High school sophomore Abigail Merchant has made it her mission to use technology to reduce flood-related deaths. The 15-year-old lives in Orlando, Fla., a state where flooding is frequent in part because of its low elevation.
The changing climate is increasing the risk. Warmer air holds more water, leading to heavier-than-usual rainfall and more flooding, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Abigail Merchant School Orlando Science Middle High Charter, in Florida Grade Sophomore Hobbies Basketball and playing the drums
Currently satellites, synthetic aperture radar, and GPS are used to collect data on flood damage, track the location of victims, and communicate with emergency responders. But technology failures and slow data transmission speeds lead to delays in response time, Merchant says. The increase in global flooding has intensified the need for more accurate and reliable methods.
Last year Merchant built what she says is a more effective way to track and collect data during floods: a small, inexpensive, standardized CubeSat integrated with artificial intelligence. The little satellites use a multiple of 10- by 10- by 10-centimeter units—which allows manufacturers to develop their batteries, solar panels, computers, and other parts as off-the-shelf components.
The CubeSat takes images of an area and uses pattern recognition to detect flooding, assess infrastructure damage, and track survivors.
Merchant presented her paper on the device at this year’s IEEE Region 3 annual conference, IEEE SoutheastCon.
“IEEE is a foundational part of my growth as a young researcher,” she says. “It turned engineering from my dream to reality.”
Building a CubeSat at MIT
Merchant says her interest in disaster response was sparked after learning that it can take several hours for emergency workers to receive satellite data.
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