Latest news with #JuanLavistaFerres
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
First-of-its-kind tool provides unprecedented transparency on pressing issue: 'Access to this data is crucial'
A first-of-its-kind living atlas is tracking and mapping every major renewable energy installation globally, showing impressive growth in clean energy adoption worldwide, Sustainability Magazine reported. The Global Renewables Watch combines Microsoft's AI capabilities, Planet Labs' satellite imagery, and The Nature Conservancy's expertise to create a database anyone can access. This project gives us a transparent view of renewable energy progress dating back to 2018, giving researchers and policymakers important data about solar and wind installations. The findings from GRW paint an encouraging picture of renewable energy growth. Solar land coverage has tripled over the past seven years, while the number of onshore wind turbines more than doubled to 375,000 by mid-2024. The United States and China lead in total wind installations, though European countries have higher numbers per capita. You can use this publicly available data to understand energy transitions in your region and globally. The tool helps track progress toward Paris Agreement goals and the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goal 7, which looks to ensure democratic access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy. "Access to this data is crucial for the public and private sectors to power growing economies and manage key resources. I'm grateful to our partners, The Nature Conservancy and Planet Labs PBC, for their expert guidance and invaluable contribution of data to build this digital public good," said Juan Lavista Ferres, Microsoft corporate vice president and chief data scientist. Jennifer Morris, CEO of The Nature Conservancy, added, "This will be a publicly accessible resource to help researchers and policymakers understand current capacities and gaps so that decision-makers can scale much-needed renewable energy resources in a responsible, nature-friendly way." By making this data accessible, GRW bridges the gap between technology and environmental stewardship, creating a clearer path toward a sustainable energy future that benefits people and the planet. Do you think more places of worship should embrace clean energy? Yes — it sets a positive example Only if it saves money No opinion Absolutely not Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Boston Globe
31-03-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Primark CEO resigns after ‘error of judgment'
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up FUNDING Advertisement Isomorphic Labs, Google's AI drug business, raises $600 million Over the past 12 months, Google's efforts to use artificial intelligence to accelerate drug design have achieved breakthroughs in mimicking human biology and won its top scientists the Nobel Prize in chemistry. Now Isomorphic Labs, the division within the software giant meant to develop and commercialize the technology, is taking another big step: raising money from an outside investor. Isomorphic announced Monday that it had raised $600 million, led by Thrive Capital, the venture capital firm that has bet big on AI companies, including OpenAI. GV, Google's venture capital arm, and Alphabet, Google's parent company, also invested. The announcement underscores Google's ambitions for Isomorphic, which was spun out of the company's DeepMind lab to focus on drug discovery. It is built on software that DeepMind, a central intelligence lab in London, has developed. That includes AlphaFold, which can predict the structure of millions of proteins and more. — NEW YORK TIMES Advertisement ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AI and satellites help aid workers respond to Myanmar earthquake damage People stand next to a damaged building in Mandalay on March 30. SAI AUNG MAIN/AFP via Getty Images Just after sunrise on Saturday, a satellite set its long-range camera on the city of Mandalay in Myanmar, not far from the epicenter of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake that devastated the Southeast Asian country's second-largest city. The mission was to capture images that, combined with artificial intelligence technology, could help relief organizations quickly assess how many buildings had collapsed or were heavily damaged and where helpers most needed to go. At first, the high-tech computer vision approach wasn't working. 'The biggest challenge in this particular case was the clouds,' said Microsoft's chief data scientist, Juan Lavista Ferres. 'There's no way to see through clouds with this technology.' The clouds eventually moved and it took a few more hours for another satellite from San Francisco-based Planet Labs to capture the aerial pictures and send them to Microsoft's philanthropic AI for Good Lab. Once the AI analysis was complete, it showed 515 buildings in Mandalay with 80 percent to 100 percent damage and another 1,524 with between 20 percent and 80 percent damage. That showed the widespread gravity of the disaster, but, just as important, it helps pinpoint specific locations of damage. 'This is critical information for teams on the ground,' Lavista Ferres said. Microsoft cautioned that it 'should serve as a preliminary guide and will require on-the-ground verification for a complete understanding.' But in the meantime, the tech company has shared the analysis with aid groups such as the Red Cross. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement CONSUMERS Americans are spending less as they brace for new tariffs Americans are tapping the brakes on spending — pulling back on dining out, hotel stays, and other expenses, as they boost their savings ahead of new tariffs and continued economic uncertainty. Consumers are increasingly anxious about the economy, and they're curbing spending habits accordingly, data released Friday shows. Consumer spending inched up by 0.1 percent in February, after adjusting for inflation, following a 0.6 percent drop the month before, according to government figures. Meanwhile, the personal savings rate — or how much of their incomes people set aside — rose to 4.6 percent. A separate survey released by the University of Michigan, meanwhile, showed that Americans' views on the economy fell for a third straight month, to the lowest level since 2022, as households and businesses prepare for a wave of higher prices once new tariffs go into effect this week. 