Automating energy use Energy is another pressing issue that could benefit from automation. One of the centre’s projects


outlines demand-side load management methods


itself


forecasting with for


controlling residential electricity use which could, for example, help to maximise the use of renewable energy by increasing energy usage during windy or sunny periods. This would be achieved by having appliances such as dishwashers, clothes dryers and electric cars all communicating with each other and the energy grid. Appliances would run or charge themselves when energy is cheaper (i.e. when it comes from renewable sources), as well as communicate with each other in order to reduce the load on energy suppliers during classic peak periods. “Using multi-agent systems algorithms, one can achieve a level of


collaborative


efficiency that is just not possible if people are left to control energy use themselves,” explains Clarke. “Although people may have genuine concerns about the environment or about the cost of their bills, it is unlikely that they will consistently change their behaviour because of this. That is why it is important for us to encourage and illustrate to people that


rather than have to make


these kinds of decisions themselves, we can design a system that optimises decisions around their lifestyles.


North bank of the river Liffey in Dublin


to


participate


innovations that will environment,


services. For example,


in


technological improve their


transport systems and local an


app called


GreenWatch was co-designed with Dublin citizens, Intel, Trinity researchers and the City council, and now enables Dubliners to signal wasteful practices and highlight green initiatives, turning citizens into sensors to create a dynamic green map of Dublin and creating the impetus for a greener city. All of the projects mentioned require an


extremely dynamic software environment to work in, and so new adaptive


software


frameworks are being developed to cope with this. “Usually you have to reinstall a piece of software when you make changes to it, but with projects that work in real-time that isn’t really acceptable,” says Clarke. “One project we have is investigating how to address this problem via a totally unique angle. Computer scientists are collaborating with ecologists to take the diversity that is inherent in nature, and apply this to software so that it can adapt itself in an almost organic way.”


A new type of city Following productive meetings with some of the main industry players, the next step for Future Cities is to consolidate its place as a world-renowned research facility that can revolutionise the way technology is used within urban areas. “We have had numerous


brainstorming sessions with


people from industry as well as a successful launch event,” says Clarke, “and we want to keep this dialogue with industry as


a


regular occurrence. “Once we have an underlying technology base that provides


this real-time control


feedback loop which is present in so many of our projects, we hope this will trigger a whole new set of ideas and business models that will help make cities work better. We’ve had ideas on traffic, energy, citizen engagement and pollution, but those are just a few examples of what you can do with the underlying science.” With


the UN predicting


Smart software The CityWatch programme combines the use of fixed and mobile sensors to create a real- time picture of what happens within the modern example,


urban city providing


environment, information


on


the way people live becoming


for a


localised flooding event resulting in disruption to citizens. The mobile sensing component is enabled by a participatory sensing application for use on smart phones and devices allowing citizens of


the city www.projectsmagazine.eu.com that around


seventy percent of people will be residing in cities by 2050,


increasingly According to the WWF, if


innovation that affects in urban areas is important.


resource use


continues its current upward trend then we will need the equivalent of


two planet


Earths to sustain us by 2030, and so the reality is that drastic changes need to be made to the way we live, and fast. The Future Cities research centre promotes and enables such change.


 39 Project Information


Project Title: Future Cities. The Trinity Centre for Smart and Sustainable Cities


Project Objective: The Future Cities Research Centre undertakes multi-disciplinary research that enables, promotes and facilitates behavioural change for sustainability. The research is supported by the application of sensor, communication and analytical technological solutions to sustainability concerns in urban infrastructure such as energy, water, waste management and transportation systems.


Project Duration and Timing: The Future Cities Research Centre was launched in 2013, and is an on-going Trinity College Dublin initiative addressing a strategic focus on smart and sustainable cities from a multi-disciplinary perspective.


Project Funding: Researchers are funded through a combination of Irish Government funding (e.g., through Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and other government agencies), the EU framework programmes and direct industry engagement.


Project Partners: The Future Cities Research Centre has a wide range of collaborators, including public service (e.g., Dublin City Council, Environmental Protection Agency Ireland, and many more), industry (e.g., Intel, IBM, Alcatel-Lucent, ARUP, and many more) and national and international research institutions (e.g., MIT, Imperial College London, INRIA and many more).


Contact: Tel: +353-1-896 2224 Email: Siobhan.Clarke@scss.tcd.ie Web: www.tcd.ie/FutureCities/


AT A GLANCE


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