Using AI to Monitor our Environment Envirotech Online

An exciting new proposition from two students at the University of Toronto may hold the key to solving logistical problems in monitoring and addressing the state of Canadian rivers. Alberto Camacho and Patricio Córdova have developed a scheme named Drone River which utilises a three-pronged approach in order to provide better surveillance and analysis of river levels than ever before. Their system relies upon three different components: firstly, an automated web service handles texts, emails, phone calls and social media updates to gather information about potential concerns in different areas of the river. Secondly, a network of sensors are distributed onsite along the river to collect real-time in-situ data, augmenting their knowledge of the potential problems. After the problem zones have been identified, drones are then deployed to perform basic reconnaissance by taking pictures, videos and water samples, before returning to base for the information to be processed.