NOAA Awards Nearly $700,000 to Enterpreneurial Machine Learning Projects

Philadelphia-based software and analytics firm Azavea received a full $150,000 award for its project, "Advancing Flood Extent Delineation Modeling Using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Data." Using the grant, Azavea will work to resolve a key problem with timely responses to flood events: seeing through the heavy cloud cover that often accompanies flooding. To combat the cloud cover, Azavea will apply synthetic-aperture radar (or SAR), which uses radar to reconstruct images and landscapes, in combination with deep learning techniques to interpret SAR imagery in real-time. "By combining these two technologies," Azavea writes, "this project will support the rapid delivery of accurate flood inundation maps that will enable first responders, humanitarian relief organizations, and other decision-makers on the ground to effectively route resources and identify highly impacted areas, both during and following extreme weather events."