Jorge Bravo ’26 Wins 2024 AGU Michael H. Freilich Student Visualization Competition

Satellite data visualization research supports United Nations' Early Warnings for All initiative, has the potential to help save lives

The devastating wildfires afflicting Los Angeles in January 2025 spotlight intensifying extreme weather events worldwide. These disasters, often a result of climate change, inflict widespread damage on communities, infrastructure and ecosystems, highlighting the urgent need for effective early-warning systems.

"Early-warning systems are a tried-and-true, practical and economical method of preserving infrastructure, land and jobs while promoting long-term sustainability," said Jorge Bravo, a Ph.D. student in Stevens' Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering, and the grand prize winner of the 2024 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Michael H. Freilich Student Visualization Competition for his project on satellite data visualization. Bravo's project was titled "Near Real-time Weather Hazards Monitoring Using Open-access GOES-R data."

Sponsored by NASA, the award recognizes Bravo's efforts to enhance early-warning systems, offering scalable and accessible tools for near-real-time weather monitoring. His work also reflects the legacy of Michael H. Freilich, a pioneer in satellite technology who championed real-time applications of satellite data for Earth system understanding.

"I'm thrilled to be recognized," Bravo said, crediting his advisor, associate professor Marouane Temimi, as well as the support of his colleagues at the Integrated Spatial Modeling and Remote Sensing Technologies Laboratory (I-SMART), an interdisciplinary research unit within Stevens' Davidson Laboratory.

Bravo presented his project using NASA's Hyperwall at the 2024 AGU Annual Meeting in December 2024 in Washington, D.C. This event brings together more than 25,000 attendees from more than 100 countries annually. NASA's Hyperwall is a video wall capable of displaying multiple high-definition data visualizations and images simultaneously across an arrangement of screens.

From Veracruz to NASA's Hyperwall

During his presentation, Bravo demonstrated how his project can help communities prepare for and respond to natural disasters. To an audience of leaders from academia, government and the private sector, he showcased various real-time visualizations, including:

• Snow Cover: Highlighting changes in snow extent using GOES-R data.

• Sandstorms: Tracking activity along the U.S.-Mexico border with spectral band combinations.

• Volcanic Activity: Visualizing the displacement of ash clouds following a volcanic eruption in Peru.

• Wildfires: Monitoring wildfire hotspots and smoke spread in California using thermal imaging.

• Hurricane Ida: Analyzing the storm's impact on New York in 2021 to demonstrate the system's ability to track severe weather events.

With climate change driving more frequent and severe weather events, Bravo's project can help equip communities with tools to better prepare for and respond to disasters.

The award represents Bravo's focus on improving early-warning systems, an area of interest that began in Veracruz, Mexico, where he earned a degree in atmospheric sciences from the University of Veracruz and a master's in hydrometeorology from the University of Guadalajara. He later spent nine years at the Secretariat of Civil Protection in Veracruz, focusing on weather monitoring to prevent disasters.

"Since I worked on weather monitoring, I knew how useful monitoring was from a prevention perspective," he said. This experience in Veracruz helped shape Bravo's vision for developing tools that leverage satellite data to track and respond to weather hazards more effectively.

Jorge Bravo presents on NASA's Hyperwall in December 2024 in Washington, D.C.

Life-saving climate data for all

According to the United Nations, one in three people globally lacks access to adequate multi-hazard early-warning systems, particularly in the least-developed countries and small island states. Through its Early Warnings for All initiative, the United Nations aims to ensure that every community is protected by such systems by 2027.

Bravo's project supports the initiative's second pillar-detection, observation, monitoring, analysis and forecasting-using open-source technologies. It leverages data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), and it is built on the Google Earth Engine platform, which processes large datasets in the cloud, enabling near-instantaneous visualizations of key weather events across the Americas.

"It hosts data directly from the satellites in near real time, so we can get data in near real time, too," Bravo said, explaining that this capability allows decision-makers and responders to act quickly using the latest information.

The accessibility of this data ensures that communities, researchers and policymakers can monitor and respond to extreme weather conditions without delay, improving disaster preparedness and reducing potential impacts.

"Early-warning systems save lives and reduce losses," Bravo said, highlighting the project's adaptability and global potential. "The system could be replicated in several places to monitor adverse phenomena."

For Bravo, winning the competition was only the beginning. "I aim to continue advancing satellite data visualization and monitoring research," he said.

Among the perks of Bravo's grand prize were a grant to attend the AGU Annual Meeting in person and present on the NASA Hyperwall, as well as support to participate in an additional professional development or community outreach opportunity in the current or following year, and three years of professional development opportunities.