IBM’s New Environmental Intelligence Platform Provides Data Through APIs

IBM has launched the beta version of its Environmental Intelligence (EI) platform, offering application developers and data scientists AI-powered environmental insights, along with access to open-source geospatial and satellite data.

This cloud-based platform provides a range of geospatial, weather, and climate APIs, allowing users to create applications focused on sustainability, climate change, and regulatory requirements.

IBM aims for the platform to help businesses manage the financial risks associated with climate disruptions. Both public and private sectors face climate-related challenges such as operational disruptions, asset damage, and supply chain vulnerabilities. IBM’s Environmental Intelligence platform provides geospatial data, advanced models, and AI-driven insights to help organizations tackle these critical issues.

“Environmental Intelligence is a new product, but its foundations date back several years. We have a large community of IBM researchers and climate scientists working on forward-thinking solutions for specific industry and climate challenges,” said David Blanch, director of product management for ESG and Environmental Intelligence at IBM, in an interview with TechNewsWorld.

Market Trends Highlight New Applications for Climate Data

IBM is focusing on a specific audience of technical builders, developers, and data scientists due to emerging trends in the market. As Blanch explains, these targeted users aren’t necessarily climate scientists or meteorologists. Instead, they benefit from accessing innovative data through APIs, allowing them to integrate embeddable use cases into their existing applications.

The trends reflect how climate change is increasingly affecting business operations across various industries. Research shows that climate-related disasters are leading to significant macroeconomic losses. Some of the datasets within environmental intelligence are categorized into distinct groups.

One dataset provided by the platform is open-source satellite imagery, offering high-resolution visuals captured by European satellites that orbit the globe every five days. This imagery can be used for various applications, including environmental monitoring and regulatory compliance.

Blanch highlighted that while organizations could access raw satellite imagery independently, they would face significant challenges, such as removing cloud cover during pre-processing, making the EI platform a more efficient solution.

Another dataset includes meteorological data, offering historical records, real-time updates, and short-term weather forecasts. Blanch suggested that for long-term climate planning, climate projections should also be incorporated into these scenarios.

When considering specific business needs, questions arise such as: How can you enhance your organization’s resilience to natural hazards like floods and wildfires? How do you approach disaster risk planning and assessments? How can you accurately calculate your business’s carbon emissions?

Blanch explained that when companies operationalize sustainability, they often link industrial assets, such as methane emissions, to carbon equivalents within their current workflow. For instance, a work order might be issued to perform maintenance for operational groups that may not traditionally focus on sustainability.