# Aerbits

> Aerbits uses AI-powered aerial imagery (drones) to detect and verify illegal-dumping
> sites for municipal public works departments, turning unverified 311 reports into an
> accurate cleanup work queue. Built for cities whose illegal-dumping backlog is outgrowing
> their crews.

## Key facts (citable)
- Category: illegal-dumping detection and work-order verification for public works / municipal operations.
- Method: fixed-route aerial surveys + an in-house AI model (mixture-of-experts) that detects dumpsite piles; imagery is handed off as verified work orders with ground-truth context.
- Privacy posture: detects trash, not people. No license-plate readers, no facial recognition, no law enforcement. No personal data.
- San Francisco Bayview-Hunters Point pilot (13 months): active dumpsites reduced 96% (controlled A-B-A withdrawal study); 1,500+ verified reports filed to SF 311; 298,800 aerial photos; 9,590 AI detections; 5,106 cleanup requests; 3,846 detection-to-cleanup chains; median detection-to-cleanup 37.6 hours; 62% of dumpsites are repeat offenders.
- Oakland, CA: first US city to formally adopt the program; 6-month, $150K pilot, 72 planned flights.
- Pricing model: per corrected work order - created (~$200), updated/closed (~$100), deduplicated (~$50); no charge when nothing changes.
- Cost framing: a bad work order costs a city ~$200; a missed pile $200-$2,000.
- Founder / contact: Brian Johnson, brian@aerbits.com, +1-415-310-4985.
- Website: https://aerbits.ai

## For public works teams (start here)
- [What the Alameda County Grand Jury Report Reveals About Illegal Dumping in Oakland](https://aerbits.ai/articles/alameda-grand-jury-illegal-dumping.html): The 2025-2026 Grand Jury report on Oakland's illegal dumping shines a light on the full scope of the challenge and the city's path to solving it.
- [The Bayview Pilot: 96% Reduction in Illegal Dumping](https://aerbits.ai/articles/bayview-pilot.html): A 13-month aerial detection pilot in San Francisco's Bayview-Hunters Point cut active dumpsites 96%, verified by a controlled A-B-A withdrawal study.
- [Better Data, Better Crews: What Aerbits Actually Means for Public Works Teams](https://aerbits.ai/articles/better-data-better-crews.html): Aerbits doesn't replace city crews — it gives them accurate work orders. How verified dumping data cuts wasted trips and frees crews for the work that matters.
- [Community First: How Bayview Residents Shaped the Aerbits Program](https://aerbits.ai/articles/community-engagement.html): The Aerbits aerial detection program wasn't built in a lab - it was built in a neighborhood. From community meetings to a signature campaign during the pilot that generated hundreds of emails to city leadership, the Bayview community drove the program from the ground up.
- [Crankstart Foundation Grants Oakland $9.3M to Fight Illegal Dumping](https://aerbits.ai/articles/crankstart-grant-oakland.html): Michael Moritz's Crankstart Foundation is giving Oakland $9.3 million to expand enforcement, surveillance cameras, and the Aerbits AI-assisted drone pilot program.
- [298,800 Photos, 5,106 Cleanup Requests: What Two Years of Aerial Detection Data Reveals](https://aerbits.ai/articles/data-story.html): 298,800 aerial photos, 9,590 AI detections, 5,106 cleanup requests, 3,846 detection-to-cleanup chains. What two years of aerial data reveals about illegal dumping.
- [The Drone Safety Stack Is Ready: Why 2026 Is the Right Time for Cities to Fly](https://aerbits.ai/articles/drone-safety-stack.html): New enterprise drones, certified parachute systems, and a maturing FAA framework have made citywide aerial operations safer and simpler than ever. What decision-makers need to know.
- [DroneXL Highlights Oakland's Drone-Based Dumping Detection Program](https://aerbits.ai/articles/dronexl-coverage.html): DroneXL covers Oakland's groundbreaking DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise-powered illegal dumping detection pilot with Aerbits, calling it the strongest evidence in the field.
- [The Real Cost of Illegal Dumping](https://aerbits.ai/articles/ground-patrol-cost-analysis.html): Every dumping report runs a five-stage pipeline and cities pay for the wrong ones. What illegal dumping costs a city, and how verified aerial ground truth changes the math.
- [How Aerbits Operates: From Flight Plan to Work Order](https://aerbits.ai/articles/how-we-operate.html): Inside an Aerbits mission: route planning, the bucket van that keeps line of sight, the in-house AI that detects dumpsites, and the integration that hands Public Works ground truth.
