Facebook is launching free AI-enabled population density maps covering most of Africa, highlighting that the maps can help disaster relief and vaccination projects to organise the best use of targeted resources. The American Red Cross has already used Facebook’s map data. AI automates what was once a challenging human job, with data from Open Street Map used to train the system to recognise buildings in satellite imagery and remove data showing unoccupied land. The company began its mapping project in 2016 with just 55,000 nations.
Facebook is launching free AI-enabled population density maps covering most of Africa, highlighting that the maps can help disaster relief and vaccination projects to organise the best use of targeted resources. The American Red Cross has already used Facebook’s map data. AI automates what was once a challenging human job, with data from Open Street Map used to train the system to recognise buildings in satellite imagery and remove data showing unoccupied land. The company began its mapping project in 2016 with 22 nations.