{"676995":{"#nid":"676995","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Award-Winning Algorithm Used on Mars Rover Helps Scientists on Earth See Data in a New Way","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new algorithm tested on NASA\u2019s Perseverance Rover on Mars may lead to better forecasting of hurricanes, wildfires, and other extreme weather events that impact millions globally.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Ph.D. student\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.austinpwright.com\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAustin P. Wright\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E is first author of a paper that introduces Nested Fusion. The new algorithm improves scientists\u2019 ability to search for past signs of life on the Martian surface.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to supporting NASA\u2019s Mars 2020 mission, scientists from other fields working with large, overlapping datasets can use\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/10.1145\/3637528.3671596\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENested Fusion\u2019s methods\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E toward their studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWright presented Nested Fusion at the 2024 International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/kdd2024.kdd.org\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKDD 2024\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E) where it was a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/kdd2024.kdd.org\/awards\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Erunner-up for the best paper award\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. KDD is widely considered the world\u0027s most prestigious conference for knowledge discovery and data mining research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNested Fusion is really useful for researchers in many different domains, not just NASA scientists,\u201d said Wright. \u201cThe method visualizes complex datasets that can be difficult to get an overall view of during the initial exploratory stages of analysis.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENested Fusion combines datasets with different resolutions to produce a single, high-resolution visual distribution. Using this method, NASA scientists can more easily analyze multiple datasets from various sources at the same time. This can lead to faster studies of Mars\u2019 surface composition to find clues of previous life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe algorithm demonstrates how data science impacts traditional scientific fields like chemistry, biology, and geology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEven further, Wright is developing Nested Fusion applications to model shifting climate patterns, plant and animal life, and other concepts in the earth sciences. The same method can combine overlapping datasets from satellite imagery, biomarkers, and climate data.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cUsers have extended Nested Fusion and similar algorithms toward earth science contexts, which we have received very positive feedback,\u201d said Wright, who studies machine learning (ML) at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cCross-correlational analysis takes a long time to do and is not done in the initial stages of research when patterns appear and form new hypotheses. Nested Fusion enables people to discover these patterns much earlier.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWright is the data science and ML lead for\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pixlise.org\/public\/pixlise\u0022\u003EPIXLISE\u003C\/a\u003E, the software that NASA JPL scientists use to study data from the Mars Perseverance Rover.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPerseverance uses its Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) to collect data on mineral composition of Mars\u2019 surface. PIXL\u2019s two main tools that accomplish this are its X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectrometer and Multi-Context Camera (MCC).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen PIXL scans a target area, it creates two co-aligned datasets from the components. XRF collects a sample\u0027s fine-scale elemental composition. MCC produces images of a sample to gather visual and physical details like size and shape.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA single XRF spectrum corresponds to approximately 100 MCC imaging pixels for every scan point. Each tool\u2019s unique resolution makes mapping between overlapping data layers challenging. However, Wright and his collaborators designed Nested Fusion to overcome this hurdle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to progressing data science, Nested Fusion improves NASA scientists\u0027 workflow. Using the method, a single scientist can form an initial estimate of a sample\u2019s mineral composition in a matter of hours. Before Nested Fusion, the same task required days of collaboration between teams of experts on each different instrument.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI think one of the biggest lessons I have taken from this work is that it is valuable to always ground my ML and data science problems in actual, concrete use cases of our collaborators,\u201d Wright said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI learn from collaborators what parts of data analysis are important to them and the challenges they face. By understanding these issues, we can discover new ways of formalizing and framing problems in data science.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWright presented Nested Fusion at KDD 2024, held Aug. 25-29 in Barcelona, Spain. KDD is an official special interest group of the Association for Computing Machinery. The conference is one of the world\u2019s leading forums for knowledge discovery and data mining research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENested Fusion won runner-up for the best paper in the applied data science track, which comprised of over 150 papers. Hundreds of other papers were presented at the conference\u2019s research track, workshops, and tutorials.