A new AI tool that evaluates pictures of Japan’s renowned plum trees may help protect them for upcoming generations because they are getting older.
Locals and visitors alike are eagerly awaiting the” sakura” season, with the abundance of the beautiful blossoms that represent the beginning of spring.
However, many of the plants are over their full blooming times, reaching 70 to 80.
This means paying more to keep common flowering spots and pay for tree maintenance.
Brewery tycoon Kirin created a device called Sakura AI Camera to aid in the identification of ailing samples.
Based on pictures they take with their phones and add to a website, it informs users about the condition and age of the branches.
The five-point range, which is currently only accessible in Chinese, ranges from “very good” to “worrying.”
Top marks are given to a tree with good flowers that are prolific all the way to the recommendations of the branches.
With the assistance of professionals, the artificial intelligence application has been trained to use 5, 000 pictures of plum trees.
The Sakura AI Camera website next records the photos with information like location and tree situation.
According to Risa Shioda from Kirin,” We heard that the protection of blossom requires labor and cash and that it’s challenging to obtain knowledge.”
” I think we can help by making conservation planning simpler,” she said.
Since the data’s release last month, about 20 000 images have been gathered, which regional authorities can access for free online.
– For a million
Replanting a new riverbank costs about one million yen ($ 6, 800 ), according to Tokyo’s Meguro Ward, which is known for its cherry-lined riverbanks.
Hiroyuki Wada of the Japan Tree Doctors Association, who regularly inspects plum plants in famous Tokyo locations, was a part of the AI tool’s supervision.
He expressed his hope that it will aid in the investigation of the causes of some of the branches he sees’ economic decay.
He attributes some of it to climate shift.
” I’m very worried,” Changes in the environment are typically steady, but now they are obvious, he told AFP.
He claimed that the temperature and the lack of rainfall have had an impact.
He continued,” The situation becomes more severe normally as the plants get older.”
Japan’s wind company reported in January that, like other nations, last year was the hottest since records began.
In an effort to “pay up” to the areas, Kirin began donating some of its profits last year to the protection of plum trees.
One of the beverages served at “hanami” flower-viewing events beneath the trees is liquor, Shioda said.
Cherry blossoms represent Japan’s culture’s fragile state of life because their entire blooms only last about a week before the flowers start to fall off branches.
The start of the new business year also serves as a sign of change during the winter, which is also known as the one of alter. Some university graduates start their first full-time work while older colleagues transition to new positions.
