CMU: Amateur Drone Videos Posted To Social Media Could Be Used To Assess Storm Damage

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- CMU wants to use drone videos posted to social media to assess damage after disasters.

The university says drone video offers a better look and more angles than satellite images. Drone videos are also being posted quickly to social media, which helps move the damage assessment process along considerably, according to the university.

Researchers are developing a system called MSNet that uses artificial intelligence to screen the videos and identify buildings to assess whether they're damaged, and, if so, how badly.

CMU said that many drone videos were posted to social media after Hurricane Laura first hit the Golf Coast.