Over the next six months, the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) and Extrasense Technology Incorporated will pilot AI-enhanced rodent monitoring cameras at BHA properties in Brighton and the South End.
“The goal is to evaluate whether improved trash receptacles and commercial-level service reduce rat activity at BHA sites,” said Inspectional Services Department (ISD) Director of Communications Lisa Timberlake. “The data collected from this pilot will help us understand if obtaining new receptacles and [services] helps decrease the rat populations at BHA locations. ”
The idea of using AI to combat rats may seem a tad dystopian, but the program is anything but mass surveillance – for humans at least. The hardware is a modified version of a commercially available trail camera, the Reolink Ranger Pro LTE AI-Enhanced, that filters out human activity and maps rodent behavior. Footage will be used to evaluate how new BHA trash receptacles contribute to rodent mitigation.
Videos collected by Extrasense will be stored in a U.S.-based cloud server. Rodent activity will be flagged, and unflagged material will be purged after 30 days. Data will not be shared with third parties unless explicitly authorized by BHA. Integration with private surveillance, commercial entities, or law enforcement is strictly prohibited, per supporting documents offered by the BHA.
“This basically allows us to detect rodent activity in real time, but also generate heat maps and produce behavioral insights for the Boston team,” said CEO Oliver Sanchez. “We’re not saying, ‘hey, there are rats here or not.’ We’re measuring population trends and measuring the impact of interventions.”
Sanchez emphasized that cities do not have the manpower or resources to have someone monitor every rat trap at all hours of the day. When there are no eyes on a project, a myriad of external factors can influence the results. With 24-hour monitoring, Boston can more effectively evaluate the successes or failures of specific initiatives and more efficiently scale up what works to reach the entire city.
Extrasense has its foundations in a passion to eliminate the impact pests can have on the supply chain of food, using data instead of poison. “Pests destroy about 40% of all our food,” Sanchez said. “Why are we trying to grow 2% more food when we can just not lose 40%?”
Their insect monitoring cameras were not so popular. Sanchez speculates that when people see bugs, they would rather have an exterminator spray down the factory than know precisely what kind.
“We started to see a lot of traction because rodents are much harder to control. They’re smart. They’re scared of anything new in their environment. And I think a lot of cities have started seeing this as a problem that is not solved by just poisoning and baiting, and it has to be more of an integrated solution. Data is a key component of that,” Sanchez said.
A spokesperson for the BHA called these new cameras: “One important piece of our larger partnership with the City to combat rodent activity and ensure better quality of life for our residents.”
This pilot program is slated to run through Spring of 2026.
Maureen Dahill is the editor of Caught in Southie and a lifelong resident of South Boston sometimes mistaken for a yuppie. Co-host of Caught Up, storyteller, lover of red wine and binge watching TV series. Mrs. Peter G. Follow her @MaureenCaught.
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