The City of Melbourne is trialing AI technology from Nokia to help increase the cleanliness and safety of the area’s streets.

The local government area is located in Victoria, Australia, and has an area of 37 square kilometers and a population of around 183,756. Illegal waste dumping in the city is a problem that causes both hygiene and safety problems.

Using Nokia’s Scene Analytics AI technology, the city hopes to gain a deeper understanding of waste disposal behaviour across the area.

Rob Mccabe, Head of Enterprise of Australia and New Zealand at Nokia, said:

“The City of Melbourne is using robust AI technology to offer its citizens, visitors, and businesses a greener and more liveable community.

In helping the City of Melbourne monitor and enhance services with real-time driven actions, Nokia Scene Analytics is supporting the safety, security and operational continuity of this city in a proactive and automated way.”

An existing network of cameras is being used as IoT sensors to monitor waste compactors. Nokia’s AI is used to filter and collate data from the cameras – combining it with other data, including from the compactor itself – to create real-time alerts and produce reports.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp, City of Melbourne, commented:

“This is a great example of using new technology to help remove illegal waste more quickly, make our city cleaner, and protect the environment.

Our partnership with Nokia is another way we are gathering data to make Melbourne a safer, smarter, and more sustainable city.

This innovative project will help to avoid hazards and make our streets even cleaner by allowing our waste services to better understand behavior trends related to the illegal and dangerous dumping of waste.”  

A virtual “tripwire” allows for real-time monitoring of compactors. Object detection and counting were used to determine the items being placed in the compactor and their impact on it. This data can be used to help predict when compactors may require maintenance in order to minimise downtime.

During the trial, all faces and license plates were blurred to maintain the privacy of individuals.

(Image Credit: City of Melbourne)

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