Global warming and climate change stare at humankind. However, US President Donald Trump doesn’t believe in it. He has taken the USA out of an environment treaty: the Paris Climate Accord. NASA says globally temperatures have increased by 1 degree since 1880. Arctic ice is at its lowest level. Sea levels are rising at an alarming rate of 3.4 mm per year. In such a grim scenario, I think the advancements of modern technology should be leveraged to fight issues such as pollution, which trigger global warming and climate change. Such technologies include Big Data, Analytics, Machine Learning, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, etc.
Let’s see how Big Data Analytics can be used to fight the menace of pollution, which, according to a report by The Lancet killed millions of people in 2015.
Big Data Analytics: the cutting-edge frontiers of technology
Big Data is a term for huge and complex data sets that are difficult to be processed by traditional or conventional methods. Those tools process data and discover patterns as well as correlations between several different variables. This helps in gaining meaningful insights as well as providing actionable inputs. The technology uses mathematical tools along with highly advanced algorithms to decipher trends and make predictions. Predictive Analytics can be a crucial part of such initiatives. Big Data tools can be invaluable in humankind’s struggle to save the ecology and the environment.
In order to use Big Data Applications, sophisticated sensors have to be installed at strategic locations. Doing this will yield valuable data on the parameters that impact pollution levels. As sensors continue to become affordable and more advanced, the output will be more in the domain of structured data, making such a strategy yield the desired results. The Big Data Analytics tools can analyze the huge amounts of the data that has been collected by sensors that monitor pollution. Data often include weather station inputs, demographics, etc. all of which could prove to be a treasure trove of information, leading to insights.
Leveraging Big Data applications for pollution control
Let us have a few concrete examples. If the sensors detect a trend of increasing pollution in particular areas, the data inputs could be utilized to divert traffic to less congested areas that are not that polluted at that time. On similar lines, there can be other useful responses such as the follows: more members of medical staff can be allocated to those areas which have greater influx of patients with health problems such as respiratory diseases. So that the problem is managed in real time. Sensor enabled street lights can self-adjust and work according to the number of people that are present at that time.
“Big Data as well as Predictive Analytics could predict situations along with consequences. This can lead to data-driven decisions that are made in time, thus averting disasters,” says the CEO of a Big Data company.
In fact, modern technologies can be helpful in providing insights that can help in the fight to protect the environment. The digital disruption can also be used to reduce humankind’s carbon footprint, if they are used properly. We must start doing these as there is an environmental crisis. Air pollution continues to be hazardous, particularly in countries such as India and China. Particulate matter is also increasing. They are also resulting in extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes and wildfires. Delhi smog was a scary example of threats due to environmental degradation combined with pollution. Air pollution is frequently exceeding hazardous levels, especially in the big cities.
About the author: I am an environmentalist, technology evangelist, women empowerment advocate, writer and editor. Basically I am a storyteller at heart and want to make the world a better place. I want to be the catalyst for making the world green and clean and rid the Earth of disasters like global warming and climate change. You can mail me at muqbil.ahmar@gmail.com or connect with me through LinkedIn, Twitter, together with Facebook. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
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