Ecopia AI Delivers Impervious Surface Data to the City of Kelowna to Support Stormwater Management

July 8, 2024 - Toronto - Today, Ecopia AI (Ecopia) announces the delivery of high-precision geospatial data to Kelowna, British Columbia to support the evaluation of an impervious-based stormwater utility fee (SUF) in the City. The project, supported by AECOM, the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, will use Ecopia’s dataset to help evaluate an alternative approach to funding stormwater services in the City of Kelowna. 

Stormwater management services in Kelowna are currently funded through general tax revenue based on property value. However, with this new geospatial data, the City aims to adopt a more equitable, fair, and predictable funding model by considering the extent of impervious surfaces on properties.

Impervious surfaces, such as roofs and driveways, do not absorb water. This lack of absorption causes increased runoff during rainfall or snowmelt, raising pollution levels and increasing the risk of flooding. Commercial and larger residential properties typically have larger impervious areas and thus contribute more to stormwater runoff. The comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date impervious surface data provided by Ecopia will enable Kelowna to calculate proposed SUFs based on the amount of impervious surface on a property. This means that the amount property owners will pay will no longer be dependent on a property’s assessed value but will more accurately reflect a property’s impact on the City’s stormwater system. By implementing this data-driven approach, Kelowna aims to ensure a fairer distribution of stormwater management costs.

Additional objectives of the new funding strategy include protecting Okanagan Lake water quality, promoting good private stormwater practices, and more. To learn more about Kelowna’s proposed stormwater management changes, click here.

“Ecopia’s AI-based systems were able to quickly and accurately digitize impervious surface layers for the City of Kelowna,” said Jim Hager, Design Technician at the City of Kelowna. “This high-precision data has helped our city's approach to evaluating alternative stormwater funding models. 

"Ecopia is proud to collaborate with the City of Kelowna in their innovative stormwater management initiatives," said Bill Singleton, VP of Sales at Ecopia. "Our partnership reflects our shared commitment to leveraging advanced geospatial data for sustainable urban development, ensuring a more resilient future for communities."

For more information on Ecopia, click here. To view our HD map samples, click here.

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About Kelowna
Located on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx/Okanagan people, Kelowna is a vibrant mid-sized city in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is situated in the heart of the Okanagan Valley, surrounded by mountains, lakes and vineyards. With a population of nearly 150,000 people, it is the largest city in the Regional District of Central Okanagan. 

About Ecopia AI
Ecopia is on a mission to create a digital twin of the Earth. We leverage artificial intelligence to convert high-resolution imagery into high-definition (HD) vector maps. These maps form a digital representation of reality and are embedded into decision-making applications, offering unique insight at scale. Ecopia’s HD vector maps are leveraged for hundreds of commercial and government applications across over 100 countries around the world.