News Desk
India and Japan have launched a new data partnership aimed at integrating construction information into urban digital systems to support AI‑ready smart cities. The agreement was signed in Bengaluru during the inaugural Japan–India AI Strategic Dialogue, a bilateral platform focused on cooperation in artificial intelligence and data infrastructure.
The partnership links ONESTRUCTION Inc., a construction technology firm based in Tottori, with DataKaveri Systems, the commercial arm of the Indian Institute of Science’s Centre of Data for Public Good. The two organisations will connect ONESTRUCTION’s openBIM platform, which uses the IFC open data standard for construction information, with DataKaveri’s Intelligent Universal Data Exchange. The Indian platform already operates in 55 smart cities and supports data flows across mobility, utilities, environmental systems and public services.
The collaboration aims to ensure that building information such as floor plans, utility layouts and asset histories remains accessible after construction projects are completed, rather than becoming locked within individual project files. Both sides said this would help cities use construction data in combination with other urban datasets to improve planning, maintenance and service delivery.
Executives from both organisations described the construction sector as holding large volumes of valuable data that rarely move beyond project boundaries. They said the partnership will support new AI use‑cases and help secure bilateral funding for joint projects. They also expressed interest in extending the model to other countries.
The agreement marks a new phase in India–Japan cooperation on digital infrastructure and aligns with both governments’ efforts to expand the use of open standards and interoperable data systems in urban development.
