The Digital City Exchange programme will look to better the use and planning of cities and resources
By Tanya Gubbay
Wednesday 27 July 2011
Researchers from Imperial College London are embarking on a programme to transform the way that our cities are used. They are investigating how digital technologies can boost the capabilities of the energy, health, transport and utility resources in our cities, so that they can run as effectively as possible.
Managing peak demand in supermarkets, a case study
- There could be a model for the best times for deliveries to arrive, so that they can avoid peak traffic congestion as well as arriving at a sensible time to meet peak customer demand for particular products.
- Tracking where a delivery is in traffic could also help with planning the use of refrigerators or ovens that might be needed once that delivery arrives and make sure that power is only being used when it is required.
- In addition, location based information about how many users are converging on a store could help identify the times when that store will need to have all its systems running and the times when energy use can be reduced.
- Looking at the overall picture could mean resource usage is balanced in a way that generates real value for the supermarket operator, while conserving resources for other users in the city as a result.
A supermarket is one example of where the best use of digital technology can make something run as efficiently as possible and limit the waste of resources.
Through the Digital City Exchange programme, funded with a £5.9m grant from Research Councils UK, the researchers intend to better the use and planning of cities by collecting appropriate data and conducting analysis at a systemic level.
Most cities have grown up without strategic planning. For example, Victorian sewers service state-of-the-art hospitals, and intelligent cars use roads with very simple and limited capabilities.
Those currently responsible for services within cities attempt to resolve each resource problem on its own, rather than jointly considering transport, energy, water and waste. By creating a more integrated approach between infrastructure, transport and resources, Imperial researchers expect that city operators can better manage peak demand across sectors, conserve resources, stabilise prices and create capacity for city businesses to grow.
The Digital City Exchange programme will offer a new wave of opportunities to re-think an integrated city infrastructure, enhance quality of life by making cities more pleasant and efficient places in which to live, work and travel, and allow a new generation of apps to emerge to make life simpler for city users for example. It will also look to create business models, to enable these opportunities to become commercially viable.
Professor David Gann, Head of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group, Imperial College Business School said: "This investment is greatly welcome. It gives clear recognition of the expertise in the digital economy that we hold here at Imperial College London, and will allow the opportunities we have identified to combine data across different sectors to come to fruition.
"This programme is about using the city as a lab and working with real data through industry partners to benefit growth and jobs. By creating a platform for simulated services, existing companies and entrepreneurs will be able to evaluate and explore their business concepts, leading to faster identification of opportunities and a smoother and quicker path to market."
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Professor Eric Yeatman, Deputy Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London said: "As demonstrated by the Prime Minister’s support of Tech City and the thriving community in Shoreditch, the UK has enjoyed significant success in new digital companies. It is now time to build on this enterprise and unlock a new wave of potential, by connecting our digital lives to the dynamics of real world data. A simple example would be allowing you to see how full a train is before you get there. When data from many sources are combined, more sophisticated apps will emerge in energy saving, security, health, and many other areas."
David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science said: "Our personal lives are becoming increasingly linked through social media and it’s a great idea to see this concept being extended to utilities and services in our cities. This project will be able to harness the digital technology expertise we have in the UK and has the potential to bring real-life benefits, from preventing traffic jams to managing water resources."
The RCUK Digital Economy programme is supporting research to understand how the novel design and use of digital technologies can contribute to an innovative, healthy economy and inclusive society. Research will help understand the technologies and why change is needed, what the impacts will be and who will benefit. In this cross-research council area, research can be driven by economic, social or technical need.
The Digital City Exchange is a unique collaboration between various components within Imperial College and demonstrates the way the College brings together different disciplines to approach grand challenges. Those involved in Digital City Exchange include the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology, Civil Engineering, Computing, Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group at Imperial College Business School.
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