Monitoring the city with drones: Artificial Intelligence in environmental management
Hector Antonio Vazquez Brust - Estanislao Pahn - Sebastian Fermani - Editor: Daniel Peciña-Lopez
When we talk about artificial intelligence, we often think of it as a revolutionary and novel concept that has just arrived in our lives. However, this term was first used almost seventy years ago, in 1955 to be more precise, by John McCarthy in a workshop at Dartmouth University in the United States. Nevertheless, it is in the last decade that we have witnessed a true revolution in the advancement of intelligent technologies.
Artificial intelligence, when used under ethical standards, is poised to address many of the current challenges, including those faced by cities in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Thanks to the digitization of our cities and big data, municipalities in our region are getting closer to, among many areas, reducing traffic accidents on their streets, decreasing pollution levels, or improving waste management. The latter is undoubtedly one of the main challenges for the sustainable development of the region: by detecting, controlling, and monitoring landfills in a timely manner, LAC municipalities could improve not only the environment but also the health of their residents.
In their mission to improve lives in LAC cities, the Housing and Urban Development Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) supports cities in the early detection of illegal landfills. Keep reading to learn how, thanks to artificial intelligence, the city of Mendoza in Argentina, with the support of the Bunge and Born Foundation, has taken on the issue of garbage dumps.
Open-air garbage dumps are one of the most visible aspects of the problem. These are sites where waste accumulates illegally, causing severe harm to the natural environment by degrading the quality of the soil, air, and watercourses, and underground reservoirs affected by toxic leaks. They also affect the health of those living nearby, especially the most vulnerable people. Indeed, a high incidence of respiratory diseases and heavy metal poisoning has been found among the child population in communities residing near a large landfill.
Managing these problematic areas, which are becoming increasingly common in metropolitan regions, is a massive challenge for local and national governments. Due to their informal nature, open-air garbage dumps appear and grow without the awareness of regulatory bodies. This lack of information further complicates decision-making and the creation of effective policies to improve the situation. Read more…
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Hector Antonio Vazquez Brust - Estanislao Pahn - Sebastian Fermani - Editor: Daniel Peciña-Lopez
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