Google Virtual Time Travel Map That Could Take Us 200 Years Back Is A Reality Now

Google Virtual Time Travel Map That Could Take Us 200 Years Back Is A Reality Now

If you are someone who thinks time travel is just a fantasy, maybe it’s time for you to rethink about it.

A software engineer at Google has come up with an incredible tool that mimics travelling back into time pretty closely.

Raimondas Kiveris, a Google Research software engineer, has built an open-source map which can show you how exactly your city looked at an earlier time period and how it changed over time. The map enables both a birds’ eye view and a pedestrian level view and comes with a slider to control the year.

One can see an accurate representation of any U.S city dating back all the way back to the 1800s. Kiveris’s map which he nicknamed as project “rǝ” is the result of his curiosity about how New York, his birthplace changed so very rapidly over 20 years. This led him to ask himself how his neighbourhood must have looked even before he was born and that is when he took upon himself to get started on the project.

Kiveris mentioned that the entire project took him three years to complete and attributed the success of it to the extensive research into artificial intelligence and machine learning that he did at Google.

As of now, the map is still in an early prototype stage; however, it can successfully offer its users a glimpse of any U.S city street decades into the past.

Now, to source information about the precise structures of buildings, their sizes, heights, roof shape and etc. during different time periods, Kiveris made use of historical fire insurance maps. From there on, he used them to create simple 3D models of the buildings and added it to his project.

It is the Google software engineer’s wish for the open-source map to do more than show model buildings. He and his team created the project to help individuals such as librarians and map enthusiasts contribute their own historical findings so that more details can be added to it.

Over time, as the photographic data keeps on getting more refined along with known dates and locations, Kiveris mentioned that the map could make use of deep learning to augment better architectural details instead of simplified 3D blocks.

According to him, five years down the line, his innovation will be capable of creating realistic representations of U.S cities which can be made use for video games and even movies.

Eventually, as more and more detail gets added or contributed to the map, the end goal of Kiveris and his team is to let users visualise the interiors of buildings at every possible time period in the past.

Lastly, with this unique project of his, Kiveris hopes that an effective archive of hyperlocal neighbourhoods can be created throughout time so that landmarks which perished due to not being considered as historical landmarks could also be viewed at convenience.

What do you think of this virtual time-travel portal? Would you want Google to integrate the same into Google Maps? Let us know in the comments down below.

Published at Mon, 09 Nov 2020 00:33:45 +0000

CSIRO to use artificial intelligence, machine learning, and sensors to end plastic waste

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has announced partnerships with Microsoft, Hobart City Council, and Chemistry Australia to address — and attempt to end — Australia’s plastics waste issue.

Under its plastics mission, CSIRO will work with its partners to develop new solutions that use artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and camera sensors for plastics detection and waste monitoring in waterways.

CSIRO senior principal research scientist Denise Hardesty said the goal would be to apply technology to the entire plastics supply chain to eliminate rubbish ending up in the environment.

“Our research is helping to understand the extent of plastic pollution in Australia and globally, and how to reduce it,” she said.

“Rethinking plastic packaging is just one way of reducing waste, through better design, materials, and logistics. We can also transform the way we use, manufacture, and recycle plastics by creating new products and more value for plastics.”

Specifically, the national science agency is working with Microsoft to use ML and apply camera sensor technologies to waste traps, which are commonly used by councils to prevent rubbish flowing into storm drains, to collect data that can help detect and classify rubbish found in waterways.

Read also: A long-term battle: The tech industry’s role in combatting climate change

“Microsoft AI image recognition is underpinning the identification of plastic pollution,” Microsoft Australia CTO Lee Hickin said.

“By using AI to accelerate the detection and classification of rubbish in our waterways, we can simply react more quickly and work to improve the quality of water faster than if done manually.”

At the same time, CSIRO is working with Hobart City Council to develop an autonomous sensor network to provide real-time reporting on the amount of rubbish being captured in storm drains.

“By tapping into CSIRO’s modelling capabilities, we can optimise our operations to avoid the release of pollutants, while improving safety and reducing environmental harm,” City of Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said.

Work will also be undertaken with Chemistry Australia to help Australians understand how to sustainably use, re-use, and recycle plastic products, CSIRO said.

The plastics mission is one of 12 missions CSIRO has developed under its plan, known as Team Australia, that is aimed at solving some of the country’s challenges using science and technology so it can emerge from COVID-19 in a resilient way.

CSIRO said it would commit at least AU$100 million annually to the co-creation of missions under the plan.

“Each mission represents a major scientific research program aimed at making significant breakthroughs, not unlike solving Prickly Pear, curing the rabbit plague, inventing the first flu treatment, or creating fast Wi-Fi,” CSIRO chief executive Dr Larry Marshall said previously.

“But let me stress, these are not just CSIRO’s missions.

“Their size and scale require us to collaborate widely across the innovation system, to boldly take on challenges that are far bigger than any single institution.”

See also: How AI could save the environment (TechRepublic)

Dr Cathy Foley named as Australia’s next chief scientist

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced the appointment of Dr Cathy Foley as Australia’s next chief scientist.

Foley will end her tenure as the CSIRO’s chief scientist when she takes on her new role in December.

“As we recover from COVID-19 and look to rebuild a brighter future, the role of the chief scientist has never been more important,” Morrison said.

“Dr Foley has a big task ahead to drive collaboration between industry and the science and research community, as we look to create jobs for the COVID-19 recovery and for the future.”

Dr Foley is a fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science, and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, and has made significant contributions in the area of physics relating to superconductors.

Her appointment as Australia’s chief scientist will be for three years and starts in January 2021. Foley will take over from current chief scientist Dr Alan Finkel.

“I would like to thank Dr Alan Finkel AO for his outstanding contribution as chief scientist over the past five years. He has been a valued and respected voice to government, and I know he will continue to make a significant contribution to the Australian and international science communities,” the prime minister said.

Appearing during Senate Estimates last month, Finkel said he was preparing a report for National Cabinet into the systems for supporting contact tracing and outbreak management across all states and territories.

He also said there was still a long way to go before the country would reach parity of female and male participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

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Published at Mon, 09 Nov 2020 00:11:15 +0000