The Tech Blog Writer Podcast - Inspired Tech Startup Stories & Interviews With Tech Leaders, Entrepreneurs And Innovators

What happens when artificial intelligence meets the everyday heroes of local government? That’s the question driving my conversation with Justin Dennis, co-founder and COO of Urban SDK, a geospatial AI company helping more than 250 North American cities make faster, safer, and smarter decisions. Justin shares how a Smart Cities Challenge from the U.S. Department of Transportation inspired him to co-found Urban SDK in 2018, and why he believes the future of public safety depends on replacing manual data collection with real-time intelligence. From traffic fatalities to hurricane recovery, he explains how the company’s HALO platform gives local leaders and emergency responders the insights they need to act before crises escalate. In a single platform, they can identify dangerous road zones, predict high-risk intersections, coordinate clean-up operations, and rebuild infrastructure based on data rather than guesswork. We also explore how AI is quietly reshaping government operations, from disaster management to