Events
DIGeMERGE 2025 Conference
Event date: *2025-08-14 *
DiGeMERGE 2025 is an international conference organized by researchers from the Digital Emergency Communication (DIGeMERGE) project. Funded under the CHANSE programme by the EU Commission (Horizon 2020) and Nordic research councils, DIGeMERGE explores the role of digital tools and platforms in public emergency communication across the Nordic countries. The conference provides a platform for researchers and students to present their work on the digital transformation of public emergency communication. Whether focusing on emergency management theories, risk analysis methods, or empirical case studies, participants will have the opportunity to share insights and engage with scholars from diverse disciplines, including the natural and social sciences.
Efficient and precise annotation of local structures in data
Event date: 2025-05-22 15:00
Webinar with John Martinsson, RISE and Lund University. Machine learning models now help scientists analyze vast datasets across every branch of science. These models typically improve with more data and larger architectures, mainly through supervised learning. Both training and evaluation therefore rely on labeled datasets. A main challenge is scaling the data labeling effort to the volumes required, because it is costly and label quality can vary. Methods that deliver inexpensive yet accurate labels are therefore essential. This talk examines how to lower annotation cost and increase label quality when labeling local structures in data—for example, a local structure can be a sound event in an audio recording. By detecting the boundaries of such structures automatically, we let annotators focus on supplying concise textual descriptions for the content within those boundaries. In this setting we analyze a widely used labeling method for audio where fixed and equal length audio segments are labeled with presence or absence of an event class. We benchmark it against an oracle method that defines an upper bound, and propose adaptive labeling techniques that achieve higher‑quality labels for the studied datasets at a lower cost.
The digital revolution of Earth system modelling
Event date: 2025-05-15 15:00
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Webinar with Peter Dueben, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. This talk will outline three revolutions that happened in Earth system modelling in the past decades. The quiet revolution has leveraged better observations and more compute power to allow for constant improvements of prediction quality of the last decades, the digital revolution has enabled us to perform km-scale simulations on modern supercomputers that further increase the quality of our models, and the machine learning revolution has now shown that machine-learned weather models are competitive with physics based weather models for many forecast scores while being easier, smaller and cheaper. This talk will summarize the past developments, explain current challenges and opportunities, and outline how the future of Earth system modelling will look like. In particular, regarding machine-learned foundation models in a physical domain such as Earth system modelling.
2025 Nordic Workshop on AI for Climate Change
Event date: 2025-05-13 9:00
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The 2025 Nordic Workshop on AI for Climate Change will gather researchers from the Nordics. This one-day, in-person workshop, will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, May 13th 2025. The workshop will feature a mix of keynotes, oral presentations, and posters around the topics of AI for climate change, including AI for biodiversity and the green transition. The workshop will be a meeting point for a wide range of researchers from (primarily) around the Nordic countries.
SatML for large-scale above-ground biomass estimation
Event date: 2025-05-08 15:00
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Webinar with Ghjulia Sialelli, ETH Zurich. The combination of remote sensing and machine learning has made it possible to map forest properties at an unprecedented scale and resolution. In this presentation, I will focus on the application of deep learning techniques to estimate above-ground biomass (AGB), a key metric for tracking forest carbon and ecosystem dynamics. I will begin by introducing our recently published, machine-learning-ready dataset. It features high-resolution (10m) multi-modal satellite imagery, paired with AGB reference values from NASA’s Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission. Key aspects include the carefully selected geographic coverage, thoughtful integration of diverse satellite data sources, and the establishment of performance baselines using standard deep learning models. Next, I will describe our ongoing efforts to build on said baselines. This was done both through feature and model engineering. I will also mention some promising yet unsuccessful approaches, highlighting some key challenges of the task at hand. Finally, I will discuss future directions, including incorporating uncertainty estimation and exploring the potential for generating a global above-ground biomass map.
AI - a green gamechanger or a dirty conciousness?
Event date: 2025-05-02 9:30
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How can we utilize the enormous potential of artificial intelligence (AI) while also taking into account its impact on the climate? Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform large parts of our society and play a crucial role in the green transition. But at the same time, we must be aware of the energy consumption and the resource load that the use of AI also entails.
