JAMAICAN technology company NovaCore Labs is expanding its role in national digital transformation efforts. The company is rolling out a series of integrated projects with government ministries, education institutions, and security agencies. These initiatives leverage artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and cloud-based solutions to modernise public infrastructure and services.

“I believe using the technologies that we have is going to be a major area we will be working in,” said Gregory Moore, CEO and co-founder of NovaCore Labs, in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.

Though Moore noted that the upcoming project will involve collaboration with the Ministry of National Security, Jamaica Constabulary Force, National Works Agency, and other local entities, he declined to share further details as the plans are still in the early stages of development.

However, the company has become increasingly involved in institutional and economic transformation efforts since rising to prominence with its virtual reality gaming business in 2018.

Through its deployment of driving simulations in schools and depots, NovaCore is now positioning itself as a key player in Jamaica’s digital transformation push, leveraging artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and cloud-based solutions to help the country keep pace with global technological advancements.

“Regardless of a pandemic or not, regardless of disasters or not, digital transformation has to take place,” Moore told the Sunday Finance.

He explained that as the world transitions from analogue systems to digital platforms, artificial intelligence is inevitable, and NovaCore will be partnering with The University of the West Indies Global Campus in a long-term agreement that will explore how virtual reality can be used for immersive learning across 16 countries, with the aim of developing a solution that supports education using artificial intelligence and extended reality (XR) technologies.

“That is something that we’re aggressively pursuing now; we’ll be making announcements about that soon,” Moore said.

The company also hopes to form additional partnerships with other universities for similar projects as it aims to assist students from technical institutions by offering internships — an annual programme it plans to expand as a gateway for students to enter the digital technology space.

“I’m hoping as we grow we’ll be able to embrace more students from the tertiary institutions, because I think it’s very important right now that we impact education and provide opportunities for the young [people],” he said. “That’s a genuine problem in Jamaica right now, and we’re hoping we can play a major role in helping to solve that.”

Last year, NovaCore Labs launched a Google Street View car and has since been mapping various areas across Jamaica, enabling the country to now have Street View coverage in many locations. The project remains ongoing and was supported by a grant from Development Bank of Jamaica and Tourism Enhancement Fund through their incubator programme, specifically to map key tourist areas.

NovaCore is now offering this service to businesses that wish to have their locations featured on Google Street View.

CEO & co-founder of NovaCore Labs Gregory Moore.