“We feel like we’re in an emergency situation and everything we’re building is designed to make decisions about climate change, analyzes Sébastien Soriano, general director of the IGN in an interview given to L’Usine Nouvelle the day before this event. The idea of this atlas is to mobilize everyone to be in time for the ecological transition. Sometimes, we are a little impatient. We must mobilize and make decisions quickly. We are a kind of arsenal that is ready to produce data in the time allotted by the Paris Agreement.
500 digital jobs
The IGN, which has made a significant contribution to the digital roadmap for ecological planning, claims to have always invested in innovation and technology (Lidar, cloud, etc.). “Before GPS, we used triangulation, we placed granite geodesic markers, recalls the Director General of the Institute. We have been using artificial intelligence for four or five years. Today, we have about thirty data scientists in our team.”
And the institute plans to further accelerate the use of AI, particularly by training its current and future staff. “We will continue to boost data science. The idea is that every IGN engineer will master AI. We are also investing in our school, ENSG-Géomatique – located at the Gustave Eiffel University in Champs-sur-Marne – to train engineers in geographic sciences and digital technology. A quarter will then come to the IGN. 500 jobs are currently linked to digital technology at the IGN.”
Next step, digital twins
AI makes it possible to cross-reference and process data at very high speed for this large-scale land use reference system produced on behalf of the Ministry of Ecological Transition. It makes it possible to monitor the phenomenon of soil artificialization, but also to set up a Forest Observatory and a renewable energy mapping portal in order to locate their presence on the territory, but also to know the potential of the areas where it will be possible to develop them massively.
“Each subject has its ecosystem, we cannot do it alone, recalls Sébastien Soriano. On the coastline and water tables, we are working with the BRGM. We should create a national coastline observatory, move towards digital twins. On the subject of wood, we are working with France Bois Forêt, the ONF (National Forestry Office, editor’s note)… The project is also to create a digital twin, in particular to model carbon sinks.” However, people remain at the heart of IGN’s business. And if “Innovation is shaking up professions, it’s up to us to support them. For example, we always need photo-interpreters, experts capable of recognizing structures”recalls the leader.
Finally, in a period of budgetary restriction, particularly on the ecological and energy transition, it is impossible not to ask the question for the IGN.The issue is not that it is reduced but to know what the means will be for the future, in order to develop data for decisions, digital twins, etc. The Paris Agreements had set a deadline that is approaching.”
Source: www.usinenouvelle.com
