Researchers at the SFI ADAPT Centre are partnering with Dublin City Council (DCC) on two new research projects as part of the Smart Dublin initiative. The Digital Twin project aims to engage the community, enterprise and other stakeholders of Dublin in an innovative collaboration to explore stakeholder and community engagement with Digital Twin technology. The Smart D8 project is a testbed for innovation, collaboration and engagement in Dublin 8 and aims to explore the new technologies and pilot innovative health and wellbeing solutions to improve quality of life and address challenges facing local communities in the area.
The projects bring together technology providers, academia, local organisations and citizens to explore all sorts of data ranging from 3D models of buildings, to monitoring air quality, analysing traffic flow to understanding energy use and flooding. It will lead to the creation of innovative approaches to a variety of diverse and complex social and environmental issues using real-time data simulations. The researchers anticipate that technology deployments, tests and processes for engagement will play an important role in improving efforts to create a more sustainable and citizen-centric city.
Speaking about the initiative, Jamie Cudden, Smart City Lead at Dublin City Council said: “These ambitious projects present an enormous opportunity to transform the way we plan, build and operate infrastructure within our cities. Dublin City Council through the Smart Dublin programme has begun exploring how we can use this technology across a variety of topics including energy consumption, planning engagement, tourism and building operations. We are delighted to partner with the ADAPT centre whose extensive expertise in artificial intelligence and public engagement will provide the foundation for innovative solutions.”
Digital Twin Project Digital Twin technology uses 3D modelling to create a virtual environment using real-time data. This rich data source is used to create simulations on the relationship and connections between people, traffic and the environment that can be used to provide valuable insights for city planning. Dublin, like many cities across the world, is looking to harness the opportunities offered by technological advances to help it to solve some of the complex challenges faced by the city and its citizens. The goal is to ensure the adoption of Digital Twin technology meets the needs of both Dublin city and the citizens who interact with it by trialling and scaling innovative solutions, not just in technology deployments, but also in processes of public engagement. The project will run for two years.
Smart D8 Project With a number of Ireland’s leading hospitals, research institutes and a vibrant start-up community, Dublin 8 proved to be the ideal location for the Smart D8 testbed. The Smart D8 district will focus on the health and wellbeing of citizens and will offer the opportunity for R&D where citizens can test products and services locally. The Smart D8 project applies a people-centric approach, with the engagement and active participation of the local community at its core. The project will run for two years.
Commenting on the collaboration, Professor Aphra Kerr from the SFI ADAPT Centre at Maynooth University said: “We are excited to leverage our expertise in advanced technologies, public engagement, data governance and ethics to work with local stakeholders to explore the potential benefits for our city and to establish Dublin as a world leader in the co-creation of new citizen focussed urban solutions. Digital twin technology such as 3D Models, Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality, Holographic and Tactile technology all present new opportunities for citizens and visitors to visualise, sense and interact with the environment around us. ”
Two New Positions The projects are currently recruiting two key roles. The Smart D8 project is seeking to hire a Smart City Ecosystem Manager and the Digital Twin project is seeking to hire a Digital Twin and Smart City Lead. Both positions are open until 24th July 2022. For more information and to apply please go to the Maynooth University vacancies portal and search ‘research’. (https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/human-resources/vacancies).
Informal queries to [email protected] with job title in subject line.
More information can be found online at https://smartdublin.ie/smart-districts/smart-d8/
