New Light Technologies Inc. (NLT), in partnership with General Assembly (GA), hosted an event — "Data for Disasters: Leveraging Data Science for Disaster Response & Management." Selected GA students from across the school's campuses showcased innovative applications they developed during the most recent Data Science Immersive class. These applications use technology, AI, and big data to address some of the most fundamental problems of today's world, with a focus on improving how agencies such as FEMA, the World Bank, and developing countries prepare for and respond to major disasters.
Since its launch, the partnership between NLT and GA has resulted in more than 40 innovative student projects bringing together state-of-the-art data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, open-source data, and crowd-sourcing to improve decision-making during disasters.
The students presented open-source applications developed to support disaster management. Examples from this cohort's work include an application that uses live social media feeds to identify road closures or power outages during disasters, a disaster management tool for the city of Houston, and a damage-assessor tool that reports the level of damage to structures. All of these tools, developed in Python, could be deployed as soon as the next emergency.
For over 10 years, NLT has supported FEMA in preparing for, protecting against, responding to, recovering from, and mitigating various hazards. The company has also begun supporting the World Bank to better utilize geospatial data to improve its understanding of the developing world. "It is only when technology and science are brought together that we see the most innovative solutions for critical problems. And only when you think outside the box do you come up with the best — and often simplest — ideas," said NLT's Chief Scientist.
According to GA's Global Lead Instructor of the Data Science Immersive course, the partnership has been a great learning opportunity for students: "People are learning data science not by textbooks, but by doing important work. These projects are meaningful — students get the opportunity to complete a project on their own that has the power to save lives."
This initiative is part of NLT's deepening collaboration with the scientific community and academic institutions across the U.S., including research projects and summer internship programs in partnership with universities such as UC San Diego and American University.
About New Light Technologies
New Light Technologies (NLT) is a Washington, DC-based firm with 25+ years of experience delivering:
- Geospatial systems and enterprise GIS
- Cloud-native data platforms
- AI/ML and advanced analytics
- DevSecOps and cybersecurity solutions
NLT supports federal, state, and international organizations in operationalizing data for mission impact.