The state of Karnataka has always been synonymous with supremacy, be it India’s advent into culture or technology. From housing the country’s best tourist destination to nurturing its biggest technological cluster, Karnataka has always been a leading state. Its technological cluster is the fourth largest in the world.

India’s Silicon Valley, Bangalore, technology giants like Wipro and Infosys, e-commerce biggies like Flipkart, Byju’s, and Myntra all are centered in Karnataka itself. The state has always been at the forefront of nurturing and harnessing cutting-edge technologies and its government has been the backbone of this stride.

With AI taking the center stage, let’s see how the Karnataka government is planning its development and adoption!

Centre of Excellence in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence

In July 2018, the Karnataka State Government launched a Centre of Excellence in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (CoE – DSAI) in Bengaluru, in collaboration with NASSCOM. The Centre of Excellence for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence was launched to create a platform wherein stakeholders ranging from industry to academia can co-create digital solutions for Industry 4.0.

CoE – DSAI is a nationwide program on innovative solutions in smart manufacturing, healthcare, automotive, energy, agriculture, IoT, telecom, retail, banking, and financial services.

AI for Digital Agriculture

In October 2017, the Government of Karnataka signed an MoU with Microsoft India in an attempt to increase farmers’ income using machine learning, cloud-based technologies, and advanced analytics. The initiative was aimed to help the Karnataka Agricultural Price Commission (KAPC) and the Department of Agriculture improve price forecasting models based on various datasets like historical sowing area, weather, production, and yield. 

It was an attempt to bring in digital farming via Microsoft Cortana Intelligence Suite including technologies like business intelligence and machine learning.

Timber Revenue Optimization

To maximize timber revenue, the Karnataka Forest Department in association with NASSCOM CoE DSAI shortlisted 60+ BTech startups and AI innovators across the state to identify and finalize AI machine learning analytics vendors with custom solutions. This employed historic data of 5 years on 1400 registered bulk purchases, including companies and sawmills.

9 lakh tons of timber sales data from 2013 to 2018 was analyzed and churned deep learning algorithm was deployed to identify forecast quantity of wood required, type of wood, the behavior of price and species, best disposal time and methods, etc.

Intelligent Visualization for Pollution Control

To identify relevant AI and IoT solutions for pollution monitoring and provide ‘One View’ air monitoring by area, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and NASSCOM CoE deployed deep learning and machine learning algorithms. Three years’ historic data on air quality and levels of pollution in different regions was leveraged to analyze area-wise air pollution, weather, and moisture levels and understand pollution patterns better.

“Intelligent Visualization” for Ambient Air Monitoring was designed and delivered by KSPCB making it the first of its kind by a state government.

Besides, the Karnataka government launched Homeline App with a Whatsapp chatbot that mapped 16000 grocery, fruit, vegetable, and medical vendors. The chatbot was manned by employees of [24]/7.ai.

In August, an AI-enabled movable hospital pod was launched by Karnataka’s medical education minister K Sudhakar to treat COVID patients in far-flung rural areas.

Also, Bengaluru’s municipal body was set to launch an app for detecting COVID patients in the city and directing them to nearby hospitals.