Associate Professor, Faculty of Science (Information and Communication/Mathematical Informatics)

Diez Donoso Santiago

Japan is one of the most forested developed countries in the world. 68% of Japan's land surface is covered by forests, that are ecologically complex and impacted by climate change. Negative impacts include insect infestation and an increase in forest fires, while the formation of new forests in areas that were previously above the forest line of mountains is thought to be a positive impact. At Yamagata University, we are conducting research to use drones and artificial intelligence to train computers that will help combat climate change on Mt. Zao. Our algorithms can detect diseased trees from drone images and identify species of subalpine shrubs better than humans. In the future, we will use this technology to predict which trees will get sick next, or which shrub species will grow faster. With these tools forest scientists will be better prepared to protect forests.