We believe that local knowledge is key to understanding communities and making smarter decisions in cities. At the same time, we know how difficult it is to collect reliable residents’ feedback and reach younger, busy people who usually do not participate in consultations. An even greater challenge is the analysis of the large volumes of data collected.

That is why we created a platform that simplifies both gathering residents’ voices and analyzing them automatically. With LopiAsk and LopiTalk, consultations become fast, intuitive, and accessible to everyone. All it takes is a moment and a smartphone with internet access. The collected responses are instantly transformed into clear maps, charts, and reports, supporting informed and well-grounded decision-making.

Our tools serve cities and designers who want to better understand residents’ needs. They help scientists and researchers reach representative social groups and enable residents to express their opinions in a simple way and feel a real impact on their surroundings.

Our mission also includes promoting public participation and making it more accessible. Together with local governments, universities, and participation practitioners, we strive to ensure that cities and public spaces not only develop, but above all become places where communities listen to one another. We believe that every voice matters and that wisely used local knowledge leads to better, more open cities.

At the heart of our work lies the belief that well-collected and well-analyzed data leads to better decisions — in research, spatial planning, participatory budgeting, investment validation, and service development. That is why we create tools that support reliable research, increase civic engagement, and build trust in public institutions.

Our goal is to ensure that:

• researchers have access to modern and effective research tools,

• companies and institutions can respond more accurately to the needs of their clients and stakeholders,

• Residents can actively co-create their surroundings,

• `public authorities can clearly and accessibly explain their plans and decisions and shape space in a more inclusive way.

The LOPI platform was designed with transparency, accessibility, and flexibility in mind. We believe that data collected from people should be accessible and used in a clear and transparent way. This builds trust and gives residents a genuine sense of shared decision-making.

A core value for us is the promotion of public participation. We want residents to be not only recipients of ready-made solutions, but their co-creators. Thanks to the easy accessibility of LopiAsk and LopiTalk (anytime and anywhere) young and busy people, who usually do not take part in traditional meetings, can also engage in consultation processes.

We also strive to create spaces for dialogue between researchers, public authorities, residents, and experts, so that together they can shape more welcoming, accessible, and inclusive places.

LOPI was born at the intersection of a passion for research, social engagement, and the need to create tools that genuinely support decision-making processes in cities. The inspiration came from a lecture by Professor Piotr Jankowski, which sparked the idea of building a platform that combines geoinformation knowledge with public participation. Around this idea, an interdisciplinary team of researchers, developers, and practitioners was formed, working together to create the LOPI prototype.

Its first application during public consultations on the development of an urban park revealed the enormous potential of geo-questionnaires. Thanks to the geo-questionnaire, it was possible to reach a much broader group of residents than through traditional consultation methods. The spatial data collected on the map was transformed into a report that helped urban planners and designers better respond to community needs.

Today, LOPI is a set of advanced tools supporting public consultations and scientific research, with applications in the business sector as well. We develop the platform with local governments, public institutions, companies, and organizations in mind—those that want to better understand the needs of their users, clients, and local communities. With LOPI decisions can be made based on reliable data and a genuine understanding of local context.

And why the name LOPI? It comes from the English term “Local Picture.” That’s exactly what our platform enables: capturing local opinions, experiences, and expectations in a structured and spatial way.