Kohima, May 21: Nagaland marked a significant technological milestone on Thursday with the launch of Eliona, an AI-native Climate and Disaster Intelligence Supercomputing Platform developed under the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA). The system was inaugurated by Advisor for NSDMA and New & Renewable Energy, Z. Nyusietho Nyuthe, at the Nagaland Centre for Disaster Management and Atmospheric Research (NaCDAR) in Kohima.

Joint Chief Executive Officer of NSDMA, Dr. Johnny Ruangmei, explained that Eliona has been designed as a next-generation AI-accelerated high-performance computing infrastructure dedicated to climate intelligence, disaster analytics, geospatial risk computation, and predictive disaster governance. The platform integrates atmospheric science, geospatial intelligence, big data analytics, remote sensing, and disaster governance frameworks to support weather and climate modelling, disaster simulations, AI research, and decision intelligence systems.

Eliona’s mission is to transform disaster management from reactive response to predictive intelligence. It will enable near real-time weather prediction, climate anomaly detection, terrain-aware hazard modelling, and disaster impact simulations. Nyuthe emphasized that Nagaland’s terrain, heavy rainfall, seismic sensitivity, and vulnerability to landslides, flash floods, and thunderstorms necessitate robust monitoring and early warning systems. He noted that Eliona would enhance rainfall prediction, flood and landslide analysis, geospatial hazard mapping, and climate risk assessment, while also supporting NSDMA initiatives such as disaster risk financing, parametric insurance, urban resilience planning, and community-based preparedness.

Chief Secretary Sentiyanger Imchen highlighted the platform’s role in high-resolution weather modelling, hazard mapping, damage assessment, and climate risk studies, stressing the importance of prevention and mitigation through predictive modelling. Home Commissioner Abhijit Sinha described Eliona as a major advancement in disaster preparedness, early warning systems, and evidence-based decision-making, adding that the AI-enabled platform would help the state better understand changing weather patterns and contribute to building a safer and more resilient Nagaland.