Your Regional Advanced Laboratory - a Digital Sandbox
Activate change in your region together with other leaders.
Help people see the future of your community
The Regional Advanced Laboratory (REAL) Initiative opens up a world of actionable insight and converged data for solutionary leaders to access intelligence and advance resilient, equitable, sustainable, and successful decisions, policies, and investments.
How REAL Works.
Regional Advanced Laboratories unite regional community leaders, municipal governments, urban planning and growth boards, and organizations from economic development, post-secondary education, tourism, health, social impact and industry.
Utilizing RUNWITHIT Synthetics’ innovative visualization and simulation environment, REAL provides regional collectives with the unprecedented ability to forecast and visualize policy, investment, technology, and environmental impacts and model complex scenarios — playing forward time in a living, digital laboratory.
How REAL Helps.
REAL members elect topics for collective exploration. These learnings are explored quarterly with the entire stakeholder group, so all partners can participate in the transfer of knowledge, and outcomes and can carry insights back to their own organizations and communities.
REAL partners have leveraged outcomes of their findings to further strengthen their leadership positions in economic development and trade, innovation, equity, and resilience in the Edmonton Region, among their peers, and around the world.
How REAL Activates Change
"The EMRB is proud to collaborate with RWI and other partners on the Regional Edmonton Advanced Lab to identifying important opportunities and challenges facing our Region; and then to use data-informed modelling to help pursue outcomes that will collectively elevate our quality of life and advance our prosperity."
-Karen Wichuk, M.A., LL.B., ICD.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board
Case Study: World's First Urban Synthetic Laboratory
The Regional Edmonton Advanced Laboratory was initially developed with investment from Edmonton Global and is supported by dozens of partner organizations. It is one of the only synthetic urban environments in Canada, and positions Edmonton to capitalize on emerging socioeconomic trends, improve quality of life, and model complex scenarios.
This innovative regional collaboration tool now unites fourteen visionary partners to discuss, explore, evaluate and inflect the future impacts of today’s biggest decisions.
ASTech “Innovation of the Year” Award Winners
RWI is honoured to be recognized as the "ASTech Innovation of the Year" Winner with partners Edmonton Global and the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board on November 3, 2023!
We felt privileged to celebrate the win on stage, representing the art of the possible when determined innovators and early adopters from different sectors get together to make the best things happen. Reflecting on this collaborative achievement, which significantly impacts the community, gives RWI great hope for tomorrow.
REAL Themes
Deep dive themes determined by members of the Edmonton REAL initiative.
How you can join a Regional Advanced Lab
1. Join a local subscription group
2. Run a strategic sandbox for your organization
3. Buy data from the future
Strategic Applications of one Regional Laboratory in Canada
Ports and Airports — decarbonization
Investment and Funding Support
Growth Planning — cost of shared services, land use, density
Energy Transition — project phasing, impact and workforce
Post Secondary Expansion — affordable housing, security and mobility
Critical Resource Requirements — water, energy and power
Youth, Health and Community Futures
High-risk Climate, Nautral and Human-made Events
Decentralized Energy — generation, storage, resilience
Electrification Planning — EV’s, HVAC, DER
Equity and Sustainability — vulnerable populations, access, risk indices, programs and services
REAL Partners have Access to Data on our ArcGIS Tool
REAL Partners have exclusive access to RWI's powerful data visualization tool using ArcGIS. They can dial forward into the future and see the entire region, including key metrics like household composition, population growth, housing types, utility consumption, income distribution, and more.
The latest with REAL
REAL Around the World
REAL First Anniversary
September 2024, Our REAL partners, with RWI Synthetics, moved toward a thriving future in 2024 with presentations on a variety of topics looking into the future of Edmonton. We're beyond excited to celebrate the first year of REAL with our amazing collaborators and partners, as we help them understand their impact, effects and decisions.
Join us in 2025 as we continue building a resilient future for our region!
Gemini Call
July 2024, The Gemini Call spotlights pioneering efforts in digital twin technology. When tomorrow is nothing like yesterday, leaders from diverse sectors seek new ways and tools for intelligence and engagement. On July 9, 2024, RWI’s CEO Myrna Bittner presented “Synthetic Twins: Combining People, Place and Scenario-Based Intelligence for Use by Diverse Leadership in Regional Advanced Labs” at the Gemini Call.
VerdeXchange
May 2024, RWI's CEO Myrna Bittner presented in the panel "The Digital Mirror: Developing Cities, Housing and Resilience with AI, a Planning Revolution Fueled by New Technology." Myrna and other digital twin leaders discussed RWI Synthetic Twin applications in urban planning, affordability, and climate resilience.
Committee of the Whole
March 2024 - Our REAL initiative was presented at the Edmonton Metropolitan Regional Board (EMRB) Committee of the Whole as an innovative tool for enabling and planning responsible growth in our region, along with population projections and data insights.
Earthshot Prize nominee
January 2024, RWI has been nominated and is now under review for the 2024 Earthshot Prize, a global environmental prize and platform for impact dedicated to finding and growing solutions that will help repair our planet. Our solution, “Synthetic Earth, A Living Twin of the Planet and its People,” is being considered by The Earthshot Prize team and their Expert Advisory Panel.
HOW SYNTHETIC MODELLING HELPS Regions VISUALIZE SUCCESSFUL FUTURES
Ready to inspire your community to create better futures for all?
Find a Regional Advanced Lab Close to you
Upon submission, our team will reach out to you in 2-3 business days.