KI.NRW publishes interactive AI.Map 2.0

The North Rhine-Westphalian AI ecosystem at a glance

As a central point of contact for artificial intelligence (AI), the competence platform KI.NRW published the first interactive AI.Map for the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2020. With now more than 500 entries, the KI.Landkarte provides a comprehensive overview of the AI location NRW and creates visibility for AI experts from business, science and research. After an intensive revision, KI.NRW now launches an upgrade of the KI.Landkarte. A new design gives the AI ecosystem in NRW a contemporary appearance, while optimized search options simplify its use.

Where in NRW are there university programs with a particularly large number of AI modules? Can I find a suitable AI service provider for my company in my region? What qualification offers are available in the Cologne area to make employees fit for the topic of AI? The state competence platform for artificial intelligence KI.NRW has been answering these and more questions since the beginning of 2020 with its digital AI.Map. The map provides a comprehensive overview of AI players from business, science and research in NRW and is a point of contact for entrepreneurs, researchers, students and journalists who are specifically looking for AI competencies in NRW. Two years later, after intensive revision, a new version of the KI.Landkarte is available, free of charge at www.ki.nrw/ki-landkarte.

The central concern of the new edition is to create more transparency and promote networking activities. “With the new AI. Map, we demonstrate how strong and versatile NRW is in the field of AI. The more than 500 entries clearly show: NRW can handle AI, the competence is in the state. The task now is to bundle these competencies and jointly leverage the potential of the technology. Use the AI. Map to get in touch with other players, to identify possible cooperation partners for your projects or to find further education programs and courses of study on the subject of AI,” says Dr. Christian Temath, Managing Director of KI.NRW.

The new usability supports that: “In addition to many additional entries, the AI. Map also comes with a new design, improved search options, more structured filter options, and a browser-filling overall display of the search results. The mapping of North Rhine-Westphalia’s AI ecosystem is now clearer and those interested in AI will be able to use the map even more intuitively as a research and networking tool. To improve accessibility, we have also optimized our offering for mobile devices,” explains Lisa Fink, Technology Manager at KI.NRW.

The entries of the map are organized according to the upper categories Economy, Science and Qualification, which are listed in a selection menu on the left edge of the map. Within these upper categories, the search request can be specified via subcategories and narrowed down via filters. For example, companies offering services, sample applications, AI products and transfer centers can be found under Business, research institutions and research projects and cooperations are listed under Science, and further education and degree courses are listed under Qualification. The subcategories are then in turn each equipped with thematically appropriate filters, enabling a fast and precise output of search results. In addition, users can also use the keyword search or find entries in a corresponding region directly on the map by clicking on the pins.

As a special feature of the KI.NRW annual focus “AI and Sustainability”, research projects, AI products and sample applications with a sustainability context are shown separately via a special filter in the header. They show AI solutions that refer to ecological, economic and social aspects of the 2030 Agenda.

In order for the AI. Map to present the most accurate picture possible of the AI ecosystem in North Rhine-Westphalia, AI stakeholders from NRW are highly encouraged to contribute content for new entries as well as updates for existing entries. An entry on the KI.Landkarte is free of charge and can be made via the KI.NRW website: www.ki.nrw/ki-landkarte/eintrag-beisteuern.