How the City of Ryde benchmarks tree cover with machine learning
Nov 2021
City of Ryde analysed canopy coverage within its ward boundary using Nearmap historic imagery and machine learning.
Nov 2021
)
“Not only do we have the up-to-date aerial imagery, we also gained access to the Nearmap catalogue of historical imagery and it’s all been captured using the same method, so it is consistent, which is perfect for analysis.”
Lindsay MasonHead of the Land Information team at the City of RydeThe challenge
Benchmarking tree canopy across an entire local government area
City of Ryde aims for a strong sense of balance and sustainability as the City’s population grows by over 30% over the next 15 years. Protecting and enhancing Ryde’s natural and urban environments calls for a quantifiable approach, such as creating a benchmark for the tree canopy across the entire Local Government Area (LGA).
“It’s a balancing act for all Council staff in every LGA but it’s particularly challenging for the staff that manage the 207 Parks and Open Space areas in Ryde,” explains Lindsay Mason, head of the Land Information team at the City of Ryde, a Council which is only 12 km from the Sydney CBD.
“It’s a balancing act for all Council staff in every LGA but it’s particularly challenging for the staff that manage the 207 Parks and Open Space areas in Ryde,” explains Lindsay Mason, head of the Land Information team at the City of Ryde, a Council which is only 12 km from the Sydney CBD.
The council area, bounded by the Lane Cove National Park in the North and the Parramatta River in the south, has lush connecting corridors and river walks. “In terms of green space the local community, many of whom are raising families in the area, value it highly,” Mason says.
“In order to protect a resource, you need to be able to measure what you currently have,” which is a task that’s easier said than done, Mason adds. “The community values all green space. It doesn’t differentiate who owns it, so we wanted to measure the total tree canopy cover, not just those areas in the council’s ownership.”
Aerial imagery is ideal for the job, but Mason notes that commissioning bespoke surveys is very expensive and to measure change over time, would require several years of data capture, scheduled at similar times of the year.
)
The solution
“Twelve months ago we signed a contract with Nearmap and got half the equation solved. Not only do we have the up-to-date aerial imagery, we also gained access to the Nearmap catalogue of historical imagery and it’s all been captured using the same method, so it is consistent, which is perfect for analysis.”
Along with high-resolution aerial imagery, Nearmap also provides location content derived from the image capture process. As a rare ‘deep tech’ company, it builds the camera systems and owns the image processing, delivery, and everything in between, including the data — and that’s where Mason saw the opportunity to take things further for the City of Ryde.
The Nearmap in-house AI team works with customers in government, insurance and utilities sectors, and was keen to collaborate with the LGA.
“I asked about the AI team using their expertise and the latest machine learning technology to help us calculate tree canopy cover from the existing imagery, and I was really impressed with the quality of the results and the time it took to provide the analysis,” Mason says.
)
“It quantified what the tree management staff were saying and it has provided them with data upon which they can base their business decisions.
“Nearmap fits easily into the LGA’s own ecosystem of geospatial information systems (GIS) and most government customers choose to integrate for maximum efficiency.
“At Ryde we have over 170 layers of GIS data available to staff, including external services, land parcel boundaries and house numbers, as well as internal layers for planning, engineering and infrastructure. Now we can have tree canopy cover as an additional overlay,” Mason says.
The result
Enhanced decision-making and measurable results
Including this tree canopy layer within the council’s GIS allows staff to consider the green space during their daily work.
Meanwhile, the ability to observe trends is valuable for supporting decision-making and communicating these to the community.
“Governments around the country are trying to green our cities by undertaking wide-scale tree planting programs, but how do you measure their effectiveness? It’s all about having a baseline,” Mason says. “You’re more inclined to start or continue a project if you can easily measure its success.”
Make defensible decisions with trusted property intelligence
Power your decision-making with Nearmap AI – actionable insights, anchored to ground truth. Our reliably up-to-date, world-class aerial imagery is your trusted source, processed at scale and already at your fingertips.