How data analytics and AI push the frontiers of research for high-impact innovation at LIST

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Data analytics and AI are more than just buzzwords when it comes to research and innovation. From handling big data to uncovering new insights, data analytics and AI have proven their value time and time again at LIST.

Introducing LIST

LIST, also known as the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, is a research and technological organization that focuses on applied research and technology transfer in four main areas:

1. Space – space resources for human and robotic exploration;
2. Materials – nanomaterials, nanotechnology, structural composites, and functional polymers;
3. Environment – biotechnologies, energy systems, agriculture, and natural resources management; and
4. Informatics – operations management in manufacturing and service industries, mobility, and logistics.

The LIST AIDA platform

LIST used IBM Cloud Pak for Data and Cloudera to develop the Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA) platform to support the research and innovation activities of its internal departments and provide R&I services and assistance to external organizations.The platform acts as a single point of entry regarding the management of data related to research projects in a central and secure processing and storage infrastructure. With its open architecture, the AIDA platform can support development prototypes and minimum viable products (MVPs) and services which can be transferred to our partners to operate in their own execution platforms. It can also be updated to connect to new components and platforms in the future, ensuring that the platform will remain relevant in the years to come.The AIDA platform is used in many ways by LIST’s researchers, including accelerating the delivery of data insights and supporting the elaboration of their models before the models are transferred in the Cloudera environment for further refinement and optimization.

Using AIDA to support organizations with their R&I

In addition to the data-heavy applications utilized by the researchers and engineers at LIST, the AIDA platform is also used for collaborating with private and public organizations to help develop innovative solutions based on data analytics and artificial intelligence. This is particularly useful for SMEs that haven’t invested in the latest data analytics and artificial intelligence platforms.Organizations use the LIST AIDA platform as a testbed environment for testing new prototype solutions and supporting the transfer of technological solutions back to them. This enables the organizations to discover the advantages offered by the AIDA platform combined with the professional expertise available at LIST.

AIDA in practice: an example

To give an example of the opportunities opened up by the AI and DA capabilities, LIST has been involved in determining if it is worth the investment of placing solar panels on individual buildings. In other words, how much energy could the panels generate based on the size, angle, and orientation of the building’s roof and facades. Past weather data was used to give a detailed view of the intensity of the solar rays, including the shadowing effect. For new buildings, the AIDA platform could help architects to decide where to place solar panels, and how many.

This project is currently being expanded to predict the amount of solar power that can be generated from a small city on a daily basis. This enables the grid distributor to balance the production of energy with the generated solar energy.

How can the LIST AIDA platform help your organization?

To know more about how the LIST AIDA platform or any of LIST’s other R&I services can help your organization to gain more and better insights from your data, contact Eric Dubois, Public Affairs and Digital Platform Chief Architect at LIST https://www.list.lu/en/contact/

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