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ISLAMABAD, Jan 21 (APP):Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and AI Geo Navigators on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a collaborative framework that aimed at integrating artificial intelligence (AI), geospatial technologies, and advanced modelling into evidence-based policy research and sustainable development planning.
The MoU was signed by Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director of SDPI, and Asim Javed, Chief Executive Officer of AI Geo Navigators, marking the beginning of a three-year partnership focused on joint research, consulting, capacity building, and knowledge exchange,said a press release.
Addressing the ceremony, Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri stressed that MoUs must translate into concrete outcomes. “This MoU has to be effective and productive. GIS imagery, mapping, and modelling can significantly enhance the effectiveness of our policy research and evidence,” he said.
Emphasizing a results-oriented approach, he called for pragmatic and minimalistic targets, timely follow-ups, and clearly defined milestones and deliverables through designated focal persons from both organizations to ensure a win-win collaboration.
Asim Javed, CEO of AI Geo Navigators, said the company, despite being relatively new, comprises a young and diverse team of experts working across water resources, biodiversity, disaster risk reduction, and climate analytics.
“We are currently working in 14 different countries,” he said, adding that the partnership with SDPI is particularly valuable given the institute’s strong reputation and its linkages with leading academic institutions such as National University of Science and Technology (NUST).
He said AI Geo Navigators specializes in integrating AI into models for future projections and addressing the challenge of underutilized data in Pakistan. “There is a proliferation of data, but its effective use is the real question. Linking this data with AI models can significantly enhance its efficacy,” he said, adding that the company’s models on water, drought, and related sectors are nearing completion and that it has developed its own AI-based conversational platform, with plans to support SDPI in developing a customized, policy-focused AI tool based on SDPI’s research and publications.
Earlier, Zainab Naeem, Head of Ecology, Sustainability and Circularity at SDPI, highlighted the institute’s long-standing role as an independent, non-profit think tank. She said SDPI works across core research areas including economic growth, energy, governance, and private sector engagement, with a presence in all provinces of Pakistan and regional linkages with institutions such as CBT Bangladesh, IPS Sri Lanka, SWATEE, and CANSA.
Referring to the collaboration, Zainab Naeem said SDPI is keen to learn from AI Geo Navigators on the use of AI for future projection modelling, particularly in areas critical to sustainable development and climate policy.
Under the MoU, the two organizations will collaborate on joint research and consulting projects, internships, volunteer engagement, training programs, guest lectures, and resource sharing. The agreement also provides for joint publications, conferences, and capacity-building initiatives, while outlining frameworks for intellectual property use, ethical conduct, dispute resolution, and termination procedures.