The digital coast

Climate change hazards and vulnerabilities are concentrated in coastal areas. That's why the the U.S. federal government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is using AI to radically expand the volume and breadth of data it provides to coastal communities to support climate resilience efforts. By accelerating the processing of data and feature extraction, NOAA has improved the resolution of imagery from 30 meters to 1 meter, updated annually rather than every 5 years, as previously. This provides communities with accurate, up-to-date land cover and land use data at a granularity suitable for local mapping and modeling that reflects ongoing changes in the real world.

As use of more detailed, up-to-date data spreads, more communities will be better-equipped to identify vulnerable populations, property, and infrastructure. This improved understanding will provide them with clearer insights about the most effective measures for climate resilience and adaptation efforts.