Today, Australian geospatial data analytics firm MapAI announced a fresh round of funding worth roughly $1.3 million. Through supporters, FrontierSI and UNSW Sydney, MapAI secured the capital to promote its generative AI features of the geospatial toolkit.
Geospatial data is commonly the building block behind location-based AR experiences, such as entertainment, marketing, and construction demands. Additionally, as AR smart glasses rise in popularity among hardware vendors, new options for users to interact with location-based 3D content will be required for them to get the most out of the XR hardware from a consumer and business level.
Dr Graeme Kernich, CEO of FrontierSI said:
Our continued support for MapAI aligns with FrontierSI’s purpose to solve problems using our geospatial expertise. MapAI builds solutions that not only allow users to interact with their data and make better decisions, but is also building tools that provide a broader set of users with information that they simply haven’t had access to in the past.
Moreover, the $1.3 million in funding enables the firm to scale the MapAI service for businesses and consumer use cases. The firm plans to launch the service as a consumer-ready service early in 2025, allowing users to explore Australian 3D geospatial data via a webpage.
The Urban Copilot Initiative
The funding not only scales the development of MapAI but will also drive the integration of a $6.5 million Urban Copilot initiative. Alongside project partners Archistar, PEXA, and UNSW, the initiative aims to create new urban planning use cases with the MapAI platform.
Phil Delaney, CEO of MapAI, added:
With this new funding, we are thrilled to advance our platform to production, fully harnessing the power of generative AI and making location data analytics more intuitive and accessible than ever before. Our technology is set to redefine user interactions with data platforms, turning complex interfaces into simple conversations.
UNSW Sydney is delivering its portion of the supporting capital as part of a broader investment into MapAI. According to Professor Stephen Rodda, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Industry & Innovation) at UNSW Sydney, “UNSW’s investment in MapAI reflects our focus on investing in technology that bridges the gap between research and impactful real-world applications.” Rodda noted how the “transformative” nature of genAI and the MapAI geospatial solution allows users to “tackle complex challenges and create accessible solutions.”
“Supporting ventures like MapAI is crucial to our approach to delivering societal impact through research translation,” Rodda also added. Moreover, Professor Chris Pettit, Director of UNSW City Futures Research Centre, noted, “UNSW is proud to continue our role as the research engine behind MapAI. This funding not only fuels the next stage of development but also cements our commitment to translating our cutting-edge research into real-world products.”
