NEWS: AINATURE Kick-off Meeting

AINATURE Project puts AI systems in the service of effective management of natural disasters

Τhe AINATURE project approved and implemented in the framework of the Interreg IPA ADRION program, officially started with the kick-off meeting taking place on 21-22/10.

The project involves 8 organizations from the Adriatic region, more specifically from Greece, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

M4D Group by ΙΤΙ/CERTH is responsible for the scientific and technical management of the project and has a key role in the project as the leader of the work packages related to the development and adaptation of the platform and the corresponding tools.

The AINATURE project concerns the use of AI tools (and other modern technologies) for the timely response and monitoring of three types of challenges in the Adriatic region:

  • Surface pollution of open water resources and related alerts: through AI tools developed by the aqua3S and Pathocert projects (H2020).
  • Flood monitoring: through AI tools developed in the aqua3S project (H2020).
  • Forest fire detection: through the adaptation of tools developed in the TREEADS and SILVANUS projects (H2020).

The AI ​​tools will be based on images that are freely available, as foreseen in the projects in which they were created, but also through data that will be collected by the envisaged mobile application.

Therefore, AINATURE exploits free satellite images, but also existing data sources, which ensure the availability of the required data in the long term. These tools will be developed based on the machine learning or deep learning approach, during which they will be “trained” with normal values ​​and based on the changes that may occur from real data of previous years, in order to define the indicators of recognition of a problem and the corresponding warning.

The main action of the project is the implementation of pilot applications with the aim of using a common AI system that will allow for early warning and effective management of natural disasters/crises.

The technologies that will be applied in the project will be based on:

  • AI tools,
  • BIG data analysis and extraction
  • Mobile application

AINATURE activates the quadruple helix by attracting and involving academic/research institutions, local authorities, NGOs and private companies in the project to address these challenges in the areas that will implement the pilot actions. The partners face common challenges in terms of water pollution, forest fires and floods, since a crisis in one country directly affects neighboring countries. Furthermore, the existence of a common system means that the criteria for addressing a crisis will be common in the areas participating in the project, covering 80% of the eligible area of ​​the program. The envisaged Action Plan contributes to defining common procedures for addressing similar crises.