Down To Earth: A podcast for Geoscientists by Geoscientist

After covering many of the exciting possibilities and potential challenges of AI in Earth Observation (EO), the question still remains: Is AI in EO going to be more of a help, or a hindrance? The answer lies in whether or not we can use AI ethically. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Caroline Gevaert, Associate Professor at University of Twente and expert in geospatial technologies and artificial...

As the previous episodes have highlighted, collaboration plays an important role when it comes to using AI to solve real-world problems. So how do we work across diverse stakeholders to do this work properly? We speak with Isabelle Tingzon, Data Science Consultant, UNICEF, about the power of collaboration in her work, which uses AI and geoscience for socioeconomic development and disaster response...

Beyond the challenges inherent in using AI in earth observation, there are some incredibly valuable applications for tackling real-world problems. In particular, Geospatial Foundation Models are leading us to unique insights, discoveries, and solutions to real-world problems that we wouldn’t otherwise uncover. How do these models help us do this, and what challenges are they currently being applie...

Unlocking the full potential of scientific research requires more than just cutting-edge technology - it demands skilled scientists who can wield it effectively. In this episode, we delve into the world of high-performance computing training, where researchers are learning to harness the power of supercomputers to tackle complex problems and drive innovation. Leading us on this exploration is Dr....

Now that we have the basics of AI use in the geosciences, the question becomes, how do we use and maximize these tools? Enter the supercomputer! With Dr. Dalton Lunga, Senior R&D Scientist and GeoAI Group Leader at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we explore the cutting-edge world of supercomputers and their role in training large GeoAI models. Dr. Lunga shares insights on how supercomputers lik...

When machine learning was first invented, the infrastructure for processing earth observation data was incredibly slow, often taking days or weeks to generate results. But recent breakthroughs in hardware and software have revolutionized our ability to collect, process, and analyze geospatial data, unlocking new possibilities for research, mapping, and environmental monitoring. At the forefront of...

We’ve heard repeatedly that reliable, validated training data is one of the most important, and also most challenging components of ensuring AI models provide accurate outputs. How are we overcoming this challenge? Through Data-centric AI! Data-centric AI emphasizes the value of good data rather than model. So what are some data-centric AI approaches? We speak to Dr. Manil Maskey, Data Science and...

AI is a hot topic these days, but when it comes to geoscience, how is it actually being used? To answer this question, we speak to Dr. Caleb Robinson, Principal Research Scientist, Microsoft AI for Good Research Lab. Dr. Robinson shares insights into the transformative power of AI within the field, providing several interesting examples of how GeoAI is revolutionizing the analysis of satellite dat...

Imagine a world where scientists can predict natural disasters before they strike, where we can monitor the health of our planet in real-time, and where we can uncover the secrets of Earth's hidden resources. Welcome to the future of geoscience, where AI is revolutionizing our understanding of the planet! In this season of Down to Earth, we’re exploring the uncharted territories of AI in geoscienc...

From its role in sustaining and nurturing our bodies to its cultural and social significance, food is a key component of human life. It’s also in serious jeopardy due to climate change. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Inbal Becker-Reshef about her work in the field of food security. Together, we delve into the critical role of geospatial technologies in monitoring agricultural systems, assessin...

According to the UNU Institute for Water, Environment and Health, water-related disasters (WRDs), including floods and droughts, account for 90% of natural disasters. These disasters result in significant loss of life each year, not to mention the billions spent on managing and rebuilding afterwards. As the global water crisis continues to grow, so too does our need for tools, techniques, and poli...

What’s the difference between glaciers and sea ice and why do we need to be studying sea ice to better understand climate change? In this episode, we speak to two experts who study sea ice in the arctic and antarctic respectively. Dr. Anja Frost and Dr. Sven Jacobsen share their concerns about the pressing issue of the Arctic’s vanishing sea ice, the need to understand the relationship between oce...

