#  ABCD-GIS / Geography Colloquium - AI-Powered Maps for a Changing World 

 



####  calendar\_today Date and Time 

 **November 7, 2024** 

 12:00PM - 01:00PM EST 

####  pin\_drop Location 

 **CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA. S001 Kin-Chung Lam Room**  



 

 



 

 Presentation by [Olivia Graham](https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviaserenagraham/), Product Manager at Google Research focused on the development and application of artificial intelligence for weather, climate, and geospatial solutions.

 **Abstract**

 The UN projects that an additional 2.5 billion people will be living in cities by 2050. This rapid growth, primarily concentrated in the Global South, presents challenges in urban planning and resource allocation. Access to high-quality geospatial data is crucial for effective decision-making and the provisioning of essential services, yet these regions often lack such data, particularly in vulnerable areas like refugee camps and informal settlements.  
   
To address this critical gap, Google researchers have developed models to generate comprehensive building-level maps across the Global South from overhead satellite imagery. The resulting Open Buildings dataset includes 1.8 billion building polygons, spanning Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and South and Southeast Asia. Furthermore, recent innovations leveraging low-resolution Sentinel-2 imagery enable the creation of annual data, from 2016 to 2023, facilitating the analysis of urban dynamics and the long-term impacts of climate crises.  
   
These open-source datasets, available [here](https://sites.research.google/gr/open-buildings/), empower researchers and development organizations to conduct in-depth analyses, plan targeted interventions, and inform policy decisions. AI can be a powerful tool for helping us make sense of vast amounts of geospatial data, unlocking insights about our rapidly changing world.

 **Bio**

 As part of the Google Research Africa team, Olivia leads work on the Open Buildings project, which seeks to reduce geospatial data gaps across the Global South, as well as efforts on AI for weather forecasting in data sparse regions. She is passionate about leveraging technology to make a positive impact in the world. Olivia is a computer scientist by training, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science from Harvard University, where she specialized in Mind, Brain, and Behavior.

 ![buildings dataset](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/gis/files/olivia-buildings.jpg)

 

 Lunch will be served to those in attendance.

 **[Link](https://harvard.zoom.us/j/98754277923?pwd=dyepOFPKFYsMNbbxs1WTiRjcEJJmVa.1) for participation via Zoom**



 

 



 

 See also:- [ Geography Colloquium ](/event-type/geography-colloquium)
 
 

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