UH joins $25M national AI project to better monitor volcanoes, wildfires, more

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***SUGGESTED VOSOT SCRIPT***

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa will play a leading role in a new $25.6 million National Science Foundation (NSF) project designed to take artificial intelligence (AI) out of the lab and into the natural world.

The initiative, called Sage Grande, will place 300 advanced sensor systems in locations across the country to monitor the environment and provide faster warnings for natural disasters such as wildfires, floods, and volcanic eruptions.

The new funding allows UH researchers and students to join a nationwide team working to build the next generation of AI-powered "smart" sensors. These devices can analyze information directly where it is collected, without waiting for data to be sent to distant servers. That means communities, scientists, and policymakers can get quicker updates on changing conditions, whether it is smoke from a fire, shifting weather patterns, or unusual volcanic activity.

"By joining Sage Grande, UH is not only advancing disaster preparedness and environmental science, but also giving our students hands-on experience with cutting-edge AI," said Professor Jason Leigh, director of the Laboratory for Advanced Visualization and Applications in UH Mānoa's Department of Information and Computer Sciences. "We're ensuring Hawaiʻi is at the forefront of innovation where it matters most."

Leigh said they plan to deploy two to three sensors across the Hawaiian islands next year at sites that are still to be determined. The UH Mānoa team comprises Leigh, and Chris Shuler, Han Tseng, Anke Kügler and Tom Giambelluca of the UH Mānoa Water Resources Research Center.

Building on previous experience

UH already has experience with this technology. In Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, a current-generation Sage sensor has been used by UH students to test generative AI tools that analyze real-time data from Kīlauea. Their early work demonstrated how AI can help answer basic but important questions, such as whether an eruption is underway.

And on Maui, UH has installed a similar sensor in Lahaina that connects to the internet via satellite. The system is being programmed to track air quality and fire risks in an area devastated by the 2023 wildfires. Supported by a separate NSF grant, the Lahaina project is also collecting climate and pollution data to aid recovery efforts and guide future planning. Local students are helping with the instruments, gaining hands-on training in both environmental science and advanced AI.

Link to video and sound (details below): https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/AE5BdeYBh8

VIDEO:

BROLL: (0:57)

0:00 - 0:33 - UH Mānoa researchers installed a similar sensor in Lahaina that connects to the internet via satellite. The system is tracking air quality and fire risks in an area devastated by the 2023 wildfires.

0:33-0:57 - UH Mānoa students working on the Sage Grande project in UH Mānoa's LAVA Lab

SOUNDBITES:

Jason Leigh, director of the Laboratory for Advanced Visualization and Applications in UH Mānoa's Department of Information and Computer Sciences

(0:12)

"Previously we have to transmit that data to a far away point, analyze it and figure out, oh, is there a fire? Now the AI on the sensor itself can say there's a fire and tell people immediately."

(0:10)

"Imagine if Hawaiʻi were like you have smoke sensors everywhere just like we have smoke sensors in your homes, right? You can sleep better at night knowing that somebody is paying attention to the environment."

(0:11)

"Oftentimes scientists-we're so into our little scientific little areas that we sometimes forget that, you know, we really have to do more to help the community and we have that power. We have the capability."

VOSOT SCRIPT

INTRO:

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is joining a major $25 million national project using artificial intelligence to better monitor natural disasters.

VO:

Called Sage Grande (Grahn-day), the effort will install 300 smart sensors across the country - tracking volcanoes, wildfires, floods and more.

Two to three sensors are planned for Hawaiʻi next year.

UH Mānoa researchers and students will help build and test these AI-powered devices, which can analyze data instantly - sending faster warnings to communities.

SOT:

Jason Leigh, director of the Laboratory for Advanced Visualization and Applications in UH Mānoa's Department of Information and Computer Sciences

"Previously we have to transmit that data to a far away point, analyze it and figure out, oh, is there a fire? Now the AI on the sensor itself can say there's a fire and tell people immediately."

VO:

UH Mānoa is already testing similar technology at Kīlauea and in Lahaina - helping track eruptions, air quality and fire risks while training local students in cutting-edge AI.