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWright\u2019s mentors,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scottdavidoff.com\/\u0022\u003EScott Davidoff\u003C\/a\u003E and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/poloclub.github.io\/polochau\/\u0022\u003EPolo Chau\u003C\/a\u003E, co-authored the Nested Fusion paper. Davidoff is a principal research scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Chau is a professor at the Georgia Tech School of Computational Science and Engineering (CSE).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was extremely happy that this work was recognized with the best paper runner-up award,\u201d Wright said. \u201cThis kind of applied work can sometimes be hard to find the right academic home, so finding communities that appreciate this work is very encouraging.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new algorithm tested on NASA\u2019s Perseverance Rover on Mars may lead to better forecasting of hurricanes, wildfires, and other extreme weather events that impact millions globally.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Ph.D. student\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.austinpwright.com\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAustin P. Wright\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E is first author of a paper that introduces Nested Fusion. The new algorithm improves scientists\u2019 ability to search for past signs of life on the Martian surface.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to supporting NASA\u2019s Mars 2020 mission, scientists from other fields working with large, overlapping datasets can use\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/10.1145\/3637528.3671596\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENested Fusion\u2019s methods\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E toward their studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWright presented Nested Fusion at the 2024 International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/kdd2024.kdd.org\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKDD 2024\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E) where it was a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/kdd2024.kdd.org\/awards\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Erunner-up for the best paper award\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. KDD is widely considered the world\u0027s most prestigious conference for knowledge discovery and data mining research.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Ph.D student Austin P. Wright wins a best paper runner-up award at an international conference for an algorithm used on the Mars Perseverance Rover than can be used in applications in earth science and other fields."}],"uid":"36319","created_gmt":"2024-09-19 18:01:05","changed_gmt":"2024-10-16 18:04:26","author":"Bryant Wine","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-09-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-09-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675051":{"id":"675051","type":"image","title":"perserverence_story graphic.v2.jpg","body":null,"created":"1726768880","gmt_created":"2024-09-19 18:01:20","changed":"1726768880","gmt_changed":"2024-09-19 18:01:20","alt":"KDD 2024","file":{"fid":"258640","name":"perserverence_story graphic.v2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/09\/19\/perserverence_story%20graphic.v2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/09\/19\/perserverence_story%20graphic.v2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":215743,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/09\/19\/perserverence_story%20graphic.v2.jpg?itok=vYR3AqeB"}},"675052":{"id":"675052","type":"image","title":"Nested Fusion Graphic copy.png","body":null,"created":"1726769003","gmt_created":"2024-09-19 18:03:23","changed":"1726769003","gmt_changed":"2024-09-19 18:03:23","alt":"KDD 2024","file":{"fid":"258642","name":"Nested Fusion Graphic copy.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/09\/19\/Nested%20Fusion%20Graphic%20copy.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/09\/19\/Nested%20Fusion%20Graphic%20copy.png","mime":"image\/png","size":348284,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/09\/19\/Nested%20Fusion%20Graphic%20copy.png?itok=m2tg1Jmy"}},"675053":{"id":"675053","type":"image","title":"AW Square copy.jpg","body":null,"created":"1726769033","gmt_created":"2024-09-19 18:03:53","changed":"1726769033","gmt_changed":"2024-09-19 18:03:53","alt":"KDD 2024 Austin P. Wright","file":{"fid":"258643","name":"AW Square copy.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/09\/19\/AW%20Square%20copy.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/09\/19\/AW%20Square%20copy.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":52877,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/09\/19\/AW%20Square%20copy.jpg?itok=AHCYZ8rp"}}},"media_ids":["675051","675052","675053"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/award-winning-algorithm-used-mars-rover-helps-scientists-earth-see-data-new-way","title":"Award-Winning Algorithm Used on Mars Rover Helps Scientists on Earth See Data in a New Way"}],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"50877","name":"School of Computational Science and Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"},{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192863","name":"go-ai"},{"id":"10199","name":"Daily Digest"},{"id":"9153","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"166983","name":"School of Computational Science and Engineering"},{"id":"654","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"187812","name":"artificial intelligence (AI)"},{"id":"9167","name":"machine learning"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193655","name":"Artificial Intelligence at Georgia Tech"},{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"},{"id":"193657","name":"Space Research Initiative"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBryant Wine, Communications Officer\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:bryant.wine@cc.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ebryant.wine@cc.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}