Smart Monitoring System for Urban Tree Management

Tree anchorage refers to the tree’s ability to hold soil firmly with its roots to support its trunk and canopy. Weak anchorage is reflected in the tilting of a tree, which may pose the hazard of falling in a serious case. The monitoring system developed by PolyU was designed and structured based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Smart Sensing Technology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to monitor tree tilt.

With tailor-made remote sensors installed on the lower trunk of urban trees, their tilt angles and sway trajectories can be monitored. If the tilt angle of a tree exceeds the threshold, the system will send out messages to trigger the Alert, Alarm and Action (A.A.A.) levels. The locations of the trees and the data of its surrounding environment (e.g. wind speed, precipitation) can be identified using the GIS-based platform for quantifiable analysis of the trees’ root plate movement. The system is also equipped with a set of AI algorithms developed with Spatial Big Data analytics, which can predict the leaning trend of a tree. This smart system enables large-scale monitoring of tree stability, allowing timely and appropriate mitigation measures to be taken.