BEAM (Building & Establishment Automated Mapper)
BEAM is an AI tool developed to automatically map rooftops of buildings in informal settlements for a variety of benefits.
In South Africa, eThekwini Municipality and the City of Cape Town are using the tool to count the number of informal dwellings in informal settlements and backyards to improve service delivery and infrastructure capacity. UN-Habitat Mexico has used BEAM to gain an understanding of the morphological characteristics of informal settlements in Central American cities, such as Guatemala City.
A second pilot project with eThekwini Municipality is underway, with the objective of utilising BEAM to distinguish formal from informal structures. Additionally, the tool is part of an ongoing collaboration aimed at supporting the UN-Habitat Data and Analytics Unit in efforts to monitor SDG 11.1, with partners including ETH Zurich and the University of Twente.
Buildings mapped using BEAM in Guatemala and Santo Domingo
BEAM interface
Desktop view of BEAM tool processing aerial images
Want to use the tool in your region?
Contact unitac@un.org for more information about how to use the tool in your region.
Partners
- The Human Settlements Department, eThekwini Municipality, South Africa
- The City of Cape Town Geomatics Branch, South Africa
- UN-Habitat Mexico
Impact
BEAM quickly generates shapefiles of rooftops to help municipalities to
- maintain up-to-date records and maps
- better prioritise upgrading interventions
- improve basic service delivery
Scalability
BEAM is already proven to be scalable across the world, with applications in South Africa and Central America.
Access to training data (imagery of the area of interest) is required.