Intelligent approach to environmental policy

Peter Dinham
Friday, 20 November 2009 05:42

IT Industry - Deals

Adelaide-based artificial intelligence company, Intelligent Software Development, says it has applied its advanced analysis software, SimulAIt, to simulate more than two million households for customers in SA and Victoria and evaluate environmental policies of the organisations.

Intelligent Software CEO Dr. Don Perugini said the company has conducted projects for the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment, Central Highlands Water and The University of Adelaide to assess environmental policies such as water rebates, restrictions and behavioural change programs, water pricing and trading.

According to Dr Perugini, the company is “breaking new ground” by assisting government authorities to evaluate environmental policy decisions, with its SimulAIt solution simulating more than two million households to “accurately predict behaviour resulting from environmental policies and social influences.”

Describing SimulAIt as “a giant step forward for evaluating environmental policy,” Dr Perugini said the company was able to “assess uptake and efficiency of products and prices across the state of Victoria to assist with informing the department’s rebate policy decisions.

“The simulation can be also used for targeted marketing of programs and products with sustainability in mind. Given any policy or product, SimulAIt can predict to a high level of accuracy the financial and social impacts on an entire population and provide insight about how to influence future outcomes.

“In addition to our highly detailed demographic data, we can utilise disparate sources of information, such as market research and survey data, to provide greater understanding and analysis.  Then, we can not only observe and predict likely outcomes from the introduction of new policies, products and infrastructure, but test options to influence the community to achieve desirable future outcomes.”

According to Dr Perugini, Intelligent Software applies AI to create a bottom-up dynamic simulation of millions of households and their behaviours to provide greater insight into the impact of different projects, as well as the means to predict impact from new projects, and he claimed it was “revolutionising the way people used data, maps and simulations, with sophisticated dynamic analysis and displays.”