Picture This is an augmented reality mobile app that identifies plants and provides information about them. The app uses image recognition technology to identify plants by their leaves, flowers, bark, etc. Once identified, it provides details like the common and scientific names, plant family, origin, growth habits, and care instructions.
Picture This has a huge database of over 20,000 plant species curated by botanical experts. The plant identification algorithm was developed using machine learning and artificial intelligence based on millions of photos of plants. This allows the app to identify plants with a high degree of accuracy.
The app can identify not just different plant species, but also pests, diseases, and deficiencies that may be affecting the plant. This makes Picture This a very useful tool for gardeners and plant lovers to care for their plants.
Picture This was launched in 2016 by Tel Aviv-based company Ornit prLLC. Since then, it has become the most downloaded plant identification app with over 50 million downloads worldwide. It is available for both iOS and Android devices.
The app can be used to identify plants whether growing in the wild, in gardens, houseplants, or even from a photo. Its recognition capability from just leaves or bark makes it possible to identify plants without flowers or fruits present.
Where is Picture This Filmed?
Unlike movies or TV shows, Picture This does not actually involve filming of content. As an augmented reality app, it simply uses the camera on users’ smartphones or tablets to take a photo of a plant. This photo is then analyzed by the app’s AI algorithm to identify the plant species.
So in that sense, Picture This is “filmed” wherever the user takes a photo of a plant. It could be in a backyard garden, local park, botanical garden, greenhouse, forest, crop field, or really any location with plant life.
The app functions the same regardless of where in the world the photo is taken, thanks to the extensive plant database covering species from different regions.
Behind the Scenes Development
While Picture This does not require filming, there is significant behind-the-scenes work that goes into developing and improving the app. Here are some insights into that process:
Building the Plant Database
The foundational dataset for Picture This is its plant catalog, curated by a team of botanical experts. They have compiled information on tens of thousands of plant species, including details on appearance, classification, origin, growth patterns, and requirements.
This serves as the reference database that the AI algorithm uses to match features from user photos to identify plants. It is continuously expanding as more species are added.
Collecting Plant Images
In order for the AI to learn to visually recognize plants, it needs to be trained on millions of plant images. The Picture This team and botany partners have compiled an extensive collection of plant photos for this training process.
The images show diverse plants in various settings – gardens, nurseries, natural environments, greenhouses, farms, etc. They capture the nuances in plant features needed for identification.
Developing and Training the AI Algorithm
At the core of Picture This is the AI technology powered by deep learning and neural networks. Data scientists have leveraged machine learning techniques to develop highly accurate plant recognition capabilities.
The algorithm is fed the database of plant images to train on. Through this training, it learns to associate visual plant characteristics with identity information. The more data it processes, the smarter the AI gets at plant identification.
The team keeps fine-tuning the algorithm as the plant image database expands. This improves accuracy for existing species and adds new species.
Testing and Quality Control
Before releasing updates to the app, the Picture This team does extensive testing to ensure accuracy and functionality. They capture thousands of test photos – some of known plants as ground truth as well as random plants.
These test images evaluate aspects like:
– Recognition accuracy for common garden plants
– Accuracy on houseplants
– Ability to handle obscurations like overlapping leaves
– Correct identification from photos of just bark, leaves, flowers etc.
– Accuracy across geographies and plant types
Any errors get investigated to improve the AI. Testing ensures high quality plant identification for the users.
Picture This Usage Across the World
Picture This has found global usage, with the app active in over 200 countries. Here is a breakdown of some of the leading geographies where people are using Picture This based on app downloads and usage:
| Country | Picture This Adoption |
|---|---|
| United States | The US leads with over 15 million downloads, thanks to the widespread gardening culture. It sees usage across the varied climate zones. |
| Sweden | Sweden comes second with over 3.5 million downloads. Swedes are enthusiastic gardeners during the short intense summer. |
| Australia | With over 3 million downloads, Australians extensively use Picture This to identify native plants as well as exotics. |
| Canada | Canada has over 2.5 million downloads. Long harsh winters make summer gardening popular. |
| United Kingdom | Britain’s gardening traditions drive over 2.5 million UK downloads of the app. |
Some other top countries using Picture This include:
– Germany: The Germans are meticulous gardeners and the app helps identify plants.
– France: There is widespread use of the app for identifying garden plants and agricultural crops.
– Japan: Japanese flora includes unique species like sakura. Picture This helps identify these.
– India: Plant diversity in India contributes to growing Picture This use.
– China: China’s enormous population drives downloads despite limited Google Play access.
Identifying Plants from Different Environments
A key benefit of Picture This is its ability to identify plants regardless of where they are growing. The visual recognition technology works whether the plants are cultivated in a garden or growing wild in a forest.
Backyard Gardens
Picture This is hugely popular for identifying the diverse plant species found in backyard home gardens. Flowers, trees, shrubs, vegetables, herbs – the app recognizes them all.
Gardeners use it to identify unknown plants as well as verify known plants. Its ability to recognize even obscured plants not in full bloom makes it very useful.
Public Parks and Botanical Gardens
Public parks and botanical gardens are another popular usage scenario for the app. These spaces contain a wide range of ornamental and exotic plant species that people may not recognize.
Picture This lets visitors immediately identify interesting flowers, trees, shrubs, and more during a park or garden visit. Some gardens even promote the app to enhance the experience.
Farms and Nurseries
Picture This is also gaining usage on farms, orchards, and nurseries. Farmers use it to identify crop species, fruit tree cultivars, and ornamental plant varieties.
Nursery customers also use it to identify plant tags that may be lost or missing. Accuracy is improving for recognizing young vegetable seedlings and saplings.
Natural Vegetation
The app can identify plants growing in forests, meadows, wetlands, deserts, and other non-cultivated environments. Adventurers, naturalists, and foragers use it to put a name to the native and wild plants they encounter.
Recognition from leaves, bark, flower, and fruit works well on natural vegetation. The ability to match obscure characteristics makes Picture This effective even on partially obscured plants when hiking or foraging.
Houseplants
Indoor houseplants are another specialty of Picture This. Plant lovers use it to identify the huge variety of indoor plants – from common varieties to rare tropicals.
Challenges like low light and imperfect watering lead to houseplants changing appearance. The app’s ability to use AI to match plant features makes it adept at recognizing houseplants.
Conclusion
In summary, while Picture This does not actually involve filming, it leverages smartphone cameras and AI technology to identify plants photographed anywhere in the world. The app’s recognition capabilities work on plants both cultivated and wild, from backyard gardens to lush forests. It is enhancing the experience of gardening, hiking, and plant appreciation globally. Continued improvements to the AI promise to further grow and improve Picture This as a must-have app for plant lovers.
