AI4EO launches its first Challenge to improve Air Quality & Health

AI4EO is an ESA initiative from the Φ-lab that aims to bring together the worlds of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Earth Observation (EO) to foster interaction and collaboration. The initiative will include various Earth Observation challenges, created by the Φ-lab, to address important issues using AI and adopt the best solutions. Register for the first AI4EO Challenge on Air Quality and Health now.

AI4EO aims to act as a bridge between EO and AI. The initiative achieves this through various challenges, an ambitious and wide-ranging community, social media, and networking campaign. This ensures the long-term future of the initiative, and encourages interaction between EO and AI to solve important issues.

The AI4EO Project Team is currently organising several thematic Challenges where participants will be called upon to find solutions to important issues using AI on EO data.

The first AI4EO challenge, the Air Quality and Health Challenge, emerges from the need expressed by ECMWF and the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) for higher spatial resolution of air quality data and products, using EO data from Copernicus Sentinel-5P with AI technologies.

Better information about air pollution and reducing emissions of key pollutants such as fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide could save millions of lives. The objective of this challenge is to downscale air quality products such as Particulate Matter (PM2.5) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) to a resolution that can be used on a local level. Participants will produce AI-powered downscaling methods on three areas of interest: North Italy, California and South Africa. The most successful methods could be considered for benchmarking current methodologies. 

Participants will work in teams to address the AI4EO challenges and four winning teams, including a student team, will be awarded ‘’AI4EO points’’ to spend on various prizes provided by sponsors and implementation partners. The challenge was launched at the beginning of February 2021 and will remain open until 15 May 2021. Anyone with an interest in AI and EO can register for the challenge and join a team. More information on the Challenge can be found here.

More information on AI4EO can be found here.

To know more: AI4EO, Air Quality and Health Challenge, ECMWF, CAMS