Computer Vision for Planning
PAS QuickNotes 111
By David Wasserman, AICP
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Computer vision (CV) is a form of artificial intelligence (AI). It enables computers to interpret and process visual data from images and video to extract insights about our world. CV is increasingly becoming a powerful and accessible tool in the planner’s toolbox, enabling rapid, low-cost mapping and analysis of human activities and the built environment. However, controversial uses of this technology have caused concern. Planners should understand the risks associated with surveillance, privacy, and representation to ensure the ethical and responsible use of CV and other AI-powered applications.
This edition of PAS QuickNotes offers planners an understanding of how CV could augment their day-to-day work, making them better able to add these tools to their workflows in relevant and appropriate ways.
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About the Author
David Wasserman, AICP
David Wasserman works at the intersection of urban informatics, 3D visualization, geospatial analytics, and visual storytelling. He brings a decade of experience and passion to applying scientific computing, spatial analysis, and scenario-focused storytelling toward the development of effective transportation planning solutions aimed at improving communities. His current areas of focus are enabling data-informed scenario planning, identifying how to align community goals to metrics to track progress towards them, incorporating civic data science into projects with web delivery and computer vision-derived datasets, and generating accessibility metrics that can identify the possible benefits of projects and who they go to.