Linker Vision launches ESG AI agent to plan cooler, greener cities
Linker Vision has announced an ESG AI agent that helps urban planners evaluate sustainability initiatives, starting with tree planting and greenery management to reduce urban heat. In a pilot with Dutch design firm MVRDV, the agent projected that shade coverage could rise from 15.7% to more than 50% within 15 years.
- Linker Vision announced an ESG AI agent to help urban planners evaluate sustainability initiatives, starting with urban heat and shade.
- In a pilot with MVRDV, the agent projected shade coverage rising from 15.7% to more than 50% within 15 years.
- The workflow uses a 3D Gaussian Splatting digital twin with NVIDIA Omniverse, OpenUSD, Nemotron, Metropolis VSS and Cosmos.
- Urban forest planning is available today, according to the company.
- The shared city digital twin is designed to support future uses such as pedestrian flow analysis and major event venue preparation.
An agent for testing planning options before building
According to Linker Vision, the new agent combines environmental predictions with AI reasoning to assess urban heat and shade coverage. The goal is to guide tree planting and greenery management and to support cities' climate adaptation goals.
The company is working with MVRDV, the Dutch architecture and urban design firm, to explore how AI can help cities assess potential interventions before making changes in the real world. According to the announcement, MVRDV contributed scientific data, shaped the evaluation criteria the agent uses to assess planning options, and tested the ESG agent during development.
Urban forests as the first application
The initial application focuses on urban forests. Linker Vision is collaborating with MVRDV on a digital twin that supports predictions of urban heat island effects and shade coverage. In the pilot, the agent identifies heat hotspots, selects suitable tree species and simulates the results. The company says the projection shows shade coverage rising from 15.7% to more than 50% within 15 years.
In practice, a planner asks the agent where new trees would best reduce street-level heat. The agent tests planting options and simulates shade and temperature over a 15-year timespan in minutes. Planners then review the recommended plan before an urban heat hotspot project moves forward.
Urban forest planning is available today, according to Linker Vision.
The technology behind the workflow
The workflow uses a digital twin built with 3D Gaussian Splatting, running on NVIDIA accelerated computing and AI technologies. Several NVIDIA components are involved:
- NVIDIA Omniverse libraries and OpenUSD unify city, tree and environmental data into a single scene.
- NVIDIA Nemotron reasoning models let users run planting scenarios and optimize shade through natural language.
- NVIDIA Metropolis Blueprint for video search and summarization (VSS) and the Cosmos open world foundation model help interpret video and understand real-world conditions.
A shared digital twin for more uses
Linker Vision says the pilot shows how one shared digital twin can support several planning needs, including climate adaptation and disaster resilience. Going forward, the city digital twin is designed to serve as a common foundation that government agencies can build on for further applications. The company names analyzing pedestrian flows and preparing venues for major sporting events as examples.
Paul Shieh, founder and CEO of Linker Vision, said: "Every decision about a city shapes how future generations will live." He added: "By connecting real-world understanding with simulation and AI reasoning, we want to help cities explore what is possible and make better choices for people and the planet."
What it means for cities
For urban planners, the agent offers a way to compare tree planting options and see projected heat and shade effects over 15 years in minutes, rather than after work has begun. Planners keep the final say, since they review the recommended plan before a project proceeds. Cities and government agencies interested in broader uses would depend on the shared digital twin, which Linker Vision describes as designed for additional applications but not yet available for them.
