AI cuts tsunami impact prediction time to fractions of second in Japan

’Main advantage of our method is the speed of predictions, which is crucial for early warning’

A new potentially life-saving technology uses artificial intelligence to cut the time for predicting how an approaching tsunami will impact the coastline to fractions of a second, Japanese scientists report in a new study.

Since northeast Japan was struck by a catastrophic tsunami in 2011 that claimed the lives of about 18,500 people, this coast has built on its early warning system, developing the world’s largest network of sensors with over 150 offshore stations for monitoring movements on the ocean floor.

Scientists from the Riken Prediction Science Laboratory in Japan said the data generated by these sensors need to be converted into tsunami heights and extents along the coastline to help save lives.