Jacob Aron reports on the promising new software developed by an international group of researchers that can recognize "what makes Paris look like Paris."
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and INRIA in Paris have written software that can recognize the unique architectural features that can distinguish one city from another.
According to Aron, "The researchers selected 12 cities from across the globe and analysed
10,000 Google Street View images from each. Their algorithm searches
for visual features that appear often in one location but infrequently
elsewhere...It turns out that ornate windows and balconies, along with unique blue-and-green street signs,
characterise Paris, while columned doorways, Victorian windows and
cast-iron railings mark London out from the rest. In the US, long
staircases and bay windows mean San Francisco, and gas-powered street
lamps are scattered throughout Boston."
According to the researchers, "The discovered visual elements can also support a variety of
computational geography tasks, such as mapping architectural
correspondences and influences within and across cities, finding
representative elements at different geo-spatial scales, and
geographically-informed image retrieval."
The team will present their work
at the SIGGRAPH graphics conference in Los Angeles in August.
FULL STORY: Software knows what makes Paris look like Paris
How Digital Mapping Can Reinforce Inequity
Digital mapping tools like Google Street View often obscure the realities of cities and concentrate their resources in the wealthiest countries, effectively ‘erasing’ some places from the global map.
Top Planning Apps for 2019
Insights into the mobile app technology used in the practice and study of planning.
Next on the List for Data Startups: Managing Curb Space
The humble curb is getting crowded: not only with new modes of transportation, but also with a slew of new data tools aiming to keep track of it all.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
