In the city of Santa Juana, a herd of 250 goats has become an unexpected forest fire prevention brigade. They are part of Buena Cabra, a project that uses these animals to clear land of flammable vegetation, offering a natural and sustainable alternative to the fires that every summer sweep through the central-southern part of the country.
The technology, promoted in the field by City Lab Biobío together with researchers from the MIT Media Lab, was born from a pilot inspired by the experience of the City Science Lab in Andorra: smart collars with satellite technology capable of tracking the movements of goats in real time, accurately mapping the intervened areas and planning the next ones. These devices collect data through sensors, which are then sent to analysis systems, allowing herds to be relocated to reduce fuel biomass according to risk.
This innovative pilot is one of five scientific challenges that will be presented at the City Science Summit “Cities in Transition”. The projects have already been tested in different countries of the MIT network with promising results, and in their local version they seek to address social and urban phenomena that require attention.
In this line, a second challenge has as its scenario the wine tourism routes of Biobío. The objective is to promote this economic-cultural axis, avoiding tourist overload, distributing the benefits equitably and making visible “hidden jewels” in less visited communes. To this end, together with the Andorra and Taipei laboratories, a management system is being designed for municipalities and operators based on artificial intelligence (AI), capable of simulating the behavior of different tourist profiles, anticipating loads and adjusting key indicators for a balanced and sustainable experience for the smaller communes in the Biobío valley.
As Jordi Ascenci, head of Technologies at Andorra’s City Science Lab, explains, it is vital to understand not only what visitors do, but why they come and how they perceive the offer. “By leveraging data and technology, these places can map travelers’ motivations, routes and behaviors in an engaging way, knowledge that allows them to tailor experiences to visitors’ expectations, optimize services and personalize recommendations,” he explains.
Data for decision making
Traffic congestion is the focus of the third challenge. The pilot is concentrated in Greater Concepción, where Route 160 causes 75% of residents to lose between one and two hours a day in commuting. To address this situation, together with the City Science Lab of Taipei and Gipuzkoa, a simulation model is being implemented using the Mobility Choices Model tool to simulate how a new infrastructure – a building, a highway or any project – will impact how people choose to move around on a daily basis. It will also provide inputs for prioritizing decisions and investments by generating synthetic population profiles, assigning routine and occasional locations, and simulating personalized routes.
“Using real-world data, the simulation models both individual behaviors and large-scale mobility patterns in the designated city. Decision makers and key stakeholders can use this platform to simulate different urban scenarios, such as changes in bus routes or land use modifications, and observe how different policies can have different impacts on the city,” says Roy Lin, Head of Urban Informatics at City Science Lab, Taipei Tech.
The fourth challenge addresses the reality of the camps. In collaboration with the City Science Lab in Hamburg, using Unitac’s BEAM technology, and in alliance with TECHO-Chile and Inacap, the aim is to develop a system for mapping informal constructions and settlements using drone images. Through data science, AI and thermal audits, the initiative will identify the materiality of self-built housing, generating quick diagnoses and effective planning without relying on expensive equipment.
Finally, together with the science laboratory of the city of Guadalajara, the Universidad del Desarrollo and the Biobío Seremi de Salud and the Healthy Workplace Neighborhood initiative, a course is being taught to help participants discover how science and technology can improve food safety in the city.
