Utah County AI Finds 25,000 Storm Drains to Curb Mosquito Risk
Updated
Updated · KSLTV · Jun 12
Utah County AI Finds 25,000 Storm Drains to Curb Mosquito Risk
1 articles · Updated · KSLTV · Jun 12
Summary
About 25,000 previously unmapped storm drains were identified by a Utah County AI system, sharply expanding the sites mosquito crews can treat before eggs and larvae hatch.
The model, built by the county’s Information Systems Department, scanned high-resolution aerial images and learned to recognize storm drains in different shapes, from round to rectangular.
Utah County had roughly 50,000 drains in its database, but rapid growth — about 40% since 2010 — left officials convinced many more had gone unrecorded.
Updated digital maps now let bicycle-based abatement crews spend less time searching and more time dropping water-soluble treatment packets into drains, part of an effort to prevent West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne illnesses.