Canadian Government Commits $8 Million for Ecopia AI to Create a High-Precision 3D Map of Canada to Support Net-Zero Initiatives

July 07, 2022 -- Toronto, Ontario -- Today Ecopia AI (“Ecopia”) announced a funding partnership with Sustainable Development Technology Canada (“SDTC”), which will support the creation of high-precision 3D vector maps across the top 100 cities in Canada. This next-generation digital mapping data will support sustainability-related initiatives as part of the Canadian Government’s plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.‍

Digital maps serve as the foundation for many applications that help facilitate economic growth, community development, and climate resilience. However, Canada has historically operated without a high-precision, uniform digital representation of its cities - the creation of such a map offers an opportunity to increase the efficiency and accuracy of decision-making within cities and across the nation - with applications spanning government, insurance, telecommunications, transportation, and public safety.

By creating a digital representation of the top 100 cities in Canada, this initiative will support municipal stakeholders to better understand and manage their cities - including the acceleration of Net-Zero initiatives such as rooftop solar installations, tree-canopy coverage assessment, and enhanced flood mapping. These standardized maps will also enable provincial and federal stakeholders to better understand and benchmark progress toward Net-Zero 2050 targets - offering valuable insight for policy and funding programs. ‍

Ecopia will leverage its AI-based mapping systems to mine high-resolution multi-view aerial imagery, producing the high-precision 3D vector map of the top 100 cities. The resulting map will offer a highly accurate digital representation of every building, road, bridge, railway, driveway, sidewalk, parking lot, swimming pool, sports field, waterbody, forest, grassland, bare land, and paved area across each city. The cities of Thunder Bay and Windsor are consortium partners on the project and will be at the forefront of deploying these maps for sustainability-related applications. In addition, Ecopia will be offering each of the top 100 municipalities across Canada a 2-year license to the data to help support immediate action toward climate resilience initiatives. 

“Canadians across the country are part of the solution in fighting the climate crisis and Ecopia is seizing the moment and doing their part. Our government knows that when investments in science, technology and innovation are paired with ambitious and talented Canadian entrepreneurs, it drives the breakthroughs we need to fuel a more resilient and sustainable future for everyone.” – The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry

“Big data plays a vital role in achieving and maintaining optimum environmental sustainability. With this funding, SDTC is proud to help Ecopia optimize their data solution, paving the way for bigger market opportunities and greater sustainability.” - Leah Lawrence, President and CEO of SDTC

“We’re excited and honoured to be leading the creation of this high-precision 3D map of Canadian cities. This initiative will create the foundation of a digital twin for cities across the country - providing data that will help support smart, safe, sustainable communities.” - Jon Lipinski, President and Co-founder of Ecopia AI.‍

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About Sustainable Development Technology Canada
At SDTC, we support companies attempting to do extraordinary things. From initial funding to educational support and peer learning to market integration, we are invested in helping our small and medium-sized businesses grow into successful companies that employ Canadians from coast to coast to coast. We are relentlessly focused on supporting our companies to grow and scale in an increasingly competitive marketplace. The innovations we fund help solve some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges: climate change, regeneration through the circular economy, and the well-being of humans in the communities they live in and the natural environment they interact with. For more information, visit sdtc.ca

About Ecopia AI
Ecopia is on a mission to create a digital twin of the Earth. We leverage artificial intelligence to convert high-resolution imagery into high-definition (HD) Vector Maps. These maps form a digital representation of reality and are embedded into decision-making applications, offering unique insight at scale. Ecopia’s HD Vector Maps are leveraged for hundreds of commercial and government applications across over 100 countries around the world.