DATOS kicks off AI4EO Cluster Training with SUCs/HEIs

6 Nov 2019 9:37 AM

Diliman, Quezon City – The Remote Sensing and Data Science: DATOS Helpdesk organized a week-long capacity-enhancement activity with heads, faculty, researchers, and students of various State Universities and Colleges (SUCs)/ Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) all over the country last 21-25 October 2019.  

The AI4EO: Artificial Intelligence for Earth Observation Training Workshop Cluster 1 aimed to demonstrate how to utilize the services of DOST-ASTI, especially the use of artificial intelligence on processing earth observation data and automating detection of features from satellite images. 

For a week, the participants from Bataan Peninsula State University, Catanduanes State University, Central Mindanao University, Southern Luzon State University, University of the Philippines Cebu, University of San Carlos (Cebu), and Pangasinan State University learned about the basics of Neural Networks, and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN)/ Fully Convolutional Network (FCN).

Researchers from the Philippine Earth Data Resource Observation (PEDRO) Center and Computing and Archiving Research Environment (COARE) facility also came to briefly discuss their services and how will the participants be able to benefit and make use of these readily-available resources. 

The DATOS Team also worked on helping the participants on their coding exercises and digitization of training data. The participants delved further into their own feature detection using Artificial Intelligence exercises.

BPSU worked on Mango trees detection because of their existing project in partnership with DATOS Project; while PSU worked on fish pen/fishpond detection; and UP Cebu, USC, CSU, and SLSU explored on coconut trees detection. 

On the last day, the participants presented their output and most of them indeed delivered results.  

“[We hope that in this training], we could be able to adapt the technology for feature detection in our province. We are looking forward to have further ideas on how to address problems and have solutions on our natural resources,” said Engr. Dexter Toyado of Catanduanes State University.  

The participants also shared how the experience with learning new technologies will substantially aid in their research and development efforts.  Indeed, as Dr. Julius Mamaril of Pangasinan State U put it: Experience is the new currency.  

Watch out for Cluster 2 training next week!