On 21 November, the annual research workshop of the CEinCI Project: Indexing the Circular Economy Using Big Data and AI project was hosted in the boardroom of ISSAI. This project highlights the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together experts from the fields of construction, data science, sustainability, and AI to address the critical challenge of integrating circular economy principles into the construction sector.
The project’s principal investigators Professor Ferhat Karaca from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering provided a comprehensive overview of the project, emphasizing its accomplishments to date. Specifically, the project has resulted in the publication of four papers in Q1 journals, three papers in Top 10 journals, one review in a Q2 journal, and one conference paper in Q4 for the 2023–2024 period.
Professor Atakan Varol, Co-Principal Investigator and Founding Director of ISSA outlined the project’s distinctive technological framework, which integrates computer vision, generative AI, and data collected from diverse sources, including satellite imagery, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and geographic information systems. He also shared a forward-looking vision for 2025: the development of Kazakhstan’s first commercial tool dedicated to circular economy applications.
Co-Principal Investigators Professor Zhanna Kapsalyamova from the School of Sciences and Humanities and Professor Assel Akzhalova from KBTU highlighted innovative methodologies and ongoing research efforts designed to achieve the project’s overarching goals.
Additionally, members of the research team—including Research Assistants Hamad Hassan Awan and Sakiru Olarewaju Olagunju (PhD students), Dilyara Akimzhanova, Aruzhan Merekeyeva, and Anel Galymzhankyzy (MSc students), and Assem Kalsabayeva and Aruzhan Taken (undergraduate students), along with Professor Aleksandr Pak from KBTU—presented updates on their ongoing studies and introduced new research directions. The workshop not only showcased the significant progress made by the CEinCI Project but also fostered dialogue and collaboration between academia and industry stakeholders.