{"id":41176,"date":"2018-05-09T09:44:51","date_gmt":"2018-05-09T08:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=41176"},"modified":"2022-10-19T15:42:35","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T14:42:35","slug":"building-smart-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/digital-construction-news\/building-smart-cities\/41176\/","title":{"rendered":"Building smart cities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Smart cities that harness data to improve the lives of citizens are no longer a far-off vision \u2013 they are a reality. Susie Tomson, Sustainability Director at PCSG, discusses their emergence \u2013 and a new initiative to create a blueprint for smart cities around the globe<\/h2>\n

A decade ago, the smart city debate centred on fads and headline-grabbing technologies. The visionary idea of connected devices exchanging data \u2013 the Internet of Things (IoT)<\/a> \u2013 came to be embodied by the fridge that warned you when milk was running low.<\/p>\n

Harnessing technology to improve urban living proved to be full of pitfalls \u2013 as exemplified by Barcelona, one of the pioneers of the smart city<\/a> concept.<\/p>\n

\u201cCity Hall ended up with a lot of data\u2026a lot of dashboards,\u201d explained Francesca Bria, the city\u2019s chief technology officer and digital commissioner, in a recent FT interview. \u201cYet without any capacity to really use data and information to take better decisions for the public good.\u201d<\/p>\n

But now a combination of advances in technology and a new maturity of approach has put smart cities and the use of IoT technology to enable us to meet the challenges facing our cities firmly back on the corporate agenda.<\/p>\n

Factors including a rapid reduction in the unit cost of collecting, processing and storing information, the rise of mobile technology, an exponential growth in computing power and advances in data capturing techniques such as networked sensors have made it possible for us to generate and analyse huge quantities of data about our environment.<\/p>\n

In addition, those working in the arena, as demonstrated by Barcelona, have learnt from their past experiences and have developed a greater understanding of the need to put the people and the outcome \u2013 not the technology \u2013 first.<\/p>\n

CityVerve: A blueprint for smart cities<\/h3>\n

A fresh impetus to the smart city\/IoT agenda, has come from big-name organisations including Dell. Last year, at the IQT Day Conference in New York, the computer giant announced a three-year investment in IoT technologies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will soon have 100bn connected devices and then a trillion,\u201d chairman Michael Dell announced. \u201cWe will be awash in data.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the UK, companies including BT, Cisco and Ordnance Survey (the custodian of a geospatial database, containing over half a billion data points), have thrown their weight behind CityVerve<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 the UK\u2019s smart city demonstrator.<\/p>\n

The demonstrator, based in Manchester, is focused on harnessing technology to better manage the city\u2019s assets, improve the efficiency of services and to better serve the needs of its citizens.<\/p>\n

With a focus on areas including the public transport network and energy consumption in the city, it ultimately aims to be a blueprint for cities around the globe, showing how IoT technology can create better places to live and work.<\/p>\n

Those behind the project have been quick to emphasise that its focus is on people and social outcomes \u2013 rather than on technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project isn\u2019t just about giving cutting-edge connectivity to sensors and devices,\u201d explains Vicki DeBlasi, CityVerve communications lead. \u201cIt isn\u2019t about \u2018things\u2019 at all \u2013 it\u2019s about people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smart Infrastructure: Unlocking value from our assets<\/h3>\n

The \u2018smart\u2019 use of data to improve our built environment was the focus of a paper released in September 2016 by the Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure & Construction (CSIC).<\/p>\n

Compiled by leaders from industry and academia, the Smart Infrastructure Paper<\/a>\u00a0argued that digitally enhanced infrastructure \u2013 which it defined as the result of combining physical infrastructure with digital infrastructure (sensors\/IoT\/big data) \u2013 has the \u201cpotential to make a revolutionary impact on the efficient use of existing infrastructure as well as new build\u201d.<\/p>\n

It highlighted how owners will be able to use technology to gather data from their infrastructure in use \u2013 monitoring condition, so maintenance is targeted at the right time or engaging directly with customers to manage demand and reduce the need for new construction. The key, it said, is data but, more specifically, \u201cthe ability to understand and act on\u201d that data.<\/p>\n

PCSG: Applications for our \u2018smart\u2019 age<\/h3>\n

Harnessing today\u2019s data-rich world to generate value for owner-operators and building occupants was the prompt for PCSG\u2019s exciting new energy optimisation and user well-being app, Entelligently.<\/p>\n

Co-developed with KnowNow Information, it utilises the most sophisticated sort of sensors: people.<\/p>\n

Building occupants \u2013 whether office-workers or students \u2013 are encouraged to feed information into an easy-to-use app about their comfort levels \u2013 whether they feel hot, cold or sleepy. To encourage this feedback, they receive \u2018smart nudges\u2019 or \u2018snudges\u2019 suggesting how they might feel and providing actions they can take to avoid discomfort.<\/p>\n

The app recognises that everyone is individual in their comfort profile and that trying to create a uniform internal environment in any office only leads to continual adjustment of heating and cooling controls. This continually increases the energy consumption as air con units work inefficiently battling for the perfect temperature \u2013 and contributing to the energy performance gap<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Engaging and influencing occupants \u2013 and providing a snapshot of the comfort levels of those around them \u2013 leads to a more energy efficient building, lower energy bills and staff who, because they can influence and improve their own comfort and wellbeing (and are doing their bit for the environment), are increasingly satisfied and perform better.<\/p>\n

We were thrilled when, following a selection day, our app was one of a group selected for further development by the CityVerve programme. It has doubled the number of buildings now using Entelligently.<\/p>\n

The \u2018smart\u2019 age is now a reality. The time has come for us to exploit the data available, to reset the relationship between buildings, people and communities \u2013 and to unlock the value for our construction and infrastructure sectors and for our citizens.<\/p>\n

For more information on Entelligently, email susie.tomson@pcsg.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more information about KnowNow Information go to kn-i.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more information about PCSG go to www.pcsg.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more information on CityVerve, see: https:\/\/cityverve.org.uk\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Susie Tomson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sustainability Director<\/p>\n

PCSG<\/p>\n

Tel: +44 (0)208 680 4120<\/p>\n

enquiries@pcsg.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

www.pcsg.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

Twitter: @SusieTomson<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Smart cities that harness data to improve the lives of citizens are no longer a far-off vision \u2013 they are a reality. 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