'Consumers are increasingly apprehensive about spending,' said Lydia Boussour, a senior economist at EY-Parthenon. 'We are seeing clear signs that people are being more careful — they're reluctant to spend on nonessential expenses. They're worried about inflation and have preemptive anxiety around tariffs.' Strikingly, economists say Americans of all income levels, including the wealthiest, are rethinking their spending — in what could be a pivotal warning. The drop-off in consumer spending is expected to drag down economic growth in the first three months of the year, with many economists now forecasting a contraction after years of consistent growth. — WASHINGTON POST Advertisement TRAVEL Air Canada says US bookings down 10 percent as trade war rages on Workers removed luggage from an Air Canada plane on the tarmac at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) in Montreal. Christinne Muschi/Bloomberg Air Canada says demand for flights between Canadian and US cities is weak for the spring and summer months, as Canadians respond to the trade war by avoiding trips south. Bookings for transborder flights were down 10 percent for the April-to-September period compared with the same period last year, as of mid-March, according to a presentation at the company's annual meeting. Air Canada is the largest Canadian airline and flies to more US destinations than any other. 'Am I concerned?' chairman Vagn Sørensen said in a response to a question from a shareholder during Monday's meeting. 'Yes, definitely, I'm concerned.' Shares of Air Canada are down 35 percent since the beginning of the year. Air Canada and WestJet said in separate statements last week that geopolitical tensions are causing some consumers to choose not to take vacations in the United States. The shift is part of a larger boycott of American products in response to President Trump's tariffs and his repeated statements that he believes Canada should be part of the United States. — BLOOMBERG NEWS AEROSPACE NASA's newly returned astronauts say they would fly on Boeing's Starliner capsule again Astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams, and Barry "Butch" Wilmore at a news conference at the NASA Johnson Space Center on March 31. Brandon Bell/Getty NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said Monday that they hold themselves partly responsible for what went wrong on their space sprint-turned-marathon and would fly on Boeing's Starliner again. SpaceX recently ferried the duo home after more than nine months at the International Space Station, filling in for Boeing that returned to Earth without them last year. In their first news conference since coming home, the pair said they were taken aback by all the interest and insisted they were only doing their job and putting the mission ahead of themselves and even their families. Wilmore didn't shy from accepting some of the blame for Boeing's bungled test flight. 'I'll start and point the finger and I'll blame me. I could have asked some questions and the answers to those questions could have turned the tide,' he told reporters. 'All the way up and down the chain. We all are responsible. We all own this.' Both astronauts said they would strap into Starliner again. 'Because we're going to rectify all the issues that we encountered. We're going to fix them. We're going to make it work,' Wilmore said, adding he'd go back up 'in a heartbeat.' — ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
AI and satellites help aid workers respond to Myanmar earthquake damage
Just after sunrise on Saturday, a satellite set its long-range camera on the city of Mandalay in Myanmar, not far from the epicenter of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake that devastated the Southeast Asian county's second-largest city. The mission was to capture images that, combined with artificial intelligence technology, could help relief organizations quickly assess how many buildings had collapsed or were heavily damaged and where helpers most needed to go. At first, the high-tech computer vision approach wasn't working. 'The biggest challenge in this particular case was the clouds,' said Microsoft's chief data scientist, Juan Lavista Ferres. 'There's no way to see through clouds with this technology.' The clouds eventually moved and it took a few more hours for another satellite from San Francisco-based Planet Labs to capture the aerial pictures and send them to Microsoft's philanthropic AI for Good Lab. By then it was already about 11 p.m. Friday at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. A group of Microsoft workers was ready and waiting for the data. The AI for Good lab has done this kind of AI-assisted damage assessment before, tracking the flooding that devastated Libya in 2023 or this year's wildfires in Los Angeles. But rather than rely on a standard AI computer vision model that could run any visual data, they had to build a customized version specific to Mandalay. 'The Earth is too different, the natural disasters are too different and the imagery we get from satellites is just too different to work in every situation,' Lavista Ferres said. For instance, he said, while fires spread in fairly predictable ways, 'an earthquake touches the whole city' and it can be harder to know in the immediate aftermath where help is needed. Once the AI analysis was complete, it showed 515 buildings in Mandalay with 80% to 100% damage and another 1,524 with between 20% and 80% damage. That showed the widespread gravity of the disaster, but, just as important, it helps pinpoint specific locations of damage. 'This is critical information for teams on the ground,' Lavista Ferres said. Microsoft cautioned that it "should serve as a preliminary guide and will require on-the-ground verification for a complete understanding." But in the meantime, the tech company has shared the analysis with aid groups such as the Red Cross.
