Resilience.io
Currently being built and tested, resilience.io is an open-source, cloud-based, scalable city-regional software platform linked to earth systems models. It enables communities anywhere to gather earth observation, economic, social and environmental data in a crowd sourced manner and build a dynamic 3D systems visualization of their region, land and sea. A game-based version for schools will enable children to explore how resources and gases flow as a result of human and ecological activity in their neighborhood and what impact this has on their local health. For example, local governments often make policy and investment decisions in department silos without shared data. That is, a road built to relieve congestion increases air pollution, causing long term health and productivity problems and increased flood risk. For the first time future scenarios can be risk assessed in an efficient collaborative way, knowing the most likely health, ecological and economic impacts, thus investments and policies can be prioritised to best improve the lives of new and existing urban dwellers, particularly the poor, disabled, women and children. Local government departments and private sector can access resilience.io from any device to see if decisions are driving better outcomes against international standards and national or local goals. Every dollar invested can yield greater benefits because goals are delivered faster and at lower cost. Investors and insurers can use the platform for impact investment and procure bankable projects, thus releasing more capital. Communities can evolve their platform for the long term with continuous improvement and learning from the knowledge platform.