vast amount of data.
- smitty1e 6y ago> I'm not sure why you would find a silver bullet by taking a remote sensing class? Sheer hubris is an answer. ;-)