IBM and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) have introduced new AI-powered tools to promote sustainable urban development worldwide. These tools aim to help policymakers address energy and infrastructure challenges, especially in developing regions.
John Matogo, IBM’s Corporate Social Responsibility Leader for Africa & the Middle East, stated, “At IBM, we’re proud to launch solutions that harness the power of artificial intelligence to have an impact for communities around the world.”
He added, “Collaborating with organizations such as Sustainable Energy for All through our IBM Sustainability Accelerator program helps us unlock innovation and work more closely in communities to tackle some of our biggest challenges, especially around energy and sustainable urban development.”
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Open Building Insights and Urban Growth Modeling
The Open Building Insights (OBI) tool is an online platform running on IBM Cloud. It visually consolidates data on buildings to assist energy planners and urban developers. OBI offers insights on building height, location, footprint, and usage type to guide sustainable energy interventions.
SEforALL CEO Damilola Ogunbiyi said, “The Open Building Insights (OBI) Tool, that SEforALL has developed in collaboration with IBM, will help energy planners overcome critical data gap challenges to inform energy access and energy transition interventions, and better deliver results for those most in need.”
In Kenya, Makueni County used OBI insights to plan measures expected to benefit over 1,139,000 citizens by 2030. The tool is also available for Maharashtra, India, with plans to expand further.
The Modeling Urban Growth (MUG) tool predicts urban growth by analyzing satellite images, demographic data, and geographic information. It enables stakeholders to prioritize infrastructure needs in growing cities. The model covers African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania and can be re-trained for use worldwide.
Future Expansion and Collaboration
IBM and SEforALL plan to expand OBI in India and integrate the MUG model into the platform. Both tools are available for free, empowering decision-makers to create smarter, sustainable urban environments.
Ogunbiyi emphasized, “At Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), we believe that integrating AI in the energy sector planning and evidence – especially for developing countries will go a long way in designing comprehensive solutions for many of the developmental challenges currently facing the Global South and its people.”
The tools mark a significant step in global efforts to address urban and energy challenges with innovative AI technology.