{"id":204477,"date":"2025-09-06T08:06:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T08:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/204477\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T08:06:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T08:06:12","slug":"google-ai-model-uses-virtual-satellite-to-map-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/204477\/","title":{"rendered":"Google AI Model Uses Virtual Satellite to Map Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Google DeepMind<\/a> introduced a new artificial intelligence model that captures the vivid details of the Earth\u2019s surface, which helps scientists and governments make better decisions about the land and sea.<\/p>\n

Called AlphaEarth Foundations, the geospatial AI model pulls together satellite images and other environmental data to create a single picture of the planet, according to a blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Satellites orbiting Earth collect large amounts of information every day. While this data is valuable, it\u2019s often stored in many different formats and comes from different times and sensors, making it hard to combine.<\/p>\n

AlphaEarth Foundations acts like a \u201cvirtual satellite\u201d that can merge all this information into one consistent view, the post said.<\/p>\n

\"AlphaEarthFor example, the model can see through persistent clouds in Ecuador to map agricultural plots in various stages of development, according to the post. It can also map the surface of Antarctica, normally a tough place to image.<\/p>\n

The AI model can spot changes in land use, such as new construction, deforestation or crop growth, in 10-meter squares, per the post. It also stores the information much more efficiently, using 16 times less space than comparable AI systems.<\/p>\n

To make it available to the public, Google is releasing yearly snapshots<\/a> from 2017 through 2024 in a new Satellite Embedding dataset<\/a> within Google Earth Engine<\/a>. This dataset contains more than 1.4 trillion data points each year and is ready to use without extra processing work, the post said.<\/p>\n

Over 50 organizations have already tested the system, including the United Nations\u2019 Food and Agriculture Organization<\/a>, Stanford University<\/a>, Oregon State University<\/a> and others, according to the post.<\/p>\n

For example, the Global Ecosystems Atlas<\/a>, an initiative that aims to comprehensively map and monitor the world\u2019s ecosystems, is using AlphaEarth Foundations to help countries classify unmapped ecosystems into categories such as coastal shrublands, per the post. In Brazil, environmental mapping group MapBiomas<\/a> is using the tool to track farmland and forest changes.<\/p>\n

However, even though the model is a \u201ccutting-edge technological breakthrough\u201d in Earth mapping, it is dependent on high-quality satellite data, according to a GoGeomatics Canada blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile it is known for effectively filling gaps in missing or incomplete data, interpreting poor-quality inputs in critical situations can lead to misdirection,\u201d the post said.<\/p>\n

Read also:<\/strong> T-Mobile and SpaceX to Test Satellite-to-Cell Service<\/a><\/p>\n

How AlphaEarth Foundations Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

AlphaEarth Foundations combines information from many different satellite and environmental sources into one clear, consistent picture of Earth. It works a bit like stitching together thousands of puzzle pieces into a single image, except the puzzle pieces come from different satellites, sensors and even time periods.<\/p>\n

The system takes in a variety of public data, including the following:<\/p>\n