As far back as 2014, Dr. Eric Rignot, specialist in glaciology, has been informing us that some of our glaciers are melting faster than we can save them. Yet, this knowledgeable and passionate scientist continues to advocate for hope. In this episode we’ll dive deep into the meltwater to not only understand glacier behaviour, but how we can proactively deal with the results.

Methane is a dangerous gas has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Methane is a major contributor to global warming. But the good news is, unlike CO2, methane has a very short atmospheric lifespan – around 10 years to be exact. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Ritesh Gautam who is an expert in atmospheric sciences, explores the impact of methane as a pot...

Whenever we think of greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide is top of mind. But a more nefarious gas is gaining notoriety: Methane. Not just restricted to agricultural emissions, methane is also found in the Earth’s permafrost, which is melting at an increased rate due to climate change. It’s a vicious cycle that we seriously need to interrupt. So in this episode, we delve into the critical issue of per...

Wetlands are the Earth’s greatest natural carbon stores, however, since 1900, we have lost 64% of our wetlands due to both human activity and climate change. Coastal wetlands and deltas–wetlands that form as rivers–are particularly vulnerable due to their position at the land-sea interface and many are, in fact, sinking. In this episode, we speak to Dr. Marc Simard about the crucial role of wetlan...

The Global Carbon Cycle refers to the continuous flow of carbon from the land and water, through the atmosphere and living organisms. Within the cycle there are carbon sinks and carbon emitters. As one of the largest reservoirs of carbon on Earth, forests play a huge role in the global carbon cycle. But how do we know? In this episode, we speak to geoscientist Dr. Ralph Dubayah to explore the appl...

In a world grappling with the pressing challenges of climate change, I bring you stories of optimism, resilience, and scientific insight: Welcome to Season five of Down to Earth: A podcast for geoscientists, by geoscientists! This season is being sponsored by The Remote Sensing Environment, Analysis and Climate Technologies technical committee of the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society. Tog...

The open science movement is an experiment, but it’s an experiment that has a lot of merit when it comes to its vision of equitable transparency, accessibility and collaboration for better science, and a better world. So how do we begin to transition our own practices towards those of open science? In this episode, we speak with Julia Stewart Lowndes, Founding Director of Openscapes, and her colla...

Open science has been an almost exclusively voluntary endeavor for the past two decades, with passionate individuals piecing together collaboratives, nonprofits, grants, and donations to support their work of ensuring science is open and accessible. A relief to these dedicated individuals, as the concept of open science has gained in popularity, so too has new funding started to emerge. However, a...

Part of the thinking behind the open science movement is that, if science is open, more people will trust the scientific process. But, as previous guests have pointed out, opening up science requires more than just the act of making it open. It also requires letting people know the science is out there, and ensuring it is findable, accessible, and reproducible! In today's episode, we speak with Pr...

There’s a technological revolution happening right now that is having a massive impact on our interactions with each other, and the world around us. That revolution? Artificial Intelligence. Touted as a tool that will enable the average individual to generate groundbreaking developments for the betterment of humanity, AI is being seen as a panacea for many of our challenges in healthcare, educatio...

It’s all well and good to have open source software, but if end-users have no clue how to operate it, open data becomes useless. That’s why Open Education is another important component of open science. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Leah Wasser, Executive Director of pyOpenSci, who developed a publicly accessible curriculum to teach python and R to anyone who wants to learn!

How can we ensure open source is open to everyone? In this episode we speak to Demetris Cheatham, Senior Director of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at GitHub, about how she’s building “open opportunities” and equity into a diversity, inclusion, and belonging strategy to ensure GitHub’s infrastructure is just.

Open science and open data easily go hand-in-hand, but one area of open science that’s often forgotten is open source. What is open source and how does it allow us to actually use open data? In this episode, we speak to Yuvi Panda, Co-Founder of 2i2C – a nonprofit devoted to developing, operating, and supporting infrastructure for interactive computing – about how we can make tools work for the op...