Google, a multinational technology company, has reportedly unveiled the ‘Tree Canopy Lab’ platform. The launch of this new platform, which combines AI (artificial intelligence) and aerial imagery, is in line with the target of the policymakers to plant more trees and significantly increase share on the warming city streets across the globe.

The new platform will aid several cities in understanding the current tree canopy coverage as well as planning various tree planting projects, by starting with Los Angeles.

As per the statement made by Google, planting trees has been considered an effective solution to lower the street-level temperatures and subsequently improve the quality of life. However, several cities do not have the resources or budget to locate the available trees or where new tree-planting efforts are needed.

Google further added that the new Tree Canopy Lab platform will provide information on Los Angeles’s trees such as the percentage of the neighborhood that has leafy covers, the population density of an area, regions that are vulnerable to extreme heat, and neighborhood councils that can help plant new roots. It is a part of the ‘Environmental Insights Explorer’ platform, which can be used as a tool to simplify the measurement, planning, and reduction of carbon emissions & pollution in cities.

Google adopts a specialized tree-detection AI, known as tree canopy, to automatically scan images, detect the presence of trees, and produce a map of the tree cover density. In addition, the lab can help identify residential blocks with higher tree-planting potential as well as locate sidewalks vulnerable to high temperatures due to low coverage of canopy.

The technology company has reported that more than 50% of Los Angeles people live in areas with less than 10% canopy coverage, while 44% of them live in areas with extreme heat risks. It further stated that the new platform will be made available to more cities in years to come.

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https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/schools/google-launches-ai-platform-to-help-cities-plant-more-trees-174250