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The fully installed Lahaina SAGE Node, co-located with the Hawai‘i Mesonet weather station, integrates advanced sensing and computing for real-time environmental and climate resilience research.
The Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) joined a new $25.6 million National Science Foundation (NSF) project led by Northwestern University to develop and understand the integration, programming, and use of AI across scientific computing resources and high-resolution environmental sensors and instruments, such as cameras, microphones, and weather sensors.
The Sage Grande Testbed is designed to revolutionize the integration of multi-modal large language models and edge computing in scientific research, expanding NSF’s cyberinfrastructure to support advanced AI applications across various domains.
Heading Hawai‘i’s contribution to the SAGE Grande Testbed, WRRC faculty Thomas Giambelluca, Christopher Shuler, and Han Tseng will lead sensor deployment, integrate SAGE nodes with the Hawai‘i Mesonet network, facilitate community and research training workshops on AI and data visualization applications, and contribute environmental and hydrologic expertise to align technology deployment with local climate resilience goals.
The WRRC team specifically manages the Lahaina SAGE Node, a smart environmental monitoring system installed at the Hawai‘i Mesonet weather station in Lahaina, Maui, that combines traditional weather sensing with advanced computing and camera-based observation to detect and process environmental conditions in real time. Powered by a solar energy system, the SAGE Node can analyze local data directly on-site to support research on rainfall, flooding, drought, and wildfire impacts.
“Integrating the SAGE Node with the Hawai‘i Mesonet station in Lahaina enhances our ability to detect and respond to extreme weather events in real time,” Shuler said.
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa team installed the SAGE Node and its solar power system at the Lahaina Mesonet site, which will provide renewable power for continuous, real-time climate data collection.
This project will provide hands-on training and educational resources for students to enhance their technical skills and, ultimately, the nation’s AI workforce development.
Watch a video on the SAGE Node deployment, installation, and field experience in Hawaiʻi created by Northwestern University and project partners.