Living England stands out among the latest artificial intelligence projects rolled out by the government. This initiative, managed by Natural England, aims to create a national habitat map of England. Instead of relying on time-consuming manual surveys, it employs satellite imagery, field data, and geospatial information to monitor habitat changes more efficiently. The government says this approach will expedite planning and land usage decisions while enhancing nature conservation.
This project combines various datasets with human insights to improve machine learning accuracy. It taps into satellite data provided by Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation program. Launched in 2016, Living England is funded by the Department for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) as part of the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme.
The project also uses imagery from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 program, which captures the Earth’s surface with a resolution ranging from 10m to 60m. However, cloud cover and shadow often degrade the quality of this imagery, complicating habitat modeling. To address this, ground survey data is matched with satellite data using machine learning to filter out clouds and produce clear mosaic images for analysis.
Additionally, Living England incorporates high-resolution topographic data from the Environment Agency’s National LIDAR Programme. It also pulls in climatological data from the Met Office, geological and soil information from the British Geological Survey, and datasets from Ordnance Survey.
Sallie Bailey, Natural England’s chief scientist, emphasizes the balance between nature restoration and economic development. She says, “Our Living England project is harnessing the power of AI to inform and support planning decisions far more efficiently. This means we can make the biggest impact for nature recovery while helping to deliver the new homes and infrastructure the country needs.”
The government has also introduced an AI Playbook, offering case studies and best practices for public sector organizations to effectively implement AI in their services. Technology secretary Peter Kyle encourages tech specialists to utilize this guidance rapidly, aiming to enhance public services across the board.
Alongside Living England, the government highlights 13 other AI initiatives demonstrating how technology can streamline decision-making and improve various public services. Examples include leveraging AI for better weather predictions and ensuring high standards within MOT testing centers.