Towards a Collective Agenda on AI for Earth Science Data Analysis

TL;DR

This paper advocates for a collaborative research agenda integrating AI and Earth sciences, emphasizing innovative interdisciplinary approaches to advance understanding and modeling of the Earth system.

Contribution

It proposes a strategic agenda to guide AI applications in Earth sciences, encouraging cross-disciplinary research and addressing current disciplinary limitations.

Findings

Identifies key challenges at the intersection of AI and Earth sciences.

Highlights opportunities for impactful interdisciplinary research.

Calls for a collective effort to advance Earth system modeling.

Abstract

In the last years we have witnessed the fields of geosciences and remote sensing and artificial intelligence to become closer. Thanks to both the massive availability of observational data, improved simulations, and algorithmic advances, these disciplines have found common objectives and challenges to advance the modeling and understanding of the Earth system. Despite such great opportunities, we also observed a worrying tendency to remain in disciplinary comfort zones applying recent advances from artificial intelligence on well resolved remote sensing problems. Here we take a position on research directions where we think the interface between these fields will have the most impact and become potential game changers. In our declared agenda for AI on Earth sciences, we aim to inspire researchers, especially the younger generations, to tackle these challenges for a real advance of remote sensing and the geosciences.