NASA collaborated with Microsoft to develop a custom AI-driven tool called ‘Earth Copilot’. It simplifies the understanding of Earth Science data collected by the agency’s satellites.

This strategy is part of NASA’s Transform to Open Science initiative. According to a Microsoft blog post, the tool leverages the Azure OpenAI service to ease how users access complex geospatial satellite imagery and data. AI could streamline the process, reducing time to gain insights. 

The service provides access to AI models and natural language processing capabilities. They enable developers to integrate intelligent, conversational AI into their applications. 

Users can interact with NASA’s data repository through AI chat. They can ask questions like: “What was the impact of Hurricane Ian in Sanibel Island?”. Another example can be: “How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect air quality in the US?”. Then, AI would retrieve relevant datasets in a simplified form. 

“By enabling users to interact with data through plain language queries, we’re helping democratise access to spaceborne information,” stated Minh Nguyen, Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft.

“The vision aimed to leverage AI and cloud technologies to bring Earth’s insights to underserved communities. Access to data can lead to tangible improvements”. 

Challenge with NASA

When NASA’s satellites orbit Earth, they monitor wildfires, track climate change, and collect data from spaceborne sensors and instruments.

However, only a limited number of researchers and scientists can access geospatial data to study historical or environmental records. 

Recognising this challenge, NASA’s Office of the Chief Science Data Officer aimed to break down technical barriers. 

“Azure’s robust suite of services, including machine learning, data analytics, and scalable cloud infrastructure, powers this AI prototype”, said Juan López, former NASA engineer and current Azure Specialist at Microsoft. 

“We’ve designed the system to handle complex queries and large datasets efficiently. We want to help users quickly find the information they need and avoid getting bogged down by technical complexities”.

By the time the article was published, NASA had made the Earth Copilot available to scientists and researchers to explore and test its capabilities. “Any responsible deployment of AI technologies requires rigorous assessments to ensure the data and outputs cannot be misused,” Microsoft wrote.