The Hill
31-03-2025
- Science
- The Hill
AI and satellites help aid workers respond to Myanmar earthquake damage
Just after sunrise on Saturday, a satellite set its long-range camera on the city of Mandalay in Myanmar, not far from the epicenter of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake that devastated the Southeast Asian county's second-largest city. The mission was to capture images that, combined with artificial intelligence technology, could help relief organizations quickly assess how many buildings had collapsed or were heavily damaged and where helpers most needed to go. At first, the high-tech computer vision approach wasn't working. 'The biggest challenge in this particular case was the clouds,' said Microsoft's chief data scientist, Juan Lavista Ferres. 'There's no way to see through clouds with this technology.' The clouds eventually moved and it took a few more hours for another satellite from San Francisco-based Planet Labs to capture the aerial pictures and send them to Microsoft's philanthropic AI for Good Lab. By then it was already about 11 p.m. Friday at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. A group of Microsoft workers was ready and waiting for the data. The AI for Good lab has done this kind of AI-assisted damage assessment before, tracking the flooding that devastated Libya in 2023 or this year's wildfires in Los Angeles. But rather than rely on a standard AI computer vision model that could run any visual data, they had to build a customized version specific to Mandalay. 'The Earth is too different, the natural disasters are too different and the imagery we get from satellites is just too different to work in every situation,' Lavista Ferres said. For instance, he said, while fires spread in fairly predictable ways, 'an earthquake touches the whole city' and it can be harder to know in the immediate aftermath where help is needed. Once the AI analysis was complete, it showed 515 buildings in Mandalay with 80% to 100% damage and another 1,524 with between 20% and 80% damage. That showed the widespread gravity of the disaster, but, just as important, it helps pinpoint specific locations of damage. 'This is critical information for teams on the ground,' Lavista Ferres said. Microsoft cautioned that it 'should serve as a preliminary guide and will require on-the-ground verification for a complete understanding.' But in the meantime, the tech company has shared the analysis with aid groups such as the Red Cross.
The Independent
31-03-2025
- Science
- The Independent
AI and satellites help aid workers respond to Myanmar earthquake damage
Just after sunrise on Saturday, a satellite set its long-range camera on the city of Mandalay in Myanmar, not far from the epicenter of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake that devastated the Southeast Asian county's second-largest city. The mission was to capture images that, combined with artificial intelligence technology, could help relief organizations quickly assess how many buildings had collapsed or were heavily damaged and where helpers most needed to go. At first, the high-tech computer vision approach wasn't working. 'The biggest challenge in this particular case was the clouds,' said Microsoft's chief data scientist, Juan Lavista Ferres. 'There's no way to see through clouds with this technology.' The clouds eventually moved and it took a few more hours for another satellite from San Francisco-based Planet Labs to capture the aerial pictures and send them to Microsoft 's philanthropic AI for Good Lab. By then it was already about 11 p.m. Friday at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. A group of Microsoft workers was ready and waiting for the data. The AI for Good lab has done this kind of AI-assisted damage assessment before, tracking the flooding that devastated Libya in 2023 or this year's wildfires in Los Angeles. But rather than rely on a standard AI computer vision model that could run any visual data, they had to build a customized version specific to Mandalay. 'The Earth is too different, the natural disasters are too different and the imagery we get from satellites is just too different to work in every situation,' Lavista Ferres said. For instance, he said, while fires spread in fairly predictable ways, 'an earthquake touches the whole city' and it can be harder to know in the immediate aftermath where help is needed. Once the AI analysis was complete, it showed 515 buildings in Mandalay with 80% to 100% damage and another 1,524 with between 20% and 80% damage. That showed the widespread gravity of the disaster, but, just as important, it helps pinpoint specific locations of damage. 'This is critical information for teams on the ground,' Lavista Ferres said. Microsoft cautioned that it "should serve as a preliminary guide and will require on-the-ground verification for a complete understanding." But in the meantime, the tech company has shared the analysis with aid groups such as the Red Cross.
