Researchers at the Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence are exploring solutions that artificial intelligence can offer in global city planning, with the aim of contributing to addressing the increasing climate phenomena worldwide.
Following the record levels of rainfall in the Arabian Gulf on April 16, a team of researchers and students at the Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, led by Dr. Salman Khan, utilized artificial intelligence and computer vision techniques to create an automated model for analyzing satellite data to assess flood situations.
The research team conducted three case studies on palm tree areas in Jumeirah in Dubai, Mussafah in Abu Dhabi, and Al Buraimi in Oman. They used satellite data to compare images taken before and after the weather conditions in those regions.
The purpose of this analysis is to provide a tool to detect climate changes and assist in evaluating the impact of heavy rainfall more quickly.
Utilizing the analysis tool helps precisely identify areas where water accumulates significantly after heavy rains, as well as identifying the damaged environmental infrastructure and areas that may be more susceptible to the impacts of weather conditions than others.
Dr. Salman Khan stated that artificial intelligence can be used to analyze the expected impact of rainfall on cities worldwide, where improving the accuracy of satellite images and increasing their capture speed can help provide early warnings to affected areas.
It was mentioned that the Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and IBM are currently working on AI-based solutions to detect urban heat islands by identifying areas with excessive heat and factors contributing to the formation of these islands. This solution will assist experts in city and municipality planning and population in mitigating the effects of heat islands, making cities more livable in unexpected weather conditions.
They indicated that in the future, the Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence aims to expand flood research to include more areas in the Arabian Gulf region, and also aspires to collaborate with government and industrial institutions to design and improve this tool by adding more data, with the goal of obtaining accurate information on water levels.
It also highlighted the importance of studying the impact of water pooling on population density and infrastructure expansion, pointing out that the information and analyses provided help authorities in various aspects, such as collaborating with local communities to enhance their capacity to address these challenges, proper infrastructure planning, and enacting policies to keep up with long-term changes in water resources and infrastructure.
