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Open Building Insights (OBI) is an open-access, AI-powered suite of tools that transform satellite imagery and geospatial data into actionable building-level intelligence. By combining advanced machine learning and cloud analytics, OBI provides rich insights on urban form, energy demand, and infrastructure characteristics. This intelligence empowers governments, planners, and investors to make evidence-based decisions that advance sustainable development, accelerate energy transitions, and strengthen climate resilience. Already used by collaborators in Kenya and India, OBI is transforming data scarcity into opportunity enabling smarter, more equitable development for all.
In many regions, planners and decision-makers face persistent challenges in accessing accurate, building-level data, information that is vital for effective energy planning, infrastructure development, and climate adaptation. Traditional tools often rely on aggregated settlement-level estimates, which overlook local variations in energy demand, urban density, and infrastructure needs. This lack of granular data limits the ability to design inclusive energy access strategies, implement building codes, and plan resilient urban systems. Advances in artificial intelligence and open geospatial data now make it possible to close these gaps, providing a foundation for more equitable, efficient, and sustainable development.
Since 2022, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) has collaborated with Open Energy Maps (OEMaps) and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), under IBM's Impact Accelerator Program, to develop Open Building Insights (OBI) a cloud- based, AI-powered solution that transforms satellite imagery and geospatial data into actionable building intelligence. OBI is designed to make critical spatial data accessible to all through an open, web-based interface, supporting evidence- based decision-making across governments, development collaborators, and the private sector.
Open Building Insights (OBI) is a suite of AI-based algorithms/models coupled with an online, open-access, interactive visualization platform that offers building-level information at a user's fingertips. OBI consolidates building datasets available in the public domain with state-of-the-art machine learning modelling output, geospatial analytics, and cloud computing, aiming to enrich publicly available information of buildings in the targeted geographies.
This information includes building type (e.g., residential, non-residential, industrial + OSM tags where available), height, rooftop area, number of floors, gross floor area, urbanization typology, access status, and (indicative) power consumption estimates. Ongoing enhancements are expanding OBI's analytical capabilities to include Solar Rooftop Potential, estimating usable rooftop area and generation capacity, and Heat Vulnerability parameters, assessing exposure to heat stress based on urban form, vegetation, and proximity to cooling assets.
To ensure accuracy and local relevance, OBI integrates open geospatial datasets with well-trained AI models and ground-truth validation. Authorized users can also upload verified building data, keeping the platform dynamic and community-driven.
OBI's intuitive interface is designed for accessibility across technical and non-technical audiences. Its open-source codebase and detailed documentation on GitHub foster transparency, collaboration, and continuous innovation.
All these functionalities make OBI a powerful enabler for climate-resilient urban planning, helping identify priority zones for renewable energy deployment, passive cooling, and energy-efficient retrofits. Its intelligence aims to enable planners, policymakers, and investors to make more informed decisions regarding energy & infrastructure planning that align with sustainability and climate goals.
Through active pilot projects and capacity-building programs, OBI aims to strengthen institutional capabilities and promote a culture of evidence-based urban and energy planning worldwide. We invite you to be part of this journey!
