We’re excited to announce the fourth release of our Atlas of Human Settlements! In this latest release, we're continuing to improve the quality of insight about how people live and thrive in different parts of the world.
Our world is a tapestry of communities, each with its own unique way of life. From bustling cities to serene rural areas, human settlements shape our world. Understanding these communities is crucial for grasping the bigger picture of our global society.
Imagine looking at the world from above. Through aerial and satellite imagery, we can see the layout of towns and cities, the density of buildings, and even the types of land surrounding them. This bird’s-eye view helps us understand how and where people live, how they move around, and what kind of infrastructure supports their lives.
What's really fascinating is observing how these settlements change over time. Growth, migration, and even challenges like natural disasters all play a role in transforming these communities. By keeping an eye on these changes, we can better understand and support these evolving areas.
In this edition of our Atlas, we're making it easier than ever to monitor changes in communities around the world. Automating this analysis at a global scale is an incredibly difficult task given the variation in the visual profile and composition of communities that we experience around the world. For the fourth release of AHS we developed a new suite of computer vision and machine learning tools to more precisely map and analyze human settlements. The result is greater accuracy in the resulting data layers and the best change detection capabilities available on the market today.
For more information and to set up a call to discuss the Atlas of Human Settlements please visit this page.
The Atlas of Human Settlements is a collection of geospatial information layers that report the presence and built-up density of human settlements and their evolution over time at a spatial resolution of 10 meters. The AHS is the world's only commercial offering of its kind, providing global coverage and annual updates, a game-changer compared to its oen-access alternative, last updated in 2018.
Technical Specifications
The Atlas of Human Settlements is a collection of geospatial information layers that report the presence and built-up density of human settlements and their evolution over time at a spatial resolution of 10 meters. The AHS is the world's only commercial offering of its kind, providing global coverage and annual updates, a game-changer compared to its open-access alternative, last updated in 2018.
AHS contains five primary layers:
- Built-up Surface Map (BuS): A binary estimate of human presence in each 100 square meter unit area.
- Built-up Index Map (BuI): A scaled estimate of the extent of human presence in each 100 square meter unit area, inferred from buildings. Denoted by a decimal percentage between 0 and 1 indicating how much of the 10meter x 10meter grid cell is covered by buildings.
- Built-up Settlement Map (BuSE): A vector representation of the built-up surface, spatially aggregated within a 50m radius.
- (NEW in v4) Built-up Confidence (BuC): offers insights into the model's confidence regarding the presence of built-up areas.
- (NEW in v4) Settlement Density Map (SDM) and Settlement Gradient Map (SGM): provide insights into the settlement built-up density and density transitions.
The AHS features:
- a globally consistent production method, enabling availability of settlement maps for any area of interest globally
- annual layers from 2016 to date, showing the trend in settlement development and build-out
- socioeconomic settlement attributes including population, asset wealth, spending power, access to electricity and more.
The v4 release features significant quality improvements in the estimation of the Built-up Surface and Built-up Index descriptors and in large building segmentation tasks.
The AHS in Action
The Atlas of Human Settlements (AHS) is not just a repository of data but a dynamic tool that empowers data science teams to enhance decision-making, optimize operations, and gain a competitive edge in their respective sectors. It serves as a powerful aid in developing strategies for market expansion, targeted marketing, supply chain efficiency, and much more.
Infrastructure Expansion
For infrastructure development, AHS provides invaluable insights into population distribution and urbanization trends. Planners can identify under-served areas or regions ripe for development, guiding where to invest in roads, digital infrastructure, or distributed energy projects. This data-driven approach ensures that infrastructure expansion is both effective and efficient, meeting the real needs of growing communities.
Forecasting Consumer Demand
Businesses can use AHS to anticipate changes in consumer demand. By analyzing settlement patterns and growth, companies can predict where new markets might emerge or where existing ones could expand. This foresight allows for strategic stocking of products and services, ensuring that businesses meet customer needs proactively.
Future-Proofing Supply Chains
Understanding the dynamics of human settlements enables companies to future-proof their supply chains. By foreseeing potential disruptions or shifts in population centers, businesses can adapt their logistics and distribution strategies. This preparation minimizes risks associated with environmental changes, urbanization, or shifts in consumer behavior.
Tracking Industrial Change
AHS offers a clear view of industrial evolution over time. By tracking changes in industrial areas, businesses and policymakers can identify trends, such as the rise of new manufacturing capacity or the construction of new warehouses. This knowledge aids in strategic planning and policy-making to support economic growth and sustainability.
Mapping Vulnerable Communities
With AHS, organizations can identify and map vulnerable communities, which is crucial for social planning and humanitarian efforts. Understanding where the most vulnerable populations live helps in directing resources and services, such as healthcare, education, and social welfare, to where they are needed most.
Disaster Response and Mapping Informal Settlements
In disaster response, AHS is invaluable for quickly mapping informal settlements that might not be documented in traditional maps. This rapid assessment aids in efficient allocation of emergency services and resources. Additionally, AHS can play a critical role in long-term disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies, helping to save lives and reduce the impact of future disasters.
In summary, the Atlas of Human Settlements stands as a key resource in a world where the landscape of human habitation is evolving more rapidly than ever before. This dynamic tool equips us with the insights and understanding necessary to navigate these shifts effectively. Whether it's for planning infrastructure, predicting market trends, adapting supply chains, or responding to disasters, the Atlas provides a clear, data-driven path forward. It's not just about seeing the world as it is, but being prepared for the world as it will be, making it an indispensable asset for businesses, planners, and humanitarian organizations alike.
Behind the Scenes
The Atlas of Human Settlements is constructed using state-of-the-art image science and geospatial AI technology developed by Atlas AI’s research team. This approach allows us to get more from the imagery provided by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites, analyzing the data in its original format for even more accurate insights.
We've made significant improvements to our machine learning processes, enhancing their architecture for more efficient and precise results. To further refine the accuracy, we've added custom Land Use/Land Cover layers. These layers help us significantly reduce false positives, ensuring that the information you get is reliable and trustworthy.
Additionally, we've introduced specialized models tailored for different continents. This means the AHS can provide more precise and relevant information for specific regions, offering a nuanced understanding of settlement patterns and changes at a local scale.
In summary, the v4 release is not just more comprehensive but also smarter and more region-specific, bringing you closer to the real-world dynamics of human settlements.
Get in Touch!
For more information and to set up a call to discuss the Atlas of Human Settlements please visit this page.
