Stadtentwässerungsbetriebe Köln (StEB Köln), Cologne, Germany’s municipal wastewater management company, is using AI to transform wastewater tax management.
StEB Köln is responsible for managing and optimizing the city’s drainage system and providing accurate assessments for wastewater runoff taxes to property owners.
Using Hexagon’s GeoAI solution, it has automated the detection and classification of paved and unpaved surfaces. The solution combines high-performance airborne imagery, LiDAR mapping and advanced AI capabilities to analyze aerial photos of each parcel of the city’s 400 square kilometers and determine with precision where pavement was added since the last survey. It automatically identifies and classifies property surfaces using raw images (with overlaps) from aerial sensors and recognizes obstructions. Resulting data is made available in StEB Köln’s enterprise GIS via an interface based on OGC standards.
Employing the GeoAI solution, Cologne achieved 95% or higher data accuracy as compared to manual reports, but in a fraction of the time.
“Hexagon’s tailor-made solution exceeded our expectations. The algorithm within the project has already shown improvements, demonstrating Hexagon’s commitment to delivering results that benefit us entirely,” said Marcel Sat, requirements manager for StEB Köln.