Optimising green infrastructure for climate-resilient cities: AI-driven approaches to urban cooling
Event date: 2025-04-03 15:00
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Webinar with Abdul Shaamala, Queensland University of Technology. Green infrastructure (GI) is critical in enhancing urban resilience, mitigating heat stress, and improving environmental sustainability. However, optimising the placement and configuration of green elements such as trees, parks, and vegetative corridors, requires a data-driven approach that accounts for microclimate variations, urban morphology, and long-term ecosystem benefits. This talk explores how artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and geospatial analysis can be leveraged to optimise GI for urban cooling and climate adaptation. Specifically, it delves into tree optimisation strategies that enhance shade provision, reduce urban heat islands (UHI), and improve outdoor thermal comfort. By utilising computational models, including optimisation algorithms and thermal analysis, cities can strategically position vegetation to maximise cooling benefits while balancing urban development needs.
Machine learning for Earth system prediction and predictability
Event date: 2025-03-27 15:00
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Webinar with María J. Molina, University of Maryland. Machine learning can be used for Earth system prediction, or to study the uppermost limit of prediction skill theoretically achievable given the system's initial state or other factors, otherwise known as predictability. In traditional numerical weather prediction frameworks, we solve the governing partial differential equations starting from an initial state. This initialized prediction framework usually involves three stages: 1) generating the initial conditions of the Earth system, 2) running the mathematical representation of the system on a computer forward in time, and 3) analyzing the output and converting it into a format that is useful for end users. Machine learning can be used to improve each of these individual stages, or to circumvent the three stage framework altogether, and examples of each will be given in this seminar. More time during the seminar will be dedicated to the challenges surrounding subseasonal prediction, which focuses on lead times of three to four weeks, and how we can use machine learning to both uncover potential biases in our initialized prediction systems and how we can bias-correct them.
Reliable conclusions from remote sensing maps
Event date: 2025-03-13 15:00
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Webinar with Sherrie Wang, MIT. Remote sensing maps are used to estimate regression coefficients relating environmental variables, such as the effect of conservation zones on deforestation. However, the quality of map products varies, and – because maps are outputs of complex machine learning algorithms that take in a variety of remotely sensed variables as inputs – errors are difficult to characterize. Thus, population-level estimates from such maps may be biased. We show how a small amount of randomly sampled ground truth data can correct for bias in large-scale remote sensing map products. Applying our method across multiple remote sensing use cases in regression coefficient estimation, we find that it results in estimates that are (1) more reliable than using the map product as if it were 100% accurate and (2) have lower uncertainty than using only the ground truth and ignoring the map product. Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.13659
Edge AI and IoT-Driven Water Quality Monitoring
Event date: 2025-03-06 15:00
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Webinar with Atakan Aral, University of Vienna. The integration of Edge Computing and Artificial Intelligence (i.e., Edge AI) unlocks new possibilities for remote monitoring of water quality across diverse environments. This talk will explore the dual aspects of "remote" monitoring: (1) collecting water quality data in geographically remote regions with limited energy and connectivity and (2) using connected water quality sensors to gain real-time insights remotely. By deploying low-power or energy-harvesting sensors and learning from data in close proximity to sensors, we can improve efficiency, reduce latency, and maintain learning performance in challenging environments without reliable communication and energy infrastructures. The presentation will showcase two real-world case studies in river pollution source identification and monitoring of water distribution systems.
Tech-informed nature conservation - are we there yet?
Event date: 2025-02-20 15:00
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Webinar with Abdulhakim Abdi, Lund University. In the face of a global biodiversity crisis, the ability to efficiently monitor ecological change across space and time has never been more accessible. Advances in satellite remote sensing and AI have opened new frontiers for biodiversity monitoring by offering powerful tools to analyze vast datasets, automate species detection, and improve disturbance tracking. While these technologies hold great promise, their widespread adoption faces key challenges, including data accessibility, environmental costs, model interpretability, and the need for stronger interdisciplinary collaboration. This presentation explores the opportunities and limitations of tech-driven nature conservation, assessing whether current developments are sufficient to bridge critical knowledge gaps. The integration of remote sensing with AI brings us closer to a more data-informed approach to managing the living world - but are we truly ready to harness its full potential?
