Artificial intelligence and satellites: illegal dumps discovered with 90% accuracy

Detecting illegal dumps with 90% accuracy thanks to Artificial Intelligence and satellites: this is the innovative technology developed by the Politecnico di Milano, operational in several European countries. A system that speeds up environmental investigations, improving the fight against ecomafia and land protection. Illegal waste management is growing in the European Union and represents one of the most profitable activities of organised crime. The recent ruling of the European Court of Human Rights on the 'Terra dei Fuochi', which condemned Italy for inadequate protection of the population from toxic fires, highlights the need for more effective tools to prevent and combat these crimes. A team of researchers from the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (Deib) of the Politecnico di Milano has developed an advanced satellite image analysis system capable of identifying illegal dumps and illegal disposal sites with an accuracy of over 90%.

The Perivallon project, funded by the Horizon Europe programme, involves 24 partners from 12 European and non-EU countries, including Fondazione Safe, Arpa Lombardia and the Carabinieri Ecological Unit. Thanks to the collaboration with environmental bodies and law enforcement agencies, this technology is already being used for large-scale land monitoring. At the heart of the innovation is the use of neural networks and advanced algorithms to analyse satellite images and detect hidden hazardous waste deposits in urban, industrial and agricultural areas. One of the project's key tools is the public AerialWaste dataset, the first of its kind in the world, already downloaded more than 6,500 times by international researchers. The experimentation conducted with Arpa Lombardia on more than 100 municipalities has shown that the use of Artificial Intelligence drastically reduces investigation times, making it possible to intervene more quickly and prevent irreversible damage to the ecosystem and public health.

"Thanks to Artificial Intelligence and the analysis of satellite images, we can now detect signs of environmental illegality on a large scale, with speed and precision," explain Piero Fraternali and Giacomo Boracchi of the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (Deib) at the Politecnico di Milano. "These tools introduce a paradigm shift, making possible systematic checks of the territory to support law enforcement and environmental agencies. The systematic monitoring of the territory with frequent and large-scale analyses marks a step forward in the fight against environmental crimes: tools such as these represent a concrete answer to preventing new ecological disasters. The adoption of these technologies not only enhances the investigative capabilities of law enforcement agencies, but also ensures greater transparency and accountability in waste management, supporting more effective prevention and repression actions.

Last April, the partners of the Perivallon project met in Soave (VR) to hold a plenary meeting to assess technological progress and coordinate upcoming activities. On this occasion, two pilot demonstrations were conducted at the exercise and training centre on Monte Calvarina, coordinated by Arpa Lombardia and the Safe foundation. The trials made it possible to evaluate the Ai solutions developed by the Politecnico di Milano team to analyse both satellite images and images acquired from drone overflights. In both trials, different types of waste were successfully identified (and then removed). The Perivallon consortium brings together security institutions, environmental bodies and universities of international standing. In addition to the Politecnico di Milano, partners include the European Union Satellite Centre (Eu SatCen), the Centre for Research & technology hellas (Certh), the Centre for Security studies (Kemea), the University of Vienna, the University of Applied Sciences for Public Administration and Legal Affairs of Bavaria, the Swedish Police Authority, the Hellenic Police, the Carabinieri Corps the Romanian General Inspectorate of Border Police, the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Greece, the General Inspectorate of Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Lombardy (Arpa Lombardia) and the Safe foundation.