The Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) on Thursday launched “ELIONA”, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) supercomputing facility aimed at strengthening disaster preparedness, weather forecasting and climate monitoring in Nagaland.
The platform was launched at the Nagaland Centre for Disaster Management and Atmospheric Research (NaCDAR) in Kohima by NSDMA and New & Renewable Energy Advisor Z Nyusietho Nyuthe.
ELIONA will support weather and climate modelling, hazard mapping, disaster simulations and AI-assisted scientific research related to disaster management and climate risks.
Speaking at the launch program, NSDMA Joint Chief Executive Officer Johnny Ruangmei said the name ELIONA is derived from Hebrew origin, meaning “God is gracious” and “God has answered” and that, the facility has been developed as a scientific platform for weather intelligence, earth observation analytics and disaster forecasting.
According to Ruangmei, the system would help in near real-time weather prediction, climate anomaly detection, terrain-based hazard modelling and disaster impact analysis.
He said the platform would strengthen the State’s ability to interpret weather data, satellite imagery, hydrological inputs and terrain information crucial for disaster risk reduction.
Speaking at the program, Nyuthe said Nagaland’s vulnerability to heavy rainfall, landslides, flash floods and seismic activity makes advanced monitoring and early warning systems increasingly important.
Chief Secretary Sentiyanger Imchen said the facility would support high-resolution weather modelling, flood and landslide analysis, hazard mapping and climate risk studies in the State.
Home Commissioner Abhijit Sinha described ELIONA as an important step towards improving disaster preparedness and evidence-based decision-making in Nagaland.