Published: August 7, 2025, 08:23
The Warsaw University of Technology is playing a key role in the development of CitCom.ai, an advanced test and experimentation platform designed to accelerate the development and deployment of artificial intelligence and robotics technologies in cities and communities. The initiative fosters close collaboration between academic institutions, local governments, and technology companies to create a real-world testing environment for AI-powered urban solutions.
The Faculty of Geodesy and Cartography at the Warsaw University of Technology is actively engaged in this prestigious international project, officially named AI Testing and Experimentation Facility for Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities (CitCom.ai). It is one of only four AI TEF (Testing and Experimentation Facilities) centers supported by the European Commission under the Digital Europe Programme. The project brings together 34 partners from 11 European countries, including universities, research centers, municipal organizations, test labs, and tech firms, coordinated by IMEC – Europe’s leading research hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, based in Belgium.
PW Team Develops AI Tools for Smarter Cities
The Warsaw University of Technology is a key contributor in the CONNECT component of the project, focused on local infrastructure and cross-sector service integration. Research activities are conducted at the Center for Geospatial and Satellite Analysis (CENAGIS), supported by high-performance computing clusters.
The project is led on behalf of WUT by Dr. Eng. Agnieszka Wendland. The research team also includes Prof. Robert Olszewski (GIS and geoinformation modeling), M.Sc. Eng. Kamil Choromański (spatial data analyst and AI integrator), and M.Sc. Eng. Paweł Czernic (machine vision and spatial data processing expert) – all from the Faculty of Geodesy and Cartography.
Their research focuses on several critical areas:
- Geoparticipation – developing tools that allow residents to engage in spatial planning through GNSS, augmented reality (AR), gamification, and multi-agent systems
- Big data and spatial analytics – building AI tools for analyzing urban datasets, community-contributed geodata (VGI), and predicting the outcomes of revitalization
- Spatial information modeling – applying machine learning to extract knowledge from both official and community-sourced spatial data
- Sustainable land use management – designing predictive models to support decision-making in urban planning
The team is currently testing AI prototypes, tackling challenges such as integrating diverse data sources, ensuring interoperability between platforms, and adapting AI models to complex urban environments.
“The Warsaw University of Technology plays a unique role in the project by bridging geospatial technologies with human-centric AI,” said Dr. Eng. Agnieszka Wendland, project lead. “Our interdisciplinary team contributes expertise in spatial data, IT, and participatory processes to design future cities focused on residents’ needs.”
From Labs to Living Cities
The results of CitCom.ai are expected to impact public policy, startups, SMEs, and R&D institutions. Cities implementing smart city solutions, public institutions, and tech companies in the AI and robotics sectors will benefit directly from the project.
The overarching goal is to accelerate the development of ethical, transparent, and sustainable AI solutions for smart cities, while reinforcing Europe’s technological sovereignty. The platform will provide infrastructure for testing and certifying solutions in real-world urban scenarios, including mobility, environment, spatial planning, civic participation, and crisis management.
The total budget of the project is nearly €40 million, with €294,678 allocated to the Warsaw University of Technology. The project is co-funded by the European Union’s Digital Europe Programme and Poland’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education under the Internationally Co-financed Projects scheme. Completion is scheduled for December 2027.
More details are available on the official CitCom.ai website.
Source: Warsaw University of Technology
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