The United States Geological Survey has partnered with Australian quantum firm Q-CTRL to explore the use of quantum computing in helping to detect natural disasters earlier and monitoring climate change. The agency, which exists to provide scientific data on the natural hazards that threaten earth, including earthquakes, volcanoes, and other natural disasters, said in a […]
The United States Geological Survey has partnered with Australian quantum firm Q-CTRL to explore the use of quantum computing in helping to detect natural disasters earlier and monitoring climate change.
The agency, which exists to provide scientific data on the natural hazards that threaten earth, including earthquakes, volcanoes, and other natural disasters, said in a statement that it hoped to apply quantum to some of the key challenges in geophysics and environmental sensing.
Sydney HQ’d firm Q-CTR is focussed on quantum control engineering, which looks how quantum systems can be applied practically to real-world challenges.
Everything you need to know about quantum (but were afraid to ask)
Q-CTR claims to use quantum techniques such as quantum gravimetry, quantum magnetometry, and quantum-enhanced logistics optimisation to deliver previously impossible insights and solve previously intractable problems.
Last year the firm announced a partnership with Australia’s Department of Defence to develop quantum sensors that will deliver quantum-assured navigation capability for military platforms.
The Aussie engineering outfit has partnered with USGS specifically to use quantum to solve problems in critical areas such as underground water resource management, polar ice-sheet monitoring, natural-hazard preparedness, and the discovery and utilisation of energy and mineral resources.
The technology under exploration promises earlier detection of hazards, new ways to see through the earth to monitor sensitive water assets, and dramatic cost reduction in resources production.
These carry both exceptional economic and strategic value in the presence of a changing climate, the company claims.
Q-CTRL and USGS said that they plan to embark on workshops and field investigations to fully exploit quantum technologies’ capabilities to set anew benchmark in geophysical exploration and environmental monitoring “both on Earth and beyond”.
Jonathan Stock, director of the USGS National Innovation Center (NIC) said, “combined with other enabling technologies, quantum sensors may dramatically improve the ability to detect and assess resources and hazards in the undiscovered country of planetary sub surfaces, on our own world and beyond. This is a frontier that will require public, private and international partners together to explore, and we are delighted to be exploring with Q-CTRL.”
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