Government
Long-Term Probabilistic Forecast of Vegetation Conditions Using Climate Attributes in the Four Corners Region
McPhillips, Erika, Lee, Hyeongseong, Xie, Xiangyu, Baylis, Kathy, Funk, Chris, Gu, Mengyang
Weather conditions can drastically alter the state of crops and rangelands, and in turn, impact the incomes and food security of individuals worldwide. Satellite-based remote sensing offers an effective way to monitor vegetation and climate variables on regional and global scales. The annual peak Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), derived from satellite observations, is closely associated with crop development, rangeland biomass, and vegetation growth. Although various machine learning methods have been developed to forecast NDVI over short time ranges, such as one-month-ahead predictions, long-term forecasting approaches, such as one-year-ahead predictions of vegetation conditions, are not yet available. To fill this gap, we develop a two-phase machine learning model to forecast the one-year-ahead peak NDVI over high-resolution grids, using the Four Corners region of the Southwestern United States as a testbed. In phase one, we identify informative climate attributes, including precipitation and maximum vapor pressure deficit, and develop the generalized parallel Gaussian process that captures the relationship between climate attributes and NDVI. In phase two, we forecast these climate attributes using historical data at least one year before the NDVI prediction month, which then serve as inputs to forecast the peak NDVI at each spatial grid. We developed open-source tools that outperform alternative methods for both gross NDVI and grid-based NDVI one-year forecasts, providing information that can help farmers and ranchers make actionable plans a year in advance.
Father of alien archaeology says the pyramids were not built by human hands... and claims he has proof
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Sundance screening sparks online row: 'Sussex Squad' brand claims event failed to sell out as'lies' despite photos showing'rows of empty seats' Mick Jagger's family launch desperate hunt for missing relative: His granddaughter's partner vanishes in Cornwall after wandering streets Forensic video analysis of Alex Pretti's final 30 seconds exposes'John Wayne gun' question that can't be ignored Sinister truth about Celine Dion's song All By Myself: Singer's producer reveals bombshell secrets of her 26-year age gap marriage... that he swore not to tell until her husband René died The nastiest clique in Hollywood have had their dirty secret outed... there's no coming back from this: MAUREEN CALLAHAN Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo'creeped a lot of people out' says anonymous Oscar voter amid Wicked snubs John Fetterman's own WIFE turns on him over ICE as Senator comes under fire for his silence on shooting of Alex Pretti Lauren Sanchez turns heads in a red skirt suit as she holds hands with billionaire husband Jeff Bezos at Schiaparelli's Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week show Olivia Wilde blasts'inauthentic and unrealistic' sex in modern film and claims it has'been that way for a long time' - despite featuring racy scenes in Don't Worry Darling Sandra Bullock's Blind Side costar Quinton Aaron is'fighting for his life' in hospital after falling at home Seedy underbelly of America's exclusive golf clubs... as cart girls expose ultra-rich world of sex scandals and drunken debauchery Real estate mogul is sensationally found GUILTY of murdering football coach's son outside mall Kelly Clarkson on verge of QUITTING: Staff are all starting to say same thing backstage... as friends let slip the only way she could be convinced to stay Panicking realtors are drowning in unsold homes in America's'most extreme' market. They blame'the Joe Rogan effect' Father of alien archaeology says the pyramids were not built by human hands... and claims he has proof READ MORE: Egypt's Great Pyramid construction rewritten as new evidence exposes how it was actually built The belief that the pyramids were not built by human hands has fascinated conspiracy theorists for decades. No one promoted that idea more persistently than Swiss author Erich von Däniken, often described as the father of ancient alien archaeology. Von Däniken, who died this month aged 90, argued that extraterrestrial visitors played a direct role in helping ancient Egyptians construct monuments that would otherwise have been impossible. In his 1968 bestseller'Chariots of the Gods,' he claimed alien'astronauts' visited early civilizations, including the ancient Egyptians and Mayans, and shared advanced technology.
