Florida is filled with diverse ecosystems, from the dense forests found in the Panhandle to the wetlands spread out throughout the Everglades. It’s perfect for those who enjoy outdoor activities.
However, one native plant can easily turn a relaxing nature walk into a miserable experience .
Poison ivy ranks among the most medically problematic plants, with up to 50 million people worldwide suffering annually from rashes caused by contact with the plant. But a solution for identifying the pesky plant in real time might be coming in the near future.
University of Florida scientists at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center recently published a new study showing how they used artificial intelligence to build an app that can identify poison ivy.
Nathan Boyd, a professor of horticultural sciences at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center near Tampa, led the research, while Renato Herrig Furlanetto, a post-doctoral researcher in Boyd’s lab, designed the app.
“The reason this is so important is because poison ivy is very widespread,” Boyd said. “If we just think of Florida, it’s a very widespread state, it occurs on trails and campgrounds, access to beaches, and even in very urban areas … although a lot of people that I talk to are aware of it, they don’t know how to identify it.”