Vancouver-based UrbanLogiq has launched an expanded version of its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered government data platform, which it says will help policymakers better understand the regions they govern.
The Vancouver-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup announced its new platform alongside a program to glean private-sector data at Web Summit Vancouver last week.
Mark Masongsong
“Prime Minister Carney’s focus on AI is a practical necessity.”
UrbanLogiq
The company says it’s looking to solve the “universal fragmentation of data” through an all-in-one platform that governments can use for urban management. Founded in 2016, UrbanLogiq got its start in the Startup in Residence program with the City of San Francisco. CEO and co-founder Mark Masongsong told Vancouver Tech Journal he wanted to bring Silicon Valley data analysis and insights into the public sector.
UrbanLogiq’s platform allows all levels of government to upload urban data to map out their regions, including zoning, density, utilities, traffic, and transit activity. The company says its platform cleans and refines data, analyzes it to provide insights, and uses machine learning to generate action items.
Masongsong told BetaKit that the newly released Global Foundation Model offers a “digital twin,” or digital replica of the physical world, connected to a neural network that tracks how communities interact with their environment.
“This is building on UrbanLogiq’s current capabilities by giving us access to private sector data not previously accessible by governments, and extending our platform’s reach worldwide,” Masongsong told BetaKit.
The new features are partly informed by data from engineering giant WSP and public transport IT firm Cubic Transportation Systems, who are the first participants in UrbanLogiq’s new Strategic Alliance Partners program. In exchange for the data, the companies get access to UrbanLogiq’s predictive AI models, the company said.
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In addition to machine learning and predictive insights, UrbanLogiq has made a foray into generative AI. Last March, it launched a custom AI chatbot for governments called Ethica. The company said it could access private government data but with robust security controls, allowing public-sector employees to interact through natural language requests about permits, developments, and urban planning. UrbanLogiq says the model was trained on open data sources, such as laws, regulations, bylaws, and budgets, using government-controlled third-party data.
The software company has a number of Canadian and US municipal governments as clients, including Ottawa, Burnaby, BC, and Kelowna, BC.
In April, UrbanLogiq expanded its tech team by bringing in former Nvidia engineer Paul Lalonde as a strategic advisor.
“I’m really excited by how the mission and the technology come together, to break down all the data silos that have been plaguing governments ever since data started,” Lalonde said in a promotional video.
This comes as Canada sees an increasing push from the tech industry and the federal government to integrate digital tools into the public sector to boost productivity. Though the data on AI’s productivity gains has been mixed, there have been calls from volunteer industry groups such as Build Canada and Prime Minister Mark Carney to increase AI use in governance.
“There is a very real danger that both governments worldwide and Canada as a nation could be left behind without strong and decisive leadership,” Masongsong said. “Prime Minister Carney’s focus on AI is a practical necessity.”
Feature image courtesy Denys Nevozhai via Unsplash.