Abstract: A device includes a housing with a reference electrode having a metal plug extending through the housing. One or more sensing surfaces are disposed on an exterior of the housing, where the one or more sensing surfaces are configured to perform a nutrient measurement of a soil.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method is provided for improving farm management by determining farm boundary delineations within a target geographic area based on crop recognition. The method includes evaluating the data using a classification algorithm to generate one or more line segments at an interface separating each pixel in at least one pair of adjacent pixels. It also includes connecting the one or more line segments to an adjacent line segment to form a boundary delineation. The method further includes generating a boundary delineation map including the boundary delineation as well as generating a farm management plan including the boundary delineation map and a recommended crop type. The farm management plan can be generated based on at least a type of vegetation present.

Abstract: A method for measuring pollution that includes providing a plurality of analyte sensors arranged in a grid over a sensing area, wherein the analyte sensors measure a pollutant, and positioning at least one current sensor in the sensing area. A pollution source is localized using a pollution source locator including a dispersion model and at least one hardware processor to interpolate a location of a pollution source from variations in current measured from the current sensors and measurements of pollutants from the analyte sensors.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for crop type identification using satellite observation and weather data. The method includes extracting current and historical data from pixels of satellite images of a target region, generating temporal sequences of vegetation indices, based on the weather data, converting each timestamp of the temporal sequences into a modified temporal variable correlating with actual crop growth, training a classifier using a set of historical temporal sequences of vegetation indices with respect to the modified temporal variable as training features and corresponding historically known crop types as training labels, identifying a crop type for each pixel location within the satellite images using the trained classifier and the historical temporal sequences of vegetation indices with respect to the modified temporal variable for a current crop season, and estimating a crop acreage value by aggregating identified pixels associated with the crop type.

Abstract: Methods and systems for generating a composite image in remote sensing applications are described. In an example, a device can receive an image having a plurality of points specified in an image space. The device can extract a portion of the image and transform points among the extracted portion from the image space to a parameter space defined by a distance parameter and an orientation parameter. The device can identify a set of intersection points in the parameter space that indicate at least one occurrence of a geometry feature in the extracted portion of the image. The device can augment the portion of the image with a plurality of new pixels based on the identified set of intersection points. The device can generate a composite image using the augmented image, where the composite image can include a plurality of augmented images corresponding to other portions of the image.

Abstract: A method of generating an aggregate forecast includes obtaining historical forecasts for a number of time steps and at least one location, obtaining historical conditions for the time steps and the at least one location, training a machine learning algorithm to produce an aggregate historical forecast in response to the historical conditions and the historical forecasts, and producing an aggregate current forecast by running the trained machine learning algorithm on current forecasts. The historical forecasts and the current forecasts vary in at least one of spatial resolution or temporal resolution, and include a first forecast that is valid for a first time step and a second forecast that is valid for a second time step.

Abstract: A computer produces predictions throughout a raster field in response to point data, by obtaining a partially empty matrix of point data, filling a matrix of extrapolated raster data by dilating the point data in a first convolutional neural network, and generating a matrix of aggregate raster data by combining the extrapolated raster data with organic raster data in a second convolutional neural network.

Abstract: Methods and systems for managing vegetation include training a machine learning model based on an image of a training data region before a weather event, an image of the training data region after the weather event, and information regarding the weather event. A risk score is generated for a second region using the trained machine learning model based on an image of the second region and predicted weather information for the second region. The risk score is determined to indicate high-risk vegetation in the second region. A corrective action is performed to reduce the risk of vegetation in the second region.

Abstract: Low power combustible gas sensors using a thermocouple design are provided. In one aspect, a combustible gas sensor includes: at least one first electrode; at least one second electrode formed from a dissimilar material from the first electrode; and a catalytic material at an active reaction junction between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the active reaction junction between the first electrode and the second electrode forms a thermocouple. A sensing device is including, e.g., multiple sensors, and a method for sensing combustible gas using the present sensors are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention involves a multimodal sensor network for analyte detection. A first mode may involve low-power detection and a second mode may involve determining an analyte concentration and transmitting data associated with the analyte concentration. Specifically, the first mode may include establishing an analyte sensor network in a detection region, detecting an analyte in the detection region, and generating an electrical signal in response to the detecting the analyte. In response to the electrical signal exceeding a first threshold, the analyte detection system may operate in the second mode. The second mode may include requesting data associated with the one or more environmental conditions, determining an analyte concentration based on one or more environmental conditions transmitting data associated with the analyte concentration.

