Illegal waste dumping is estimated at a staggering 100M tons worldwide.

Litter management and illegal dumpsite clean-ups face major operational challenges driving up costs for cities and municipalities across the planet.

Technology creates sustainable disaster management and mitigates environmental crises

At Presagis, our mission is to empower organizations, communities, and every person to interpret the world around them and make better-informed decisions. We achieve this by developing products that generate 3D Digital Twins for large urban and landscape areas in order to facilitate disaster preparedness, support environmental needs, and much more.

The challenges of cleaning illegal dumping sites and natural disasters

Agencies and private companies that deploy cleaning operations in the countryside and rural areas, encounter several difficulties with regard to illegal dumping sites. The main challenge is understanding the entirety of the situation and the potential scope of effort needed, without an on-site evaluation. Many issues are logistical in nature:

• Pin-pointing exact site location
• Efficient access to site
• Estimating the volume of garbage or environmental damage
• Evaluating equipment requirements (trucks, cranes, or containers)
• Level of logistic assistance required

Another critical factor is timing. When the public reports a potential site, it is often too late, and large amounts of garbage have already accumulated – increasing operational costs. Early detection and reporting are crucial to reducing costs as these dump sites generally start as small piles that – over time – amount to larger sites.

There are severe consequences to our environment in both ignoring the problem, and inefficient disaster management. Some of the more severe consequences include:

• Soil and water contamination
• Oceanic pollution
• Wildlife disruption
• Increased risk of natural disasters
• Increased atmospheric pollution and damage the ozone layer

Detection before accumulation is key

Although cities often have many surveillance cameras and detectors, it's impossible to cover the entire territory. Moreover, this approach requires manual monitoring and detection, which is costly and vulnerable to false alarms.

Other methods, such as using images from drones or aerial overflights, are expensive and require periodic pass-overs of the area for up-to-date information.

However, the availability of high-resolution satellite imagery, geospatial data and maps offer accurate, timely, and affordable detection solutions. So, how can this imagery be leveraged?

Technology has a significant impact on the goal of sustainable waste management

Presagis has developed an advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) solution that captures and analyzes satellite images to detect vulnerable and prone areas. This software solution combines scientific, state-of-the-art breakthroughs in deep learning, computer vision detection, and classification capabilities to make images valuable for real-world case studies.

The waste detection process is autonomous since no manual operation is involved; it also triggers optimized cleaning programs. The Presagis solution offers:

• Large-scale monitoring and detection
• Real-time city dashboard alerts
• Workforce management and tracking
• Collection route optimization
• Local traffic management

Prevention, preparation, relief, and recovery are essential parts of sustainable waste and disaster management. However, not all catastrophes are preventable. Presagis’ technologies can help cities, municipalities, organizations and governments avoid and mitigate the effects of waste dumping.

For more information on how Presagis software solutions can help optimize your waste management program, contact us.