ALTEIA: Artificial intelligence and drones
for biodiversity

At the beginning of September, the innovation pole (DGDI) and the teams of the aeronautical areas of CDG (CDGR) carried out, with the partner ALTEIA, three drone flights for an automatic recognition of certain plant species.

Alteia is a start-up from DELAIR (French manufacturer of professional drones) specializing in the development of artificial intelligence software dedicated to image processing and analysis.

At the beginning of September, three drone flights equipped with cameras took place with the aim of intelligently mapping the biodiversity present around the runways of Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport.

One of Groupe ADP's objectives is to reduce the consumption of phytosanitary products on platforms to better respect the environment. To do so, the Innovation pole (DGDI) and the teams of the aeronautical areas of CDG (CDGR) carried out an experiment, entitled BiodiversIT. The experimentation which will make it possible to assess the state of biodiversity more precisely on the platform and to realize the invasive presence of unwanted herbs, such as common vetch or thistle. By successfully flying over several grassy areas on the airside, the drone was able to collect video feeds which, coupled with the artificial intelligence developed by Alteia, allowed for an initial mapping of the species present, thus marking the beginning of a new management of the green heritage on the group's platforms. Thanks to this mapping one will be able to limit the use of phytosanitary products, by focusing on certain types of herbs or on certain sectors which will have been identified upstream by the drone.

The automated interpretation of the images by the artificial intelligence platform of the startup Alteia makes it possible to confirm or deny the presence of certain grasses in relation to the field surveys conducted.

You can find below some photos of our teams in the field.
More news are coming, so keep an eye out!