Vector Center Receives Microsoft's AI for Earth Grant

Information is power, and the ability to truly understand the water-related issues facing our planet can mean the difference between taking urgent action and simply watching cities run out of water. That’s why we are excited to announce that Vector Center has been awarded an AI for Earth grant from Microsoft to help further our efforts to provide industry-leading rapid intelligence to companies, institutions and governments about their accelerating water and related risks. Through the AI for Earth grant, Vector Center will use Microsoft Cognitive Services, Azure Maps and the Machine Learning Studio to link recent news events concerning water and global “hotspots” to specific locations. We will also analyze the sentiment of those news stories and how it changes over time for specific themes around water quantity, quality, and availability. By generating entirely new data sets, based on news sources and social media posts, we will be able to explore global sentiment on water at an even deeper level.AI for Earth is a $50 million, five-year program that brings the full advantage of Microsoft technology to those working to solve global environmental challenges in the key focus areas of climate, agriculture, water and biodiversity. Through grants that provide access to cloud and AI tools, opportunities for education and training on AI, and investments in innovative, scalable solutions, AI for Earth works to advance sustainability across the globe.