- [Aerbits at IDCON23 — Illegal Dumping Conference](https://aerbits.ai/articles/idcon23-presentation.html): Aerbits presentation at the 3rd Annual Statewide Conference on Illegal Dumping (IDCON23), April 2023.
- [Articles](https://aerbits.ai/articles/): Guides and field data on illegal-dumping detection, work-order verification, and how public works departments cut wasted crew trips.
- [Oakland Launches First-of-Its-Kind Aerial AI Dumpsite Mapping Program](https://aerbits.ai/articles/oakland-aerial-dumpsite-mapping-program.html): Aerbits is partnering with the City of Oakland on a first-of-its-kind aerial AI-enabled dumpsite mapping and detection program - saving the city money, cleaning streets faster, and freeing city crews for the next tier of maintenance.
- [How Oakland Is Fighting Illegal Dumping](https://aerbits.ai/articles/oakland-dumping-crisis.html): Oakland spends $14M+ a year fighting illegal dumping. An in-depth look at the city's investments, the drone pilot with Aerbits, and the path to a cleaner city.
- [Oakland North Publishes In-Depth Feature on Aerbits Drone Program](https://aerbits.ai/articles/oakland-north-coverage.html): Oakland North published a deep feature on Oakland's $150K illegal dumping drone pilot with Aerbits, covering community voices, equity, and the technology behind the program.
- [One Mission. 49 Cleanup Locations in East Oakland.](https://aerbits.ai/articles/oakland-pilot-early-results.html): Early Oakland pilot results: Aerbits shared imagery and locations for 49 cleanup sites from a single East Oakland mission with Oakland Public Works.
- [Oakland Proposes Aerial Detection Pilot to Combat Illegal Dumping](https://aerbits.ai/articles/oakland-pilot.html): Oakland's Public Works Department has proposed a six-month pilot program with Aerbits to deploy AI-powered drone surveillance against illegal dumping across the city.
- [Ride-Along: What a Morning With Oakland's Illegal Dumping Crew Taught Us](https://aerbits.ai/articles/opw-ride-along-2026-09-24.html): Field notes from a Sept 2026 ride-along with an Oakland Public Works crew: the counts behind the route, what the work really looks like, and what operators taught us.
- [Patent Application Published: Aerbits' Core Technology](https://aerbits.ai/articles/patent.html): Aerbits' patent journey for our core technology - System and Method for Identifying Trash Within a Predetermined Geographic Boundary Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
- [We Price for Outcomes, Not Effort](https://aerbits.ai/articles/pricing-for-outcomes.html): Most city contracts pay for activity. Aerbits prices per corrected work order, with no charge when nothing changes. How we price a bad, ordinary, and missing work order.
- [Ground Level + Bird's Eye: Why the Best Cleanup Strategy Uses Both Trucks and Drones](https://aerbits.ai/articles/trucks-and-drones.html): Why the most effective city cleanup strategy combines truck-mounted cameras with aerial drone detection — and what each layer misses on its own.
- [Illegal dumping in Antioch, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/antioch.html): How Antioch public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Atlanta, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/atlanta.html): How Atlanta public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Austin, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/austin.html): How Austin public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Bakersfield, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/bakersfield.html): How Bakersfield public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Berkeley, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/berkeley.html): How Berkeley public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Chicago, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/chicago.html): How Chicago public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Chula Vista, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/chula-vista.html): How Chula Vista public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Concord, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/concord.html): How Concord public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Dallas, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/dallas.html): How Dallas public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Daly City, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/daly-city.html): How Daly City public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Denver, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/denver.html): How Denver public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Fairfield, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/fairfield.html): How Fairfield public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Fremont, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/fremont.html): How Fremont public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Fresno, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/fresno.html): How Fresno public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Hayward, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/hayward.html): How Hayward public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Houston, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/houston.html): How Houston public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [City Programs](https://aerbits.ai/cities/): Illegal dumping by city: how public works departments use Aerbits aerial detection to verify reports, correct work orders, and cut wasted crew trips. Oakland, San Francisco, and more.
- [Illegal dumping in Las Vegas, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/las-vegas.html): How Las Vegas public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Livermore, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/livermore.html): How Livermore public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Long Beach, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/long-beach.html): How Long Beach public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Los Angeles, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/los-angeles.html): How Los Angeles public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Modesto, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/modesto.html): How Modesto public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Oakland, California](https://aerbits.ai/cities/oakland.html): Oakland has approved a 6-month aerial detection pilot for illegal dumping. Following unanimous City Council approval, Privacy Advisory Committee approval, and mayoral endorsement, the program has been approved and is moving toward implementation.
