Urban Environment

Asphalt roads, parking lots, buildings and paved courtyards: in our cities, a large share of the ground is sealed. This has consequences. Rainwater can no longer seep into the soil and instead flows into the sewer system, which can lead to flooding during heavy rainfall. Sealed surfaces heat up considerably in summer, plants and animals lose their habitats, and valuable soil is lost. Many cities and municipalities therefore want to unseal areas in a targeted way. To do so, however, they first need to know where and to what extent the ground is sealed. Mapping these areas by hand takes a great deal of time and staff. ...

Trees, parks, lawns and hedges are more than just pleasant to look at. Urban greenery helps keep cities cool on hot summer days and soaks up rainwater that would otherwise flood streets and overwhelm drains. To plan, manage and protect these green spaces, cities need to know exactly where vegetation grows. Detailed vegetation maps also feed into computer simulations that help cities prepare for heat waves and heavy rainfall. Such maps can be created from aerial and satellite images with the help of artificial intelligence. Until now, however, most of these approaches have been complex to set up and required powerful, expensive computers. ...