More than 50 decision makers from nearly 30 smart cities participated in the Smart City Solutions Workshop to draw out concrete ideas for improving infrastructure and services in India. Triangulum was also presented as a best practice by the project’s coordinator Damian Wagner.

Fraunhofer in association with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research Germany, the Indian Ministry of Urban Development, the Government of India, and the National Institute of Urban Affairs organised an Indo-German Smart City Solutions Workshop on 9th May in New Delhi. The workshop was organised as a part of the Indo-German cooperation on Smart Cities and Urban Infrastructure which has committed support to Kochi, Coimbatore, and Bhubaneshwar funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Participation at the smart city solutions workshop included government representatives from more than 31 Indian cities, senior policy makers and bureaucrats who are major stakeholders and decision makers in the implementation of various government initiated smart city projects in India. The workshop also witnessed the participation of experts and dignitaries such as Dr. Jasper Wieck, Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) of the German Embassy in New Delhi. Shri Anupam Mishra, Economic Advisