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Title: NASA and IBM Open Source Lunar Mapping Tools

Link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/09/12/1...

NASA and IBM have released an open-source AI model trained on a large
collection of lunar observations to help scientists analyze the Moon at
scale. "The NASA-IBM Lunar Foundation Model gives scientists a foundation to
explore the Moon at scale, connecting observations across instruments,
revealing patterns that are difficult to see in isolation, and providing an
open platform the global research community can build on," said IBM director
of research for Europe, Juan Bernabe-Moreno. The Register reports: It is
claimed as the first AI model to integrate observations captured in a range
of modalities (data formats), and at different viewing angles and spatial
scales. Instead of sifting through maps and images by hand or using low
resolution machine learning models, scientists can use this to analyze
geographic features, the pair say. In particular, NASA and IBM hope
researchers will be able to discover previously unidentified lunar ice
deposits, analyze volcanic features called Irregular Mare Patches, and
identify and classify craters. Lunar ice indicates the presence of water and
oxygen, which may be useful for future manned missions. It is found in
permanently shadowed regions, which are among the most difficult areas to
observe. The NASA-IBM model combines multimodal and multi-resolution
observations to better predict where ice may be present on the lunar surface.
Alongside the model, IBM and NASA scientists compiled an open-source lunar
dataset from over 30 spatially-aligned layers, using data from nine
instruments across four missions. It combines tens of thousands of images and
maps showing various geophysical properties of the lunar surface.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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