Project aims to support sustainability-associated, internet-zero initiatives.
Ecopia AI has introduced a partnership with Sustainable Advancement Technologies Canada (SDTC) to create a few-dimensional vector maps of the country’s “top 100” cities.
The Toronto-based mostly startup, which is “on a mission to produce a digital twin of the Earth,” makes use of synthetic intelligence (AI) to convert high-resolution imagery into significant-definition (High definition) vector maps, which are vector-based collections of geographic information program facts. SDTC has committed $8 million CAD in grant funding in direction of the task.
“This knowledge will provide the foundation of a electronic twin for metropolitan areas across Canada.”
-Jon Lipinski, Ecopia
By constructing standardized, electronic representations of metropolitan areas, Ecopia hopes to aid municipal stakeholders improved realize and take care of their towns. The digital mapping details designed as a result of this challenge will guidance sustainability-related initiatives and the Governing administration of Canada’s aim to attain internet-zero emissions by 2050.
“We’re energized and honoured to be leading the generation of this superior-precision 3D map of Canadian metropolitan areas,” reported Ecopia co-founder and president Jon Lipinski. “This data will give the basis of a digital twin for metropolitan areas across Canada—providing facts that will guidance clever, harmless, sustainable towns.”
Founded in 2013, Ecopia specializes in extracting insights from geospatial facts. Ecopia, which has also beforehand received funding from SDTC, will help organizations review and check small business processes, from asset management to chance evaluation and catastrophe response.
Today, the company’s High definition vector maps are used for hundreds of industrial and government purposes throughout extra than 100 nations around the world close to the world. The Govt of Canada previously makes use of Ecopia’s tech to enable deploy higher-speed online throughout rural parts.
Relevant: Ecopia lands $3.39 million federal govt contract for broadband mapping
“Digital maps provide as the foundation for several apps that enable aid financial development, group progress, and climate resilience,” said Ecopia in the push launch. “However, Canada has historically operated without the need of a higher-precision, uniform electronic representation of its cities—the development of these kinds of a map presents an option to boost the effectiveness and precision of determination-creating inside cities and across the nation.”
Maps Ecopia generates via this SDTC challenge will chart every single city’s properties, streets, bridges, railways, driveways, sidewalks, parking a lot, swimming swimming pools, sports activities fields, bodies of drinking water, forests, grasslands, bare lands, and paved areas.
“Big data perform a vital job in achieving and keeping the best possible environmental sustainability,” reported SDTC president and CEO Leah Lawrence, who expressed hope that the funding will “help Ecopia improve their information alternative, paving the way for larger current market chances and greater sustainability.”
According to Ecopia, likely purposes of its 3D vector maps of Canadian cities span government, insurance policies, telecommunications, transportation, community security.
Related: Ecopia Tech, Routific, GHGSat between cleantech startups receiving SDTC funding
Climate resilience use-circumstances contain measuring rooftop photo voltaic installations, assessing tree-canopy protection, and flood mapping.
It remains unclear how Ecopia classifies Canada’s top 100 cities. The firm did not react to an electronic mail query about this by time of publication.
Thunder Bay and Windsor are consortium companions on the SDTC-backed initiative, and will be “at the forefront of deploying these maps for sustainability-related programs,” in accordance to Ecopia.
Ecopia options to present each individual mapped town a two-year license to the details to assist weather resilience initiatives. The startup informed BetaKit that the 3D mapping knowledge will be prepared “starting in 2023.”
Function impression of 3D map of NYC developed by Ecopia, courtesy Ecopia.
