City Detect, which uses AI to help cities stay safe and clean, raises $13M Series A | TechCrunch

"City Detect mounts cameras on public vehicles like garbage trucks and street sweepers, captures photos of surrounding buildings as those vehicles pass, then uses computer vision to analyze the images. It's essentially a Google Maps Street View, but focused on ensuring buildings are up to code. The problems could be graffiti, illegal dumping, litter that's on the side of the road."

"Right now, tracking dilapidated buildings is very manual, so Baum-Blake considers his competition to be the 'status quo.' They're able to do 50 per week, whereas we're able to do thousands per week. The product, which Baum-Blake has patented, has some fun and essential features. The latter is that faces and license plates are always blurred for privacy reasons."

"We're able to see if there's structural roof issues or we're able to identify if there's been storm damage. It also helps governments track whether landlords are not properly maintaining their buildings. City Detect is in at least 17 cities and works with local governments in places like Dallas."

City Detect, founded in 2021, uses computer vision and AI technology to help local governments combat urban blight and decay. The company mounts cameras on public vehicles like garbage trucks and street sweepers to capture images of buildings and neighborhoods, then analyzes them to identify problems such as graffiti, illegal dumping, litter, and structural damage. The technology automatically blurs faces and license plates for privacy and can distinguish between street art and vandalism. City Detect's automated approach enables cities to inspect thousands of properties weekly compared to approximately fifty inspections per week through manual processes. The company has secured $13 million in Series A funding and operates in at least 17 cities.

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