ChileOther · Extreme events

Satellite monitoring with AI for risk management of extreme climate events in Chile

In Chile, Chucaw, a startup co-founded by the young Isis Riquelme at age 21, responds to fires, droughts and other extreme weather events with a platform that combines artificial intelligence, satellite data and local knowledge to anticipate risks. Deliver reports and alerts to municipalities and communities so they can act in time. It has already implemented pilot projects with insurance companies, forestry and agricultural companies and municipalities, and was awarded CORFO's Expande Seed Capital.

Extreme eventsOther
Imagen de Monitoreo satelital con IA para la gestión del riesgo de eventos climáticos extremos en Chile
Problem
In Chile, the frequency of megadroughts, forest fires and extreme rainfall impacts rural communities and peri-urban municipalities exposed to disaster risks. The lack of access to hydroclimatic monitoring and continuous remote sensing in these territories accentuates their vulnerability, limiting the local capacity to foresee environmental impacts and protect the population.
Action
Chucaw develops modules that combine terrestrial observation, artificial intelligence and digital twins to anticipate risks: territorial and agricultural adaptation plans against frosts, droughts and water stress (SBNAI); monitoring of glaciers and snow with early warnings of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) and mass movements (ResiliAI-M); identification of heat islands and fires in the urban-forest interface (ResiliAI-U); and monitoring of thermal stress of workers in the field (EulidIA).
Place
N/A, N/A, Chile
Youth participation
Chucaw was co-founded by Isis Riquelme at age 21; Today he is its CEO. In 2023, United Nations Youth recognized her among 500 young people who contribute to the SDGs for her work in Chucaw. The young team is involved in the design of AI algorithms and the analysis of satellite data.

Base information

Measure summary

In Chile, Chucaw, a startup co-founded by the young Isis Riquelme at age 21, responds to fires, droughts and other extreme weather events with a platform that combines artificial intelligence, satellite data and local knowledge to anticipate risks. Deliver reports and alerts to municipalities and communities so they can act in time. It has already implemented pilot projects with insurance companies, forestry and agricultural companies and municipalities, and was awarded CORFO's Expande Seed Capital.

National vulnerability profile

Chile meets 7 of the 9 climate vulnerability criteria of the UNFCCC. The country faces a prolonged megadrought, heat waves and high-impact forest fires that affect from the Metropolitan Region to the far south, and increasing pressure on its water resources. Added to this are extreme rainfall that impacts rural communities and peri-urban municipalities exposed to disaster risks.

Measure objectives

Provide technological tools based on GeoAI and territorial intelligence to anticipate, manage and reduce the impacts of extreme climate events. It seeks to empower decision makers, local governments and communities with processed satellite data to increase adaptation capacity and climate resilience.

Proposed solutions

Chucaw develops modules that combine terrestrial observation, artificial intelligence and digital twins to anticipate risks: territorial and agricultural adaptation plans against frosts, droughts and water stress (SBNAI); monitoring of glaciers and snow with early warnings of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) and mass movements (ResiliAI-M); identification of heat islands and fires in the urban-forest interface (ResiliAI-U); and monitoring of thermal stress of workers in the field (EulidIA).

Beneficiary communities

Municipalities, insurers and companies in the forestry and agricultural sector that use the platform; agricultural workers and operators exposed to thermal stress; and women from vulnerable territories trained in the use of climate alerts.

Role of youth

Chucaw was co-founded by Isis Riquelme at age 21; Today he is its CEO. In 2023, United Nations Youth recognized her among 500 young people who contribute to the SDGs for her work in Chucaw. The young team is involved in the design of AI algorithms and the analysis of satellite data.

Results

Chucaw implemented pilot projects with insurance companies, companies in the forestry and agricultural sector, and municipalities in Chile, and trained women from vulnerable territories in the use of climate alerts. It was awarded the Capital Semilla Expande from CORFO to scale its early warning systems to new territories and won the Trophée Startup, promoted by the French Embassy in Chile and Business France.

Complementary information

Funding type

Mixed

Local climate problem

In Chile, the frequency of megadroughts, forest fires and extreme rainfall impacts rural communities and peri-urban municipalities exposed to disaster risks. The lack of access to hydroclimatic monitoring and continuous remote sensing in these territories accentuates their vulnerability, limiting the local capacity to foresee environmental impacts and protect the population.

National sociopolitical context

Chile has the Climate Change Framework Law (Law 21,455) and National Adaptation Plans, promoting innovation and technological development for resilience. There is a growing ecosystem of startups and technology promotion (CORFO), although gaps in financing and integration of GeoAI tools in decentralized municipal public management still persist.

Strategic alliances

Chucaw received financing from CORFO through Capital Semilla Expande to scale its early warning systems to new territories, and was recognized with the Trophée Startup, promoted by the French Embassy in Chile and Business France. In addition, it validated its models in pilot projects with insurance companies, companies in the forestry and agricultural sector, and municipalities in Chile.

Enabling and limiting factors

The implementation is favored by the availability of open access satellite images (Sentinel, Landsat), the advancement of cloud computing and artificial intelligence, added to the growing municipal interest in climate solutions. However, it faces difficulties due to low digital literacy in geospatial management in some communes, restricted local budgets for technological adoption, and the need for continued financing to scale predictive models.

Co-benefits

Democratization of access to satellite and climate information, strengthening of local technical capacities, optimization of the use of water resources, preventive environmental conservation and promotion of technological entrepreneurship led by youth in Latin America.

Scalability

High regional and global scalability. Being a solution based on software, satellite data and artificial intelligence, the model can be replicated in any territory or country with low physical infrastructure, adapting the algorithms to the local climatic variables of each region.

Long-term sustainability

Sustainability based on a SaaS (Software as a Service) business model and B2G/B2B territorial intelligence services. By relying on digital infrastructure in the cloud, it maintains low physical maintenance costs and ensures long-term operational continuity through subscriptions and strategic projects.