Google Launches New Tool To Help Cities Plant More Trees, Increase Urban Green Cover

Internet giant Google, recently, launched a new tool that will help cities plant more trees in an efficient and effective manner.

The platform, Tree Canopy Lab, will use aerial imagery to map out the green cover of a city and use artificial intelligence (AI) to highlight the vulnerable pockets and suggest where the tree-plantation projects can be conducted.

As per media reports, Google is kicking off the efforts under the initiative with Los Angeles. It has concluded that more than half of the residents of Los Angeles live in places where the tree cover is less than 10 per cent of their neighbourhoods.

Tree Canopy Lab aims to bring about a change in the situation by inspiring people to take action to reduce emissions by aiding in afforestation efforts.

"Trees are increasingly seen as a solution to both lowering street-level temperatures while improving quality of life. Yet many cities may not have the budget or resources to locate where every tree in town is, or where new tree-planting efforts are most needed," Google said.

"With the Tree Canopy Lab, you can see Los Angeles' trees with local context, like what percentage of a neighbourhood has leafy cover, an area's population density, what areas are vulnerable to extreme heat, and which neighbourhood councils can help get new roots in the ground," added the tech giant.

Google uses planes to collect aerial imagery from around the world for Google Maps and Google Earth. The same imagery data will be used in Tree Canopy Lab to estimate the tree coverage across cities, starting with Los Angeles.

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