{"id":667992,"date":"2024-08-27T06:33:51","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T13:33:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=667992"},"modified":"2025-05-08T17:43:48","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T00:43:48","slug":"vilnius-uses-drones-ai-to-monitor-city-services","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/vilnius-uses-drones-ai-to-monitor-city-services","title":{"rendered":"In Lithuania\u2019s Capital, Drones, Maps, and AI Unite City Functions"},"author":671,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[482772,1661,21622,141,111],"industry":[],"esri-blog-category":[491052],"esri_blog_department":[478202],"class_list":["post-667992","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-ai-ml","tag-asset-management","tag-digital-twin","tag-drones","tag-real-time","esri-blog-category-public-works","esri_blog_department-infrastructure"],"acf":{"video_source":"","video_start":"","video_stop":"","short_description":"A European capital employs drones and AI functions to run the city in the present and decide how to change it in the future.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"The City of Vilnius, Lithuania's capital, employs drones and AI functions to run the city in the present and decide how to change it in the future.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nKey Takeaways\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>In Vilnius, Lithuania\u2019s capital, drone footage and mapping tools form the foundation of municipal functions.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>AI models scan drone footage to note the condition of streets, walkways, and other public spaces.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Movement data applied to the map gives Vilnius planners a way to analyze and change the city\u2019s infrastructure.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Digital twins are an increasingly common tool for city governments to understand and manage city assets. The twins act as 3D aids for city planners, providing responsive models that show the likely effects of proposed changes.\r\n\r\nVilnius, the capital of Lithuania, has taken the model a step further. In addition to its utility as a planning tool, Vilnius\u2019s digital twin also provides a way to strengthen and streamline city services.\r\n\r\nSnow removal, a perennial necessity in one of Europe\u2019s more blizzard-prone cities, is a key example. In January, the first major blizzard of the year battered Vilnius, but the city had most streets cleared within four hours. They did it using a combination of artificial intelligence (AI), location technology, and aerial imagery.\r\n\r\nMoments after the storm ended, drone aircraft flew overhead, gathering images of the streets. An AI model trained to recognize snowy streets did a quick analysis. The result was displayed on a map of the city that formed part of a digital twin, built and maintained using a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/what-is-gis\/overview\">geographic information system (GIS)<\/a>.\r\n\r\nStasys Savilionis, head of the data management group at the Vilnius Data Center, the office that manages the digital twin, displayed a post-blizzard map. Streets were color-coded, based on the AI model\u2019s measurements.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf a street is red, it hasn\u2019t been cleaned,\u201d Savilionis explained. \u201cIf it\u2019s yellow, that means it still needs to be inspected by a person. And if it\u2019s green, that means the AI identifies that it\u2019s been completely cleaned.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[668062,668022,688442,688432,688422]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3><strong>Creating a Real-Time Digital Twin<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nVilnius complements its twin with drones to enable real-time analysis. The city\u2019s fleet of four drones gathers imagery and other data that can be projected onto maps and analyzed directly or via AI models.\r\n\r\nSavilionis pulled up another map, this one with municipal trash receptacles highlighted. As with snowy streets, the AI had been trained to recognize full trash bins. Those in current need of emptying were highlighted in red.\r\n\r\nMaps inside the digital twin serve more than one purpose. In addition to helping the city manage municipal functions, they provide a record that lets officials compare services over time. The public-facing versions also provide transparency for Vilnius residents."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":668622,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/3d.vilnius.lt\/"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3><strong>Training an AI Model to Prioritize Attention<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThe relative ease with which drone footage becomes operational intelligence belies the massive effort used to train the AI model. Thousands of photos are used to teach the algorithm what to look for, a process known as deep learning. The deep learning models then ingest the latest drone imagery to return answers.\r\n\r\nOnce trained, the AI can spot priorities for service. These areas appear on dashboards for city leadership and guide the work of relevant city departments. For example, the city can assess road conditions by using the AI to highlight cracks, potholes, and other damage that may require attention.