Chesapeake Conservancy is using AI to help the Bay

The Chesapeake Conservancy is bringing machine learning to the Bay.
The nonprofit was highlighted by Microsoft for its use of the tech giant’s cloud and AI tools as it works on a big mapping effort for the Chesapeake Bay. It’s building on the Conservancy’s efforts to create a dataset that enables “precision conservation.” The new data about the Bay has 900 times the info of existing tools.
They’re also using Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit 2.0, which is open source and was released in June.
A Microsoft blog describes one way the Conservancy is using the tools:

For example, Annapolis, Maryland-based Chesapeake Conservancy is working with Microsoft researchers to use the toolkit to define and train a neural network that accelerates the creation of up-to-date one-meter resolution land cover datasets. This information can be used to prioritize restoration and protection initiatives throughout the Chesapeake Bay, which spans approximately 64,000 square miles in six states and Washington, D.C.

Microsoft also released a video describing the cloud and AI efforts. Enjoy the Bay views.