Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Xinformatics students accomplished a rare feat: their class project was shared on a NASA Technical Report Server (NTRS). The NTRS is a provider of scientific and technical information.

“It is very rare for a classroom, non-funded project to appear in a NASA Technical Report Server,” said Thilanka Munasinghe, who teaches the Xinformatics course as a lecturer in the Internet Technology and Web Science (ITWS) program. “These students did remarkably well, and it is a testament to the power of education in tackling some of the world’s most imperative challenges.”

The Xinformatics class projects leverage cutting-edge informatics technology and innovative solutions to address some of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals such as climate change, health care, poverty, and education. 

"We collaborate with agencies such as NASA to obtain domain expertise and various satellite data use during class projects,” said Munasinghe. “These projects demonstrate the power of technology and education in achieving a more sustainable and equitable future for all.”  

Doctoral students Vasundhara Acharya, Anindita, and Inwon Kang led the project, called “Landslide Likelihood Prediction using Machine Learning Algorithms.” Kang was a co-terminal student when he worked on the project.

“We examined factors that may cause landslides which pose a significant threat to critical energy infrastructure," said Acharya. “Our study utilized a range of data sources, including satellite data from NASA, which we employed to train the machine-learning models.”

In spring 2022, the team worked on their project for the length of the class. Then, they converted their project into a research paper, which was accepted to the IEEE BigData2022 Conference in the machine learning track.

“This is another great example of how the Information Technology and Web Science program at RPI (@ITWSATRPI) applies the latest in technology to real-world problems,” said Rick Plotka, Information Technology and Web Science Administrative Program Director. “Whether for research, commercial, or entrepreneurial benefit, our students learn how to lead their colleagues, think creatively, and make big impacts quickly.”

NASA research scientist Binita KC co-authored the paper.

“Our collaboration with RPI students is highly valued as we recognize the synergistic relationship between our data center and the innovative minds of RPI students,” KC said. “We provide guidance on data, while they offer valuable user feedback, resulting in a collaborative process that consistently enhances user experience.”

The team also developed a virtual poster that was shared at the American Geophysical Union meeting with over 20,000 participants.

"The alarming rise in the number of natural disasters motivated me to focus on this research area,” said Anindita. “It was a rewarding experience to work with Dr. Binita, Professor Munasinghe, and my wonderful team."

“It was a great learning experience interacting with professional researchers at NASA," said Kang.

Students Devanshoo Jain ’22 and and Mohit Parmar ’22 also participated in the research.

“By fostering interdisciplinary partnerships and prioritizing open communication and information sharing, our collaboration with RPI has helped create a more inclusive and collaborative scientific community,” said Jennifer Wei, Ph.D., NASA Earth Science Data Information System, NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center. “Together, we are better equipped to tackle the complex challenges of our time!”