The Short Cut: Our favorite AI-based location tech stories of the week
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We’ve been reading a lot of news over the past week and there’s one topic coming up over and over again: artificial intelligence. AI dominates the headlines at the moment and it’s promising to reinvent almost everything around us, including mapmaking and location tech. This week, we’re looking at stories that explore how AI can recreate lost neighborhoods, revolutionize property tax collection and fuel autonomous taxis that spark debate.
Machine learning recreates post-WWII neighborhoods
Imagine yourself with a virtual reality headset, strolling through the streets of post-WII neighborhoods, observing what life must have been like. That seems perfectly possible now thanks to researchers at Ohio State University and machine learning.The researchers used machine learning and old maps to create 3D digital models of post-WII neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio, which were largely demolished to construct the U.S. highway I-70 in the 1960s. The story was spotted by InterestingEngineering.
The opportunities of this project go far beyond nostalgia. A press release by the researchers, explains how it opens the possibility of carrying out studies previously considered impossible– Like estimating the economic loss of demolished historic neighborhoods, recreating neighborhoods lost to natural disasters or even exploring the urban heat island effect provoked by the replacement of homes with highways.
‘Digital twin’ mapping project meant to improve property tax collection in India
Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited, a government project in India, is preparing to launch a ‘digital twin’ pilot project to map physical assets in the city of Thiruvananthapuram. The project aims to reduce payment gaps and improve monitoring processes in property tax collection, as reported by TheHindu.
Using drones, all buildings in the city will be mapped, linked to an identification number that will be used to determine those with pending taxes and unauthorized constructions. The project will begin in three districts and extend progressively across the city as part of the Smart City Mission project.This ‘digital twin’ technique is rapidly gaining more and more popularity, finding applications even in medical care and other disciplines.
Australia’s metropolitan areas will be mapped in 3D
As GIMInternational reports, Ecopia AI, an AI-specialized location tech company and Woolpert, a design, geospatial and consulting firm, have joined forces to create a highly detailed 3D map of Australia's top metropolitan areas.
The new map aims to cover over 70% of Australia’s population by using Woolpert's aerial imagery and Ecopia's AI-based mapping systems to extract land cover classification features, including 3D vectors for buildings, trees and bridges.This collaboration builds upon their previous successful projects, such as mapping the city of Perth in 3D, which resulted in significant cost savings for the Local State Information Authority.
Driverless taxis are sparking more debates in San Francisco
San Francisco is coping with the presence of driverless cars on its streets, as incidents involving these autonomous vehicles have raised concerns among city officials, states The WashingtonPost.
Incidents involving autonomous taxi services have triggered a protest known as the "Week of Cone" on social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok. People are placing traffic cones on these vehicles’ hoods to express their opposition to the expansion of robotaxi services in the city.
Autonomous vehicle companies like Waymo and Cruise are eager to expand and argue that technology is crucial in reducing road fatalities, which they believe are mostly the result of human error. City leaders, on the other hand, claim that their AI-operated machines need significant improvement before they can be rolled out further.
TomTom launches the first (LLM) plugin for location tech
Last week, TomTom became the first location tech company – by our records – to take the plunge into ChatGPT plugins.The new TomTom plugin allows ChatGPT Plus subscribers to access the company’s geolocation capabilities such as geocoding, map visualization and routing, etc. within their ChatGPT interactions. It can be used by developers to build user-friendly navigation apps and drivers to get to their destination.
Is your EV running out of battery? Simply ask TomTom ChatGPT Plugin, "Give me the coordinates of the closest EV charger in Midtown, Detroit, and show it on a map." and within seconds, a map with the charger locations is at your fingertips. Watch the video above, or check out the LinkedIN post for more.
And that wraps up this week's Short Cut! See you in a couple of weeks with more exciting stories in the world of tech, mobility and location data. Stay tuned.
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