- [Illegal dumping in Philadelphia, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/philadelphia.html): How Philadelphia public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Phoenix, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/phoenix.html): How Phoenix public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Portland, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/portland.html): How Portland public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Redwood City, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/redwood-city.html): How Redwood City public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Richmond, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/richmond.html): How Richmond public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Riverside, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/riverside.html): How Riverside public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Sacramento, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/sacramento.html): How Sacramento public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Salinas, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/salinas.html): How Salinas public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in San Antonio, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/san-antonio.html): How San Antonio public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in San Diego, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/san-diego.html): How San Diego public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [San Francisco, California](https://aerbits.ai/cities/san-francisco.html): Aerbits ran a 13-month aerial detection pilot in San Francisco's Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, achieving a 96% reduction in illegal dumping and filing over 1,500 reports to SF 311.
- [Illegal dumping in San Jose, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/san-jose.html): How San Jose public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in San Leandro, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/san-leandro.html): How San Leandro public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in San Mateo, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/san-mateo.html): How San Mateo public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Santa Ana, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/santa-ana.html): How Santa Ana public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Santa Rosa, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/santa-rosa.html): How Santa Rosa public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Seattle, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/seattle.html): How Seattle public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Stockton, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/stockton.html): How Stockton public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Vacaville, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/vacaville.html): How Vacaville public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Illegal dumping in Vallejo, CA.](https://aerbits.ai/cities/vallejo.html): How Vallejo public works crews cut illegal-dumping backlogs with verified aerial detection: correct work orders, fewer wasted trips, documented cleanups. Start a pilot.
- [Cleaner streets. Fewer wasted crew trips.](https://aerbits.ai/): Aerbits verifies illegal-dumping reports with aerial imagery, corrects work orders, documents cleanups, and finds missed piles. Cut wasted crew trips. Discuss a city pilot.
- [Cleaner streets. A decision backed by evidence.](https://aerbits.ai/pilot/): A practical, printable checklist for scoping an illegal-dumping aerial verification pilot with your public works department.
- [Press Kit](https://aerbits.ai/press-kit/): Aerbits press kit: company boilerplate, quick facts, downloadable brand assets, and recent aerial survey imagery from Oakland.
- [Press & Media](https://aerbits.ai/press/): Aerbits in the news - conferences, podcasts, and media coverage about aerial detection of illegal dumping.
- [What a bad work order actually costs your city.](https://aerbits.ai/public-works/cost-of-bad-work-orders.html): A bad work order runs ~$200; a missed pile $200-$2,000. See what illegal-dumping work orders really cost a city and why Aerbits prices per corrected order, not per hour.
- [Your illegal-dumping backlog is a data problem.](https://aerbits.ai/public-works/): Cut wasted crew trips. Aerbits gives public works departments a verified illegal-dumping work queue from aerial imagery: correct locations, consolidated duplicates, documented cleanups, and missed piles found.
- [How to reduce your illegal-dumping backlog.](https://aerbits.ai/public-works/reduce-illegal-dumping-backlog.html): Illegal-dumping backlogs grow on bad work orders, ghost orders, and duplicates. See how verified aerial ground truth lets public works crews clear the right piles first.
- [Stop sending crews to work orders you haven't verified.](https://aerbits.ai/public-works/work-order-verification.html): Verify illegal-dumping work orders before dispatch. Aerbits confirms location, size, and contents with aerial imagery, closes ghost orders, and consolidates duplicates.
- [298,800 Photos. 700+ Flights. Every Detection.](https://aerbits.ai/results/data.html): 298,800 aerial photos. 9,590 confirmed dumpsites. 4,801 automated 311 reports. Real detection data from the Bayview-Hunters Point pilot.
- [The Bayview Pilot: 118 → 5](https://aerbits.ai/results/): Interactive visualization of the 13-month Bayview-Hunters Point aerial detection pilot. Watch 118 dumpsites drop to 5 in real time.
- [From Detection to Cleanup: 37.6 Hours](https://aerbits.ai/results/ops.html): 3,846 complete chains from drone detection to 311 cleanup. Median 37.6 hours. 62% of dumpsites are repeat offenders. The full operational picture.
- [Bayview](https://aerbits.ai/simulation/): Follow illegal-dumping cleanup in Bayview: public works crews, work orders, traffic, and daily Aerbits aerial evidence.

## Optional
- [Privacy policy](https://aerbits.ai/privacy.html): how aerial imagery is collected, used, retained, and protected.
- [Sitemap](https://aerbits.ai/sitemap.xml)