New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS): US space agency NASA has partnered with Microsoft to develop an easier-to-access and user-friendly Artificial Intelligence-based chatbot that can help people decode scientific data about Earth.

The new Earth Copilot can answer people “through plain language queries” ranging from monitoring wildfires to tracking climate change -- transforming how people interact with Earth’s data.

NASA IMPACT worked with Microsoft to Earth Copilot to simplify access to data and encourage a wider range of users to interact with its Earth Science data.

The AI model leverages Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform and comes with advanced AI capabilities that will transform how people can search, discover and analyse NASA’s complex geospatial data, which so far has been accessible only to a limited number of researchers and scientists.

“NASA's repository of geospatial data contains key insights on everything from climate and air quality to urban planning and disaster response -- but its scale and complexity make it difficult to parse. With Earth Copilot, they're making it easier than ever for anyone to access that data,” said Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO at Microsoft, in a post on X.

Earth Copilot also democratises access to space-borne data, enabling users -- from researchers to climate scientists to teachers to policymakers -- to engage with NASA’s science data.

Researchers can now spend less time on data retrieval and more on analysis and discovery. It can help climate scientists quickly access historical data to study trends, while agricultural experts can gain insights into soil moisture levels to improve crop management.

Educators and teachers can use real-world examples to engage students in Earth Science, and policymakers can leverage the data to make informed decisions on critical issues like climate change, urban development, and disaster preparedness.

“We’ve designed the system to handle complex queries and large datasets efficiently, ensuring that users can quickly find the information they need without getting bogged down by technical complexities,” said Juan Carlos Lopez, former NASA engineer and current Azure Specialist at Microsoft.