EPFL researchers, along with scientists from the Federal Technology Institute ETH Zurich and Qatar’s Bin Khalifa University, thus worked on an artificial intelligence tool which can estimate population density and help reconstruction or crisis management efforts. The programme – as outlined in the Scientific Reports journal – uses data gleaned via remote sensing concerning factors like building density and size, road network density, and levels of lighting at night. The tool, called Pomelo, was tested in several African countries where the ICRC works, such as Tanzania, Zambia, and Mozambique. It has been able to precisely estimate population density in areas as small as a hectare.
