- AI tools for urban planning: IBM and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) introduced Open Building Insights and Modeling Urban Growth to help policymakers understand and plan for energy and infrastructure needs in developing regions.
- Impactful information: Open Building Insights is already having a significant impact in Kenya, guiding energy planning measures expected to benefit 1.1 million citizens by 2030.
- Global Reach and Accessibility: Modeling Urban Growth, available on GitHub, allows users around the world to predict city growth and support urban development using open source AI technology.
At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, IBM and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) announced new AI-powered tools designed to guide sustainable urban development globally. These tools, launched as part of the IBM Sustainability Accelerator program, aim to help policymakers map urban growth and identify energy and infrastructure needs in developing regions.
“At IBM, we are proud to launch solutions that harness the power of artificial intelligence to impact communities around the world. » declared John Matogo, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility for Africa and the Middle East at IBM. “Collaborating with organizations like Sustainable Energy for All through our IBM Sustainability Accelerator program helps us unlock innovation and work more closely within communities to tackle some of our biggest challenges, including energy and sustainable urban development.
Open Building Insights Platform
The Open Building Insights (OBI) platform is a key project emerging from IBM’s work with SEforALL. Developed using IBM Watsonx AI and running on IBM Cloud, OBI consolidates detailed building data, including location, height, footprint and usage type, into an interactive map accessible to audience. This tool integrates models from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to estimate building height and Open Energy Maps for electricity consumption data.
Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for SEforALLsaid, “The Open Building Insights (OBI) tool, which SEforALL developed in collaboration with IBM, will help energy planners overcome critical challenges related to the lack of data to inform energy access and transition interventions energy, and to better deliver results for those who need them most.
In Kenya, the tool is already in use, helping Makueni County gather critical information to plan energy interventions that are expected to benefit approximately 1,139,000 citizens by 2030. The OBI platform is also available for Maharashtra, in India, demonstrating its potential for wider application.
Urban growth modeling
IBM’s second AI tool, Modeling Urban Growth (MUG), is an open source AI model that predicts urban expansion by analyzing historical satellite data, geographic features and road layouts. This model helps identify future trends in urbanization, guiding the prioritization of infrastructure and energy services.
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MUG is currently trained with data from several African countries, including Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and others, making it a versatile tool for decision-makers focused on urban development. It is available on GitHub with an educational guide allowing developers to recycle the model for use in other regions, expanding its accessibility.
IBM’s expanded partnership with SEforALL aims to continue enhancing the OBI platform and integrating MUG, supporting sustainability efforts in India and potentially other regions.
These AI-based solutions represent an important step in using technology to address urban and energy planning challenges, particularly in developing areas where comprehensive data and planning tools are most needed.
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