Microsoft’s new AI model to help predict heatwave risks in India. Details here

According to a release by Microsoft, “Phase II begins with model development for heatwave risks in urban core heatwave zones.”

The new AI model is aimed at helping 1,25,000 at-risk people with pre-emptive disaster warnings in 2021.

The new AI prediction model solution has been developed under Microsoft’s global programme ‘Artificial Intelligence for Humanitarian Action’ to build disaster resilient communities in India.

In order to make accurate predictions, the model uses high resolution satellite imagery, artificial intelligence coding and dwelling assessments to foresee the impact of the disaster.

The company said intensifying climate change is increasing heatwave vulnerabilities in Core Heatwave Zones (CHZ) across India and globally, with an expected rise in the coming decades.

The release claimed that SEEDS scaled the model to generate heat waves advisories in 2021, supporting 50,000 at-risk families residing in Delhi and Nagpur by sharing pre-emptive heatwave warnings recommending cost-effective interventions.

The AI model can also be adapted to predict other natural disasters such as earthquakes, storms, forest fires, and biological disasters in the future.

Commenting on the initiative, Microsoft India Director Corporate Affairs-CSR Manju Dhasmana said, “Our partnership with SEEDS is one such effort to bring the power of technologies like cloud and AI to alleviate the damage by marshalling relief resources more efficiently and effectively.”

It can accelerate the delivery of aid and sharpen the decisions of relief workers on the front lines, he said.

With inputs from PTI