The forests that surround Campos do Jordao are among the foggiest places on Earth. With a canopy shrouded in mist much of time, these are the renowned cloud forests of the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is here that researchers from the São Paulo…
Scientists around the world are striving tirelessly to monitor and model the environment—to understand the intricate workings of our ecosystem—so that policymakers can make informed decisions that lead to a sustainable future for “spaceship Earth.” This research involves using the thousands of available environmental datasets,…
With the rapid rise of data-intensive scientific research—across disciplines and around the globe—scientists in Asia, as elsewhere, face massive computing needs and challenges. Mindful of our role in helping scientists turn big data into big discoveries, Beijing-based Microsoft Research Asia has collaborated closely with domestic…
Last June, U.S. President Barack Obama announced a Climate Action Plan to help predict and address the impacts of climate change. To further this important effort, Microsoft Research is pleased to launch a special Climate Data award program, which offers scientists and decision-makers 12 months…
For the past five years, WorldWide Telescope (WWT) has served as an enriching resource in schools, museums, planetariums, and homes all over the world, inspiring students and astronomy enthusiasts with its detailed views of the heavens and interactive educational content. In celebration of its fifth…
Preserving biodiversity, understanding animals’ social interactions, and predicting droughts: these are all key research areas for ecologists and environmental scientists. And like so many areas of research these days, they are all data intensive and thus potential beneficiaries of cloud computing. With that in mind,…
https://youtu.be/Pwtpseb9fOM Starting in the tenth century, during the Medieval Warm Period, Greenland was a fraction of a degree warmer than today. Norse settlers raised livestock and cultivated small farms. Later, in the fifteenth century, a colder climate and conflicts with the Inuit caused them to…
I enjoy being able to work in technology because it has the potential for great impact in a range of research areas. But, more specifically, I have the privilege to work with the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) in Brazil to achieve that goal. Together,…
High in the mountains of northern Colombia live the Arhuaco, an indigenous people renowned for their stewardship of their rugged environment and the close-knit nature of their society. These remote people have traditionally resisted intrusions from the outside world, so one would not expect them…
Big Data: these words are on the lips of researchers everywhere these days. But it’s more than a catch phrase—it’s a reality in the burgeoning world of eScience, as investigators strive to make sense of the seemingly endless flow of new information. Nowhere is the…
https://youtu.be/MSWQ_E0S9ys In the late 1800s, the guanaco, a close relative of the llama, was hunted to near extinction. As we mark this year’s Earth Day (April 22), I want to share my excitement about a new tool that looks to make the future a little…
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending South by Southwest Interactive, one of the largest conferences on emerging technology in the world. The event is held in Austin, Texas, as part of the family of South by Southwest (SXSW) festivals that also include…