Leveraging AI for Large-Scale Acoustic Biodiversity Monitoring: Insights from TABMON
Event date: 2025-02-06 15:00
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Webinar with Benjamin Cretois, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. Advancing biodiversity monitoring is crucial for meeting the EU Biodiversity Strategy targets and addressing gaps in current ecological assessments. However, collecting data to monitor the state of biodiversity is time and resource consuming. Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM), in combination with AI tools offers an efficient alternative to conventional data collection practices. PAM is a non-invasive method that uses sound recorders to capture wildlife vocalizations and environmental sounds over time. It is particularly valuable for monitoring elusive or nocturnal species, such as birds, amphibians, and marine mammals, that are challenging to detect visually. The "Towards a Transnational Acoustic Biodiversity Monitoring Network" (TABMON) project is an initiative to establish a transnational passive acoustic monitoring monitoring network using autonomous acoustic sensors across four different European countries: Norway, Netherlands, France and Spain. TABMON’s objective is to demonstrate how acoustic sensing, coupled with cutting-edge AI, can complement traditional monitoring methods and support the development of methods to better monitor biodiversity. In this talk, we will also share our experiences with the deployment of acoustic recorders, data management strategies, and annotation protocols. These include managing large-scale, networked deployments across diverse landscapes, designing an efficient annotation workflow, and leveraging AI tools to process and analyze massive datasets.
Leveraging AI for Climate Resilience in Africa: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Need for Collaboration
Event date: 2025-01-30 15:00
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Webinar with Amal Nammouchi, Karlstad University and AfriClimate AI. As climate change issues become more pressing, their impact in Africa calls for urgent, innovative solutions tailored to the continent’s unique challenges. While Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerges as a critical and valuable tool for climate change adaptation and mitigation, its effectiveness and potential are contingent upon overcoming significant challenges such as data scarcity, infrastructure gaps, and limited local AI development. This talk explores the role of AI in climate change adaptation and mitigation in Africa. It advocates for a collaborative approach to build capacity, develop open-source data repositories, and create context-aware, robust AI-driven climate solutions that are culturally and contextually relevant.
Estimation of water quality parameters using remote sensing data and machine learning models
Event date: 2024-11-28 15:00
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Webinar with Alireza Taheri Dehkordi, Lund University. The global decline in water quality, exacerbated by climate change and population growth, underscores the need for continuous and accurate monitoring of water quality parameters (WQPs). Remote sensing (RS) data, especially from multispectral satellites like Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8, offers large-scale, periodic observations for tracking WQPs. However, deriving accurate estimates solely from RS data is complex due to the intricate relationships between spectral bands and water quality indicators. This talk presents two novel machine learning approaches that leverage advanced RS data processing to enhance water quality monitoring.
Artificial Intelligence for Climate Change Mitigation
Event date: 2024-11-21 15:00
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Webinar with Alp Kucukelbir, Columbia University. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to make very significant contributions to climate change mitigation. The complexity and scale of the challenge is broad. In this talk, I break down opportunities for AI to effect incremental and transformational change across multiple sectors, focusing on industries with large carbon footprints. I highlight barriers and risks to the adoption of AI, including the carbon footprint of AI usage worldwide. I focus on the multiple definitions (and ultimate importance) of "trust in AI" and its impact on the integration of AI into complex workflows. This talk is for AI practitioners looking to understand how AI fits into the bigger picture of climate change. I highlight opportunities and challenges in each sector that I hope will motivate collaboration across academia and industry.
Frontiers in machine learning for weather forecasting
Event date: 2024-11-07 15:00
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Webinar with Joel Oskarsson, Linköping University. Recent years have seen rapid progress in using machine learning models for weather forecasting. These models show impressive performance, matching or even outperforming existing physics-based models, while running in a fraction of the time. This is fundamentally and rapidly changing the landscape of weather forecasting today. In this talk I will discuss the factors that enabled this paradigm shift, the core machine learning methods used and the research questions at the bleeding edge of machine learning for weather. In particular I will focus on how current methods can be extended to regional and probabilistic forecasting. For regional forecasting I will showcase graph-based methods for building limited area weather forecasting models. I will also discuss how generative machine learning methods can enable probabilistic forecasting, giving much-needed estimates of uncertainty and allowing for predicting extreme weather events.