Scientists from the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology have built a new generation of laser imaging system called LiDAR.
As part of the favelas 4D project, they analyzed the morphology of the Brazilian favela Rocinha, the largest poverty district in Rio de Janeiro and the most famous in the world.
Now nothing can hide from the city police. Favelas are amazing places inhabited by tens of thousands of people.
They shape spontaneously and form dense, multi-layered forms, resulting in a complex urban morphology.
Such areas are very difficult to map.
Until now, this was only possible with satellite imagery, but now it can be done with the LiDAR system. As you can see in the attached video footage, LiDAR allows you to create a 4D holographic map of the entire Rocinha favela.
Urban planning experts in the city of Rio de Janeiro finally have the opportunity to learn about the entire structure of this amazing creation, including the dimensions of all the buildings built there. “Despite the difficult conditions, the inhabitants of the favela have developed inventive and flexible ways to build their own urban systems.
This bottom-up planning process and the complex architectural forms they create can challenge the standard way of designing cities and hamper their development.
Our system can change this sad reality, ”said Carlo Ratti from MIT. Moreover, 4D mapping enables the analysis of all visible objects and spatial simulation of those that are not visible to the naked eye, i.e. hidden underground or hidden by other buildings.
Thanks to this, it is possible to detect objects built and used by the criminal world. Interestingly, mapping the area in 4D can only be done by passing one vehicle equipped with this system.
MIT scientists have created a technology that can be used by law enforcement agencies to limit trafficking in human beings, drugs or weapons.