The city of Antwerp has been successfully implementing the first action of its Action Plan: the development of an mobile app using Image Recognition for reporting of fly-tipping/illegal dumping.
After several steps and tests to find the right model, to label images correctly, to gather a rich set of data and type of waste, the app has been launched and automatic image recognition has been added to the urban notification application of the city.
The app recognizes a lot of illegal landfill such as furniture, household appliances, computers and smartphones, mattresses, paper, pmd and different types of bags. In case of doubt, whoever makes the report will be asked whether the estimate made is correct. If the app does not recognize the image, the submitter can provide a description. In this way, the image recognition is also trained to recognize waste. The application also asks to share the location of the report and to confirm the estimate made. In this way, the correct location of the report is automatically sent to the correct city department.
This action is part of the plan developed by the City of Antwerp to improve waste management performances on its territory by fostering the use of intelligent equipment and planning derived of it. This Action Plan implemented by Antwerp includes two other changes to its Strategic Multi-Annual Plan 2020-2025. Discover them here.
