Satellites are mapping out every tree on earth using AI technology

Scientists have mapped 1.8 billion individual tree canopies across millions of kilometres of the Sahel and Sahara regions of West Africa. It is the first time ever that trees have been mapped in detail over such a large area. So how was it possible? They employed neural networks which are able to recognise objects, like trees, based on their shapes and colours. To train it, the AI system was shown satellite images where trees had been manually traced.