We’re excited to welcome GeoDa AI as the newest project to join the OpenJS Foundation. GeoDa AI will be part of our Open Visualization Collaboration Space, joining other open source tools that make working with complex visual data easier.

The GeoDa AI project adds free and open spatial statistical webtools that analysts can use to make sense of spatial data patterns with AI assistants. From mapping crime trends to analyzing housing prices or cancer clusters, GeoDa AI changes the way  researchers, students, and technologists analyze spatial data. It points to a future where spatial analysis shifts from GIS and coding to real-time feedback between analysts’ questions and AI-supported insights from spatial patterns. GeoDa AI extends the popular GeoDa desktop program.

Julia Koschinsky (CSDS Executive Director) and Sushant Medikondla (2025 CSDS High School RA) ask the AI Assistant in kepler.gl to update the basemap to better compare the accuracy of a red and blue street file. The instant feedback from GenAI through Q&A dramatically decreases the time-to-insight during exploratory spatial data analysis.

“Most of the three-quarter million spatial analysts who have used the older GeoDa Desktop for the past two decades rely on it for research and education, and many cannot afford commercial subscription fees,” said Luc Anselin, PhD (CSDS Director & Stein-Freiler Distinguished Service Professor). “By moving GeoDa AI to the OpenJS Foundation, we are reaffirming our commitment to keeping GeoDa permanently open to this community.” 

Originally launched nearly 20 years ago, GeoDa was created to keep spatial analysis open and accessible for everyone. While plenty of mapping and spatial tools have shifted to expensive commercial models over the years, GeoDa has stayed true to its open source and open science DNA. The project is housed at the University of Chicago’s Center for Spatial Data Science, where it continues to evolve to meet the spatial analytical needs of researchers and analysts tackling big societal questions.

Joining the OpenJS Foundation helps GeoDa tap into a broader community, attract new maintainers, and integrate with other powerful open source visualization projects, including Kepler.gl. With more contributors and support, the project aims to keep delivering reliable, high-quality spatial analytic tools for the public good.

“GeoDa is a fantastic addition to our visualization ecosystem. Its long-standing commitment to open source spatial analysis perfectly complements projects like Kepler.gl,” Chris Gervang, Staff Software Engineer, Joby Aviation and Open Visualization Collaboration Space Champion. “I’m excited to see new contributors jump in and expand what’s possible when we keep powerful analysis tools open and collaborative.”

Xun Li (CSDS Director of Data Science) asks the AI Assistant in kepler.gl to perform a local cluster analysis. It identifies the steps for the user to confirm (find zip codes, join points to zip codes & aggregate, run local cluster statistics). The instantaneous execution is significantly faster than usual and is more accessible to novices.

GeoDa’s applications range from academic research to real-world projects in crime analysis, housing, public health, and environmental studies. The software has been cited in thousands of studies and continues to help communities around the world tackle pressing challenges with better spatial data insights.

“GeoDa represents exactly what the OpenJS Foundation is here to support: strong open source projects that tackle real-world challenges and stay true to their mission of keeping critical tools accessible to everyone,” said OpenJS Foundation Executive Director Robin Bender Ginn. “We’re proud to welcome GeoDa to our Open Visualization Collaboration Space and look forward to seeing this community grow.”

If you’re interested in contributing, check out the GeoDa AI GitHub repos. Additionally, the GeoDa team will be at the Open Visualization Collaboration Summit October 8-9 in Seattle, WA. Come join us to learn more about how you can contribute.

Welcome, GeoDa AI!

Julia Koschinsky and Yue Lin (UIUC faculty) work with Data Science Institute 2025 Summer Lab RAs Na Nguyen and Enrico Madani to debug the logic of exploratory spatial data analysis: The AI Assistant is instructed to prompt students to improve their research question, consider alternative explanatory mechanisms, and look for errors.