BMC to conduct AI-based geotagging of stray dogs at public institutions following Supreme Court directive | Mumbai News
MUMBAI: In compliance with a November 7 Supreme Court directive mandating the removal of stray dogs from the premises of educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus depots and railway stations, BMC has initiated an AI-based pilot project to survey and geotag stray dogs across critical public locations in the city.The civic body has partnered with a start-up, Indicare AI, which has been incubated under the BMC’s Society for Mumbai Incubation Lab to Entrepreneurship (SMILE) programme.The start-up has been awarded a pilot project for stray dog management, with the initial focus on enumeration and identification of dogs found within public institutions such as hospitals and railway stations.As part of the pilot, field researchers are using a mobile application to capture images and data of stray dogs. Each dog is assigned a unique digital ID through AI-enabled image recognition, which helps eliminate duplication if the same animal is recorded more than once along a similar route. The technology also enables geo-tagging of the dog’s location.“Currently, there is no accurate data on how many stray dogs are present in sensitive public spaces like hospital compounds. This survey will help establish a clear baseline,” said an official.The survey also records basic details such as whether a dog is vaccinated or sterilised, information that can later be used by the civic body to plan further interventions.Officials said the pilot project is being implemented on a limited scale, in line with standard incubation and acceleration protocols under SMILE. A small area and select high-priority locations were chosen to test the technology, assess its effectiveness, and validate the software before any wider rollout.The project involves a multidisciplinary team, including zoologists and animal caregivers, and the data collected will be shared with the BMC’s vetinary department, which handles animal health and sterilisation. Based on the findings, the civic body will carry out vaccination and sterilisation drives where required.The pilot is expected to take three to four months to complete. Indicare AI has also applied for a patent for its AI-based geotagging technology. Civic officials said that if the pilot proves successful, the scope of the project could be expanded to cover larger areas and help the BMC plan shelters and long-term stray dog management strategies.
