Polis (pol.is)

Polis (pol.is) is a groundbreaking open-source civic technology platform designed for large-scale public consultation and structured deliberation. Unlike traditional comment sections or online forums, Polis leverages machine learning and advanced statistics (such as principal component analysis and k-means clustering) to turn thousands of unstructured inputs into clear opinion maps. The platform was specifically engineered to reduce online polarization and surface hidden consensus within large groups.

The underlying mechanics are both straightforward and highly effective: participants submit short written statements and vote on comments left by others by selecting Agree, Disagree, or Pass. Direct reply threads are intentionally omitted, effectively preventing flame wars and trolling. Behind the scenes, the algorithm continuously maps participants into opinion groups and highlights statements that bridge differences across disparate factions.

Polis gained global recognition through its deployment in Taiwan's vTaiwan initiative, where it helped craft national legislation regarding ride-sharing services and digital economy policies. Governments, NGOs, and corporations worldwide use Polis to conduct meaningful crowd-consultations. Because the core software is completely open-source, organizations can run it on the public cloud or self-host it on their own servers.

• Real-time Opinion Group Visualization — Interactive PCA maps visually display emerging clusters of participants and reveal where groups agree or diverge on key issues.
• Consensus-First Algorithm — Instead of amplifying outrage, the platform highlights statements that gain broad agreement across different opinion groups.
• Open Source & Data Sovereignty — Licensed under the AGPLv3, Polis allows institutions to host their own secure instances to ensure complete data compliance.

Governments, municipalities, NGOs, political organizations, and enterprises seeking structured consensus from large audiences.

A city council wants to restructure public transport policy and collect feedback from thousands of residents. Instead of sifting through endless forum posts or biased social media threads, they launch a Polis conversation. Citizens submit proposals and vote on peer ideas. Within days, the city receives an automated report identifying high-consensus ideas—such as increased bus frequency—that are supported across all demographic clusters, guiding policy creation effectively.

• Governments, municipalities, NGOs, political organizations, and enterprises seeking structured consensus from large audiences.
• A city council wants to restructure public transport policy and collect feedback from thousands of residents.
• Real-time Opinion Group Visualization: Interactive PCA maps visually display emerging clusters of participants and reveal where groups agree or diverge on key issues.
• Consensus-First Algorithm: Instead of amplifying outrage, the platform highlights statements that gain broad agreement across different opinion groups.
• Open Source & Data Sovereignty: Licensed under the AGPLv3, Polis allows institutions to host their own secure instances to ensure complete data compliance.

Not suitable for traditional weighted representative polling with strict fixed questions or for standard customer support ticketing.

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