SBIR Phase II: Computing-Assisted Zoning Optimization and Service

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is aimed at developing commercial redistricting software products that can be used by non-experts. Redistricting or rezoning is the process of dividing space into districts or zones while optimizing a set of criteria under various spatial constraints. It is an extremely challenging task that is commonly needed in many real-world problems, such as political and school redistricting, emergency zone design, package delivery, and business planning. The company's proposed products will provide flexible and easy-to-use software tools to meet the needs of several specific niche markets that no existing tools can effectively serve. The objective is to expand the user group well beyond technical experts to the average government or business professional, and even to the general public, thereby democratizing the redistricting process. The broader impact of this project is its potential to fundamentally change the way redistricting is performed in practice. With existing commercial tools, completing a redistricting task usually requires one or more full-time technicians working for days or months at a time. With the product being created under this project, even a non-technical user may generate a professional plan within minutes. Potential clients include governments (cities and counties), school districts, consulting firms who provide redistricting services, private businesses that need to optimize service delivery, and even general citizens who are interested in participating in redistricting decision making. The product targets the U.S. and international market, including both public and private sectors.