EdTech challenge: disaster resiliency

Please note: entries to the IBM EdTech Challenge have now closed. The winning teams will be announced on Friday 12 November 2021.

Extreme climate related natural disasters including wildfires, floods, storms, and droughts have been on the rise worldwide. Based on careful and long-term research in Australia and around the world, human-induced climate change is extending and intensifying the Australian bushfire season.^[1] According to Nikalas Hagelbuerg, a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) climate change expert,

By early January 2020, bushfires burned over 10 million hectares (100,000 square kilometres) of land with an intensity and duration never experienced in this country. The damage has not only been devastating to people, homes and sacred sites but all wildlife and habitats.

It is now more urgent than ever to understand what is causing these unprecedented firestorms, how can we best respond to these disasters and how technologies such as AI can be used to create environmentally supportive solutions.

Watch and read the information and definitions below to learn more about climate change and its impact on extreme natural disasters and biodiversity, that may inform your team's IBM Edtech Youth Challenge project. The citizen science FrogID project case study and resources are to inspire and encourage you to think about possible disaster resiliency concerns in Australia and your community. You will also find examples of terrific climate change datasets and potential applications for AI in citizen science which provides a great starting point for brainstorming further innovative concepts and issues to address in your project. There is also information on next steps of the challenge and additional resources to guide and inspire the focus of your project on disaster resilience concerns in your local community and beyond.

The Black Summer bushfires of 2019-2020 ravaged our country with an intensity and duration never before experienced. In Bushfires and our changed country, Jenny Newell (Manager of Climate Change Projects at the AM), discusses the devastating impact of bushfires on our wildlife and habitats. A recent report commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature estimated over 3 billion animals have perished.^[2]

The scale of the loss we are facing is overwhelming and AM scientists have published this report which analysed distribution data from the AM collection of 733 species of invertebrates to evaluate the impacts of the 2019-2020 bushfires on NSW biodiversity.

The research focuses on invertebrates as they make up over 97% of all animal species of Australia's biodiversity and play a critical role in ecosystem health. Many invertebrates are also narrow-range endemics (animals with limited geographic distribution) which increases their vulnerability to widespread fires.

The study found that:

• Impacts of the bushfires were more severe for species that inhabit areas that do not normally experience fires
• Extinctions and declines are more critical for species that have low fertility rates and limited geographic distribution and dispersal ability

Frogs surviving the flames by Dr Jodi Rowley (Amphibian & reptile conservation biologist at the AM) states that data from FrogID has significantly increased our understanding of how frogs respond to fire. One of the biggest challenges in the aftermath of the 2019-2020 bush fires was determining which frog species most needed our help.

Thousands of citizen scientists took up this challenged using the FrogID app across the fires zone to monitor their local frogs. Remarkably, the records revealed that there were no missing summer-breeding frog species. Despite this initial good news, the full impacts of the fires on Australian frogs will not be evident for some time as they are facing threats to their habitat, climate and disease vulnerability.

Minyungbal woman and Cultural Land Practitioner, Rachael Cavanagh writes in Fire management on Country and The differences between hazard reduction burning and Cultural Fire practices, that current land management practices are simply not working. Traditional ecological knowledge is described as a cultural way of living for Aboriginal people illustrating the interconnected relationship between the spiritual, social and ecological aspects of Country.

Culture Fire methodology is used in coexistence with the environment. By reading the landscape and understanding the species and their relationship with fire, implementation can be adapted to suit. Techniques such as varying spot ignitions creates a slow moving fire that allows for more coverage and better fuel reduction. This permits local wildlife and insects to move away from the fire and vegetation to recover naturally.

What are some ways technology and AI can be used to help implement healthy fire and land management practices in your region?

Citizen Science programs provide a crucial source of data about biodiversity and how populations respond to natural disasters. It relies on public participation in scientific research to help us to gain insights into our environment and create additional data sources.

FrogID is an example of a citizen science project that uses audio data submissions of frog calls around Australia. The calls are then identified by Australian Museum and Audio DNA experts. This project presents many opportunities for technologies such as AI to make even more significant contributions. Below you will find examples of potential applications of AI in citizen science which can be used as a great starting point to inspire and encourage you to brainstorm further innovative concepts for your IBM EdTech Youth Challenge.

FrogID is a national citizen science project led by the AM that is helping us learn more about what is happening to Australia’s frogs and conserve our biodiversity. Australia has over 240 known species of frog and with the valuable database of biodiversity records obtained from FrogID, we are learning how they are responding to a changing environment.

With over 50,000 FrogID records now available online, this data is not only a valuable resource to frog conservation but provides insights into far reaching, large-scale and long-term ecosystem effects.

How does it work?

Using the FrogID app, citizen scientists can find, record and help match frog calls. Key data being collected includes location, habitat and weather which can tell us how Australian frog species are responding to a changing environment.

Advances in AI technologies that allow computers and machines to function in an intelligent manner are now being applied in citizen science.

Paul Flemons (Manager of Citizen Science at the AM), discusses whether AI is a threat to Citizen Science and explores the opportunities and risks that it presents. A recent publication that he co-authored, looks at how AI is already influencing this field through a range of technologies that assist/replace humans in completing tasks, influence human behaviour and improve insights into data.

Citizen science projects that use audio based classification systems to identify animals have great potential for AI application. Some examples of possible applications are outlined below to serve as a springboard for further brainstorming ideas.

Register to participate in the IBM EdTech Youth Challenge and review the Project Guide and Project Logbook. Follow the Project Guide steps to identify issues around health concerns and how AI technology and design thinking can be applied.

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