Abstract: Scalable feature classification for 3D point cloud data is provided. In one aspect, a method for rasterizing 3D point cloud data includes: obtaining the 3D point cloud data; generating a digital elevation model (DEM) from the 3D point cloud data; decomposing the DEM into local and global fluctuations to obtain a local DEM; generating geo-referenced shapes by automatically thresholding the local DEM; cropping and normalizing the local DEM using minimum bounding boxes derived from the geo-referenced shapes and manual annotations from subject matter experts to create a cropped DEM; and linking geo-spatially tagged labels from the subject matter experts to the cropped DEM. These data can be then directly fed into a system having an ensemble of artificial neural networks. By way of example, a scalable ecosystem is presented on the basis of the geo-spatial platform IBM PAIRS.

Abstract: A method for tracking objects in a two-dimensional space includes first tracking devices that are activated to read tagged objects within the reading ranges of the first tracking devices. Second tracking devices are activated to read tagged objects within the reading ranges of the second tracking devices. The tagged objects read by each first tracking device are compared to the tagged objects read by each second tracking device, and based on the locations of the tagged objects read by the first and second tracking devices, the locations of the tagged objects are determined.

Abstract: A method includes: mapping a boundary of a volume of flowing fluid; partitioning the volume by a computational mesh; finding a contaminant location at a first sensor that is disposed within the volume; obtaining a measured velocity of the flowing fluid within the volume; generating a reversed velocity vector field within the mesh, in response to the measured velocity; time stepping the contaminant location from the first sensor along the reversed velocity vector field until the contaminant location intersects the boundary of the volume; and finding a contaminant source at the intersection of the time stepped contaminant location with the boundary of the volume.

Abstract: Heuristic-based techniques for gas leak source identification are provided. In one aspect, a method for identifying a location of a gas leak source includes: obtaining gas sensor data and wind data synchronously from a gas leak detection system having a network of interconnected motes comprising gas sensors and wind sensors, with the gas sensors arranged around possible gas leak sources in a given area of interest; identifying the location of the gas leak source using the gas sensor data and wind data; and determining a magnitude of gas leak from the gas leak source using the location of the gas leak source and a distance d between the location of the gas leak source and a select one of the gas sensors from which the gas sensor data was obtained. A gas leak detection system is also provided.

Abstract: The present invention involves a multimodal sensor network for analyte detection. A first mode may involve low-power detection and a second mode may involve determining an analyte concentration and transmitting data associated with the analyte concentration. Specifically, the first mode may include establishing an analyte sensor network in a detection region, detecting an analyte in the detection region, and generating an electrical signal in response to the detecting the analyte. In response to the electrical signal exceeding a first threshold, the analyte detection system may operate in the second mode. The second mode may include requesting data associated with the one or more environmental conditions, determining an analyte concentration based on one or more environmental conditions transmitting data associated with the analyte concentration.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a computer-implemented method for detecting vegetation near a power line. A non-limiting example of the computer-implemented method includes detecting the spectral characteristics of a target location. The spectral characteristics can be used to detect a tree at the target location. The location of the power lines that are within a buffer distance of the tree can be detected. Given that the tree is within a buffer distance, a risk value can be calculated for the tree. The risk value can convey the likelihood that the tree will contact the power line. If the risk is above a threshold amount, a work order can be issued to direct a crew to trim or cut the tree to prevent it from contacting the power line.

Abstract: A system for increasing filter economy includes a memory configured to receive measurements of contaminants in an internal and an external environment. A cost effectiveness module is configured to determine a cost of a corrosion rate increase if unfiltered external air intake is increased for cooling, to determine a cost of increased air pressure to filter external air, and to determine if the cost of filtering external air exceeds the cost of the corrosion rate increase. An air intake module is configured to increase an intake of unfiltered external air if it is determined that the cost of filtering external air exceeds the cost of the corrosion rate increase.

Abstract: Systems for predicting a filter lifetime. A filter monitoring system includes a filter effectiveness history based on contaminant sensor information associated with a filter received from one or more contaminant sensors. A lifetime module is configured to determine a rate of filter consumption based on the filter effectiveness history and to determine a remaining filter lifetime based on the determined rate of filter consumption.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for determining field boundaries and crop forecasts in each field is provided. The method includes deriving vegetation indices for each geo-spatial pixel of each image of multi-spectral imagery at a plurality of points in time, constructing minimum bounding boxes for each image according to the vegetation indices, and generating, based on a neural network analysis of each image and the minimum bounding boxes, a geo-spatial plot of crops including a predicted plot of future crop usage for an area including each field in the multi-spectral imagery.

Abstract: A method for clustering time stamps in time series data includes receiving a one-dimensional array of ordered timestamps and an expected frequency; determining a set of time intervals; determining a first binary array that indicates whether each time interval in the set of time intervals is greater than or less than the expected frequency; determining a second binary array of differences between a corresponding pair of adjacent elements of the first binary array; appending an ith timestamp to one of a set of opening interval bounds, a set of closing interval bounds, or a set of isolated points; merging the set of set of opening interval bounds and the set of closing interval bounds into a set of cluster intervals ?; and outputting the set of cluster intervals and the set of isolated points.