Google's bid for the green transition has received a major boost after the tech giant launched three new APIs for its Maps app. The new features rely on artificial intelligence to display information about the potential of solar energy, the state of air quality and pollen counts based on aerial images and environmental data.
The main innovation of this release is the solar API, which provides relevant information on the efficiency of the panels. It is based on Project Sunroof, a project devised by Google in 2015 that calculated how much solar energy could be generated and the associated cost savings based on specific geographical areas.
This latest version of the API uses computing and mapping resources "to provide detailed data on the rooftop solar potential of more than 320 million buildings in 40 countries," said Yael Maguire, Google Cloud's vice president of sustainability.
To achieve this, an AI model trained by Google extracts 3D information about the geometry of each roof from aerial images, taking into account trees and shading. The API also takes into account historical weather patterns and energy costs in the area: "Solar installers can see how much sunlight buildings are receiving and the potential energy savings before even visiting the area," Maguire noted.
On the other hand, through Google Maps, the air quality layer has been improved, where precise data on this record is shown, pollution heat maps and details of polluting gases based on live traffic information that through AI and machine learning are used to predict different pollutants in that area at any given time.
Another interesting tool that Google has released is the one that shows current information on pollen with localized pollen count data, heat map visualizations, detailed information on plant allergens and practical advice for allergy sufferers to limit exposure.
