Deep learning for Amazon satellite image analysis

Abstract

Machine learning can be the key to saving the world from losing football field-sized forest areas each second. As deforestation in the Amazon basin causes devastating effects both on the ecosystem and the environment, there is urgent need to better understand and manage its changing landscape. A competition was recently conducted to develop algorithms to analyze satellite images of the Amazon. Successful algorithms will be able to detect subtle features in different image scenes, giving us the crucial data needed to be able to manage deforestation and its consequences more effectively. This paper presents our entry to the competition, the results obtained, and possible improvements to the algorithm.