2025-11-18 –, Hodler
SQLRooms (https://sqlrooms.org/) is an open‑source, browser‑first analytics framework powered by DuckDB‑WASM. It bundles local SQL execution, state management, pluggable visual components, and an opt‑in AI layer. Because every query runs client‑side, sensitive data never leaves the machine, enabling privacy‑preserving AI agents that can write SQL, run it, perform multi-step data analysis and suggest visualisations. I will unpack the architecture and show working examples—like Flowmap City’s visualisation of Zürich transit flows—to illustrate how modular SQLRooms building blocks can be mixed and matched for civic‑tech and research projects.
SQLRooms lowers the barrier for building rich analytics tools that run entirely in the browser—no backend, no vendor lock‑in.
Browser‑native performance – DuckDB‑WASM crunches gigabyte‑scale datasets locally, delivering speed while keeping data private.
Mix‑and‑match UI blocks – A lightweight plug‑in system lets developers add Vega‑Lite charts, Kepler.gl maps, Cosmos graph visualizations or custom React components as extensions.
Agentic AI integration – The AI module turns natural‑language questions into runnable SQL and auto‑generated visualisations, all without sending data to third‑party servers.
Collaborative workflows – The Discuss module supports inline comments, allowing teams to review queries, charts, and AI‑generated insights together.
During the session I will:
Load a multi‑gigabyte GTFS dataset and query it live in the browser.
Ask the AI agent to surface peak‑hour patterns and watch it craft SQL + visualisations.
Demonstrate Flowmap City and other sample apps, highlighting how municipal or research teams can build custom apps.
Attendees will leave with an understanding of where they can plug SQLRooms into their own privacy‑saving, AI‑assisted data workflows.
Ilya Boyandin is a software engineer at Foursquare, specializing in geo data visualization—particularly geographic movement, transport, and mobility. His passion is developing data analysis tools that help drive the transition to sustainable mobility.