The Urban Landbank Using Aerial Survey and Artificial Intelligence in Oman Named Digital Project of the Year

For the second consecutive year, Khatib & Alami’s (K&A) projects in Oman have been recognized for excellence, reaffirming our leadership in innovation and digital transformation. Among these accomplishments, our groundbreaking project, the Urban Landbank Using Aerial Survey and Artificial Intelligence, earned the prestigious Digital Project of the Year award at the Construction Technology Awards 2024. This recognition highlights the project’s exceptional use of advanced digital technologies, including Airborne LiDAR, Aerial Photography, and Artificial Intelligence, which enabled the accurate mapping of a vast 760 km² area in the Dhofar Governorate of Oman. These innovations enabled the creation of a GIS landbank for land analysis and urban planning, addressing social constraints and challenging terrain. Using Esri technology, new Deep Learning models delivered outstanding accuracy, allowing project completion in just 16 months—8 months ahead of schedule—with minimal human intervention (10 staff, 2 full-time employees) and nine days of aerial data capture. This effort resulted in a GIS database of buildings and fences with an impressive 10 cm accuracy, providing the Oman Ministry of Housing & Urban Planning (MoHUP) with a robust foundation for transformative applications in land planning and the creation of accurate site plans and deeds. Building on the successful integration of aerial surveys with AI, K&A is now leveraging this expertise to manage a 6,000 km² project in Oman.