Shanghai Uses AI to Predict Falling Leaves and Efficiently Clean Streets
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Shanghai is using surveillance cameras and AI to monitor trees and predict when leaves will fall to better manage street cleaning.
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The "defoliation index model" calculates the volume of leaves expected to fall based on images of changing canopies.
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The index helps the city deploy the right number of sanitation workers and vehicles for cleaning fallen leaves.
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Before this technology, anticipating leaf litter volumes depended solely on departmental experience.
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The goal is to balance enjoying autumn leaves with the burden on sanitation workers to clean them up.