Canada: Shaping the cities of tomorrow

Esri Canada, a long-established Canadian company, is a recognised leader in mapping, spatial analysis and smart city solutions, trailblazing in geographic information systems. With over 650 professionals in 14 regional offices, Esri Canada empowers more than 14,000 customer organisations to apply location intelligence for data-driven decision-making in areas including urban planning, mobility and public safety.

Esri Canada expanded its capabilities in a Eureka project, PS-CRIMSON, with the ITEA Cluster. Each consortium partner brought complementary expertise: Atos and Esri Canada developed the integrated platform; ViNotion and Sorama contributed sensor technologies; Esri Canada also created indoor digital twin modelling; Cyclomedia added photorealistic texturing; and Eindhoven University of Technology applied artificial intelligence innovations. Together, the partners created a 3D-disaster forecasting model that consolidated diverse datasets into a single-access platform for city officials.

The model was piloted in cities such as Eindhoven and Vancouver to improve crisis management. Decision makers in these cities discovered the value of a real-time, holistic view and faster coordination during crisis and disaster response.

Collaborating with international partners through Eureka’s ITEA Cluster has been transformative for our growth. It has enabled us to harness diverse expertise, access new markets and accelerate innovation. Leveraging these global connections not only drives our success on a global scale but also champions Canadian innovation on the world stage.

Alex Miller – President at Esri Canada

Building on this success, Esri Canada launched a second ITEA Cluster project, SMART, with six partners from Canada and the Netherlands. This time, the consortium tackled congestion and air quality challenges, developing a data exchange platform, the Transportation GeoXchange®, to support intelligent traffic management. Powered by geographic information systems technology, the Transportation GeoXchange® integrates disparate data on real-time traffic metrics, multimodal observations and infrastructure, enabling deeper insights and smarter traffic decisions.

Both projects benefited from Eureka’s international innovation framework. Through Eureka and the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), Esri Canada accessed global research networks, strategic partnerships and targeted financial support. With ITEA, Esri Canada could address complex challenges alongside diverse partners. The success of these initiatives is reflected in PS-CRIMSON and SMART receiving ITEA’s award of excellence in 2020 and 2024 respectively.

For Esri Canada, the projects led to new products and services supporting emergency planning and response, expansion into smart city markets and the formation of specialised team focused intelligent transportation solutions for enhanced urban mobility. All this has accelerated Esri Canada’s innovation trajectory and commercial growth. Together with its partners, Esri Canada has solidified its leadership in global geospatial solutions.

Esri Canada is tackling a major urban challenge: disconnected city data systems. By marketing new geospatial solutions for smart cities and transportation, the Canadian company is bringing major improvements in disaster forecasting and traffic management, ultimately enhancing public safety. The future of international co-innovation in smart cities is interconnected, and Esri Canada remains committed to creating smarter, safer and more resilient cities.