\r\n\r\nThe model can also recognize where traffic is backed up, where cars are parked illegally, and where large snow loads have accumulated on roofs. \u201cThat\u2019s especially useful for buildings that might be hard to access by foot,\u201d Savilionis said.\r\n\r\nSavilionis\u2019s team tunes the AI model to consider different parameters in its priority ranking. Recently, they asked it to rank streets based on their importance for pedestrian traffic. Before that, they tuned it to account for routes of cyclists and commuters. The AI model notes, for example, how close a street is to schools and hospitals, and other places where many people need to travel.\r\n\r\n\u201cA street with really bad conditions might rank low on the metric because of its distance from healthcare or educational institutions,\u201d Savilionis said.\r\n\r\nHe noted one street that had a high score for urgency due to its proximity to a playground. This information helps expedite repairs and can be shared with the public, increasing transparency and accountability."},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[668102,668032,668092,668082,668072]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3><strong>Enhancing a Shared Awareness of the City<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nIn addition to real-time analysis, Vilnius\u2019s digital twin helps officials understand how city operations might evolve over time.\r\n\r\nWith anonymized cell phone location data from mobile operators, the Vilnius municipal company responsible for public transit can map and visualize where people congregate and how they move at different times. This insight helps assess current transit needs and predict how mobility demands will change in the future.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe get this data every day,\u201d Savilionis said, clicking between two versions of the same map. \u201cYou can see how a street in August looks very different from one in September when school is in session.\u201d\r\n\r\nLike many cities, Vilnius is trying to move away from car dependence. Having a comprehensive view of all relevant data helps planners improve pedestrian routes and bicycle lanes, and take measures to improve mass transit.\r\n\r\nSavilionis displayed a map of Vilnius centered on a particular bus route. The map is composed of colored tiles, each representing the number of people in that location who depend on the route for commuting. The breakdown gives city leaders a clearer idea of whether more buses should be added to existing routes\u2014or if entirely new routes are required.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are monitoring services provided to citizens,\u201d Savilionis said. \u201cOur actual goal is to identify problems before our citizens do.\u201d\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLearn more about how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/cp\/gis-local-government-solutions\/overview\">local governments apply GIS for data-driven decision making<\/a>."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Center","content":"<h2><strong>An AI Incubator for Solutions and Future Jobs<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nThe large student population in Vilnius creates a vibrant lifestyle and a youthful outlook. An entrepreneurial spirit has taken hold in the city, where AI is the focus of many startup companies developing digital solutions.\r\n\r\nVilnius Gediminas Technical University now offers a <a href=\"https:\/\/apply.vilniustech.lt\/courses\/course\/94-bachelor-applied-artificial-intelligence\">four-year degree in Applied Artificial Intelligence<\/a>, and AI is playing an increasing role in many academic pursuits.\r\n\r\nA series of <a href=\"https:\/\/govtechlab.lt\/govtech-challenge-series\/\">GovTech challenges<\/a> has brought innovators from academia together with entrepreneurs to offer solutions for public sector challenges. AI has been a favored tool for such projects as <a href=\"https:\/\/govtechlab.lt\/challenge\/greening-of-vilnius-city-using-satellite-data-and-artificial-intelligence\/\">planning to green Vilnius using satellite data and AI<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/govtechlab.lt\/challenge\/forest-stand-taxonomy-using-remote-sensing-data-and-artificial-intelligence-algorithms\/\">sensing the kinds of trees within the city\u2019s forest<\/a>.\r\n\r\nThe combination of AI and geospatial technology (also known as GeoAI) has a promising future in Vilnius, where it\u2019s being applied for new levels of civic awareness. With the city\u2019s support and technical talent, more GeoAI-driven innovations can be expected.","snippet":""}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>In Lithuania\u2019s Capital, Drones, Maps, and AI Unite City Functions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The City of Vilnius relies on drone footage, AI algorithms, and mapping tools to aid and improve municipal functions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/vilnius-uses-drones-ai-to-monitor-city-services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In Lithuania\u2019s Capital, Drones, Maps, and AI Unite City Functions\" 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