Odisha space agency moots use of artificial intelligence to detect cannabis cultivation – IAM Network

With illicit cannabis cultivation continuing to flourish in remote areas of the State, the Odisha Space Application Centre (OSAC) has proposed to help law enforcement agencies detect the activity using remote sensing and artificial intelligence technologies. The proposal submitted to the State Excise Department says high resolution satellite imagery can be used for detecting cultivation of hemp, a variety of cannabis. Apart from developing mobile-based applications for field level officials, OSAC has proposed to create a mechanism for citizen reporting by which people can take images and video of any illegal hemp cultivation and report through application.Odisha is one of the leading cannabis producing States in India. Though law enforcement agencies have intensified their raids, it is difficult to trace the cultivation on a real-time basis."Considering the increasing availability of both spatial and temporal resolution satellite images and advanced algorithms for image processing and spatial modeling, the system will be able to produce reliable geographic information for law enforcement agencies and public policy planning authorities to monitor the illegal plantation of cannabis," OSAC said.Cannabis is widely grown in forested regions of Malkangiri, Sambalpur, Deogarh, …