One Concern Partners with UofM’s CERI on Resilience Research Collaboration

May 8, 2019 - One Concern, a Menlo Park, Calif.,-based AI company, is partnering with the UofM Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) to help communities build long-term resilience against natural disasters.

The collaboration centers around the application of machine learning technology to Tennessee datasets, with the two organizations spearheading a data collection project for areas with data deficiency for the purpose of providing insights and building long-term resilience both inside and outside of Tennessee.

"CERI has built a reputation as a global leader in earthquake research, and our work has contributed to the understanding of earthquake processes and more advanced detection systems which save lives," said Dr. Charles Langston, director of the center. "Partnering with a company like One Concern could accelerate innovation in this sector in a way that only public-private partnerships can."

In addition to collaborating at the intersection of AI, machine learning and natural phenomena sciences, the partnership also will create educational opportunities, explore the licensing of UofM inventions and technologies, and build pathways for collaborative partnerships that deploy One Concern's resiliency platform in unique ways, both in the Memphis area and beyond.

"The University of Memphis welcomes collaborations with companies like One Concern that recognize the research leadership of the University of Memphis," said Dr. Jasbir Dhaliwal, executive vice president of the Division of Research and Innovation. "We invite all companies interested in research at the UofM and collaboration with the industries in our area to contact us."

"Natural disasters are a growing problem that threaten lives and livelihoods right here in Memphis and across the globe," said Ahmad Wani, CEO and co-founder of One Concern.
"As we partner with forward-thinking cities and organizations around the world to deploy our AI-powered disaster resilience platform, it is important that we continue to draw on the best science in the field. This is why we are so excited about our partnership with the University of Memphis and CERI. Together, I am confident that we will advance our vision of a more resilient Memphis and a more resilient world."

CERI, established in 1977, addresses critical needs for the region, nation and the world through cutting-edge research, comprehensive graduate student education, operation of state-of-the-art seismic and GPS networks, and dissemination of technical and practical information to the private and public sectors.

Founded at Stanford University, One Concern enables cities, corporations and citizens to embrace a disaster-free future through AI-enabled technology, policy and finance. By combining data science and natural phenomena science, it is pursuing a vision for planetary-scale resilience where everyone lives in a safe, equitable and sustainable world.

For more information on the initiative, contact Cody Behles at cbehles@memphis.edu.