artificial intelligence

Using Visual Search to Find Geographically Similar Features on Satellite Imagery

August 12, 2024

Caitlin Dempsey

Descartes Labs recently unveiled its GeoVisual Search application which uses machine learning to visually search satellite imagery for similar geographic features.

Flood susceptibility map from Tehran et al., 2015.

Spatial Analysis

GIS and Innovations in Machine Learning

August 12, 2024

Mark Altaweel

Machine learning or artificial techniques has been rapidly transforming many areas related to GIS and spatial applications

The examples on the left are the query photos. In response, PlaNet will output a probability distribution on the map. In these three examples, the Eiffel Tower (a) is confidently assigned to Paris, the model believes that the fjord photo (b) could have been taken in either New Zealand or Norway. For the beach photo (c), PlaNet assigns the highest probability to southern California (correct), but some probability mass is also assigned to places with similar beaches, like Mexico and the Mediterranean. The authors use a model with a much lower spatial resolution than the full model for visualization purposes. Source: Weyand, Kostrikov, & Philbin, 2016.

GIS Learning

Google’s PlaNet: Geolocating Photos Using Artificial Intelligence

March 11, 2016

A.J. Rohn

Google and researchers at the RheinischWestfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University have developed an artificial intelligence system capable of identifying locations more consistently accurately than a human is able to do.

Dense settlements (left) can take advantage of short-range wireless hotspots. Sparse settlements (right) require long-range cellular technology. Images: Digitalglobe.

GIS Data

GIS and Artificial Intelligence Used to Build Facebook’s World Population Map

August 12, 2024

Troy Lambert

Facebook has used a combination of existing GIS data, high resolution imagery, and artificial intelligence to develop a detailed population map of the world.