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Abstract - Open-access model for detecting openly dumped dispersed municipal solid waste from crowdsourced UAV imagery in Sub-Saharan Africa
Managing municipal solid waste in rapidly urbanizing Sub-Saharan Africa remains challenging due to dispersed informal dumping and limited high-resolution datasets for spatial monitoring. We present an open-access deep learning model for automated detection of openly dumped dispersed solid waste via crowdsourced UAV imagery, trained and evaluated across 29 regions in 10 countries, encompassing diverse environmental contexts. A deep learning model trained on manually annotated image tiles achieved excellent performance in detecting openly dumped dispersed solid waste across all study regions. Predicted distributions reveal heterogeneous accumulation patterns, ranging from localized hotspots - often along waterways, where waste can exacerbate flood and public health risks - to more dispersed litter across urban areas. Waste accumulation is most strongly associated with population density and indicators of lack of local infrastructure access, whereas its relationship with broader measures of regional development is weaker, highlighting the importance of fine-scale data for understanding localized waste dynamics. By releasing the model, this study provides a ready-to-use tool for UAV imagery collected by municipalities and local mapping communities, enabling openly dumped dispersed solid waste monitoring without extensive technical expertise. This approach empowers local practitioners to convert UAV imagery into actionable insights, supporting targeted interventions and improved municipal solid waste management across Sub-Saharan Africa.
基于众包无人机影像的撒哈拉以南非洲地区露天分散生活垃圾检测开放模型 /
Open-access model for detecting openly dumped dispersed municipal solid waste from crowdsourced UAV imagery in Sub-Saharan Africa
1️⃣ 一句话总结
本研究开发了一个开源深度学习模型,利用民众拍摄的无人机影像自动识别撒哈拉以南非洲地区随意丢弃的生活垃圾,该模型在10个国家的29个区域表现出色,可帮助当地社区无需专业技能即可监测垃圾分布,尤其能发现沿河等热点区域,从而有针对性地改善城市垃圾管理。