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Shaoxing implemented an AI-driven drone river patrol model on June 2, achieving comprehensive intelligent inspections across all 31 municipal rivers and lakes. The Shaoxing government aims to extend this intelligent river and lake monitoring system to the entire region by the end of this year.

Since piloting smart river patrols in Yuecheng district in 2024, Shaoxing has expanded aerial river and lake surveys throughout its districts and counties. The project uses a city-level standardization framework, district-level hardware deployment, and a public-private operation model. The drones can take off, land, and conduct scheduled patrols autonomously. Using AI, they detect water-related issues and automatically generate work orders, which are then sent to the responsible departments. The system operates efficiently across different terrains and in various weather conditions.

Shaoxing currently operates 67 automated drone hubs and plans to deploy 57 more this year. Together, they will form a 5-kilometer low-altitude river patrol network covering more than 630 square kilometers of water. The city is also refining its AI recognition algorithms to identify a range of river and lake issues, including litter, pollution discharge, and shoreline damage. Using a three-color warning system — blue, yellow, and red — the initiative supports multi-department collaboration for swift problem resolution, significantly reducing response times and establishing a closed-loop management process.

This model replaces traditional manual inspections conducted by boat or on foot, by using digital tools to address oversight gaps in river and lake monitoring and accelerate the implementation of digitalized water body management.