Is humanity doomed? Doomsday Clock will be updated next WEEK to determine our fate - here's how scientists think the hands will move
Shocking history of handgun Alex Pretti was carrying when he was shot by Border Patrol is revealed... as judge bans Trump administration from'destroying evidence' from scene Homeowners in PANIC as stark map shows just five sellers' markets left - spelling price drops almost everywhere else My secret fantasy appalled my husband... and it has revealed an irreparable rift in our marriage: DEAR JANE Seedy underbelly of America's exclusive golf clubs... as cart girls expose ultra-rich world of sex scandals and drunken debauchery Doomsday Clock will be updated next WEEK to determine our fate - here's how scientists think the hands will move Lisa Rinna's nepo baby daughter Amelia Gray Hamlin, 24, breaks down all the plastic surgery she's had Gay reporter's wild on-air comment about Patriots quarterback Drake Maye goes viral Meteorologist reveals America's most dangerous city in winter storm's corridor of chaos: 'Staying in your home won't be viable' '90s bombshell channels iconic role she took over from Pamela Anderson and looks exactly the same at 59 Crystal clear new video raises horrifying questions about killing of Minneapolis nurse by DHS...as doctor on scene claims agents were counting bullet holes instead of helping him Doomsday Clock will be updated next WEEK to determine our fate - here's how scientists think the hands will move Humanity is about to learn if we have moved closer to self-destruction as the Doomsday Clock is updated. The new time for the symbolic timepiece, which ticks closer to midnight as we approach annihilation, will be revealed on Tuesday, January 27. Since last year, the clock has sat at 89 seconds to midnight - the latest time in its 78-year history. However, experts have told the Daily Mail they now expect the Doomsday Clock to move even closer to midnight . While the Doomsday Clock was initially created to track the risk of nuclear war between Russia and America, the world now faces a far more diverse array of threats.
More than a quarter of Britons say they fear losing jobs to AI in next five years
Increased use of AI and automation in businesses is increasingly replacing'low-complexity, transactional roles', the survey showed. Increased use of AI and automation in businesses is increasingly replacing'low-complexity, transactional roles', the survey showed. Survey reveals'mismatched AI expectations' between views of employers and staff over impact on careers More than a quarter (27%) of UK workers are worried their jobs could disappear in the next five years as a result of AI, according to a survey of thousands of employees. Two-thirds (66%) of UK employers reported having invested in AI in the past 12 months, according to the international recruitment company Randstad's annual review of the world of work, while more than half (56%) of workers said more companies were encouraging the use of AI tools in the workplace. This was leading to "mismatched AI expectations" between the views of employees and their employers over the impact of AI on jobs, according to Randstad's poll of 27,000 workers and 1,225 organisations across 35 countries.
Sam Altman's make-or-break year: can the OpenAI CEO cash in his bet on the future?
Altman's campaigning for his company coincides with its use of enormous present resources to serve an imagined future OpenAI CEO Sam Altman poses during the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit, at the Grand Palais, in Paris, on February 11, 2025. Sam Altman has claimed over the years that the advancement of AI could solve climate change, cure cancer, create a benevolent superintelligence beyond human comprehension, provide a tutor for every student, take over nearly half of the tasks in the economy and create what he calls "universal extreme wealth". In order to bring about his utopian future, Altman is demanding enormous resources from the present. As CEO of OpenAI, the world's most valuable privately owned company, he has in recent months announced plans for $1tn of investment into datacenters and struck multibillion-dollar deals with several chipmakers. If completed, the datacenters are expected to use more power than entire European nations .
AI needs to augment rather than replace humans or the workplace is doomed Heather Stewart
Policymakers are being urged to nudge companies to put checks in place on powerful AI tools. Policymakers are being urged to nudge companies to put checks in place on powerful AI tools. Tech could lose its social acceptance unless it makes people's lives better - and trade unions want an urgent conversation "Who wouldn't want a robot to watch over your kids?" Elon Musk asked Davos delegates last week, as he looked forward with enthusiasm to a world with "more robots than people". Not me, thanks: children need the human connection - the love - that gives life meaning. As he works towards launching SpaceX on to the stock market, in perhaps the biggest ever such share sale, the world's richest man has every incentive to talk big.
Waymo-backed robotaxis quietly ply the streets of Tokyo as tests continue
Without much fanfare, robotaxis have been plying the streets of Tokyo. You can't hail one or order one on an app, and when exactly that will be possible remains a mystery. Nihon Kotsu, the old-school Japanese taxi company running the tests with Mountain View, California's Waymo, isn't saying, and analysts are left guessing. What is clear is that 2026 will be a key year if Japan wants to play catch up, said Mai Niizoe, a senior researcher at Sompo Institute Plus, a Tokyo-based think tank. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
The Instant Smear Campaign Against Border Patrol Shooting Victim Alex Pretti
Within minutes of the shooting, the Trump administration and right-wing influencers began disparaging the man shot by a federal immigration officer on Saturday in Minneapolis. Within minutes of Alex Pretti being shot and killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, the Trump administration, backed by right-wing influencers, launched a smear campaign against the victim, labeling him a "terrorist" and a "lunatic." Pretti, 37, was killed during a confrontation with multiple federal immigration agents. Pretti was an American citizen and a registered nurse who worked in the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to a colleague who spoke to the Guardian . Video from a bystander shows Pretti was attempting to help a woman who had been pepper sprayed by an immigration agent when officers tackled him.