IBM is
unveiling a suite of environmental intelligence software to help companies
understand both how their businesses are impacting the environment and how the
environment is impacting their businesses.
The IBM
Environmental Intelligence Suite combines weather data, carbon accounting
capabilities, artificial intelligence and more to help companies such as
airlines become smarter and more efficient in understanding and minimizing
their impact on the environment.
“You
can’t manage what you can’t see and a lot of companies, as we have been talking
to them more and more, they are struggling to monitor this information on an
ongoing basis,” says Shari Diaz, IBM director of product management for AI applications.
“A lot of
large enterprises work for three to six months to compile an annual report...
publish it once a year and lose sight again. One of our big goals is to say
let’s do better than that. Let’s look at this much more frequently, let’s bring
this information together, make it easier to get your hands on it so you can
monitor it ongoing. Once you are able to monitor that with a systematic and
technology approach, you can start to apply AI... and many more insights become
unlocked at that point. You can see more, you can understand more, you can
predict more.”
Along with airlines, Diaz says the solution is applicable for
hotels, cruise lines and any type of business that moves goods and/or people – including
employees – as part of their day-to-day operations.
The solution incorporates APIs, dashboards, maps and alerts to help
companies monitor severe weather and wildfires, predict impacts of climate
change, respond to disruptions and measure and report on sustainability
efforts.
Diaz says the software has been developed in part due to inquiries
from customers, which have only increased during the pandemic.
“I think the pandemic has demonstrated how... connected we are
around the globe. And how things that impact one part of the world really can,
and do, impact all of us. So that has actually put a spotlight on
sustainability and efforts to take care of our environment,” Diaz says.
“It’s
being driven by the financial institutions – if you want financing for
something from a large bank you have to... know what is your business’s impact
on the environment right now. And number two is consumers... consumers are
willing to change their buying behavior to reduce the impact of their purchase on
the environment. And then the last thing is talented people want to work for companies
that have a commitment here, to the environment. All industries are seeing pressure
across all those three spaces.”
Airlines that
already work with IBM include Southwest, Alitalia and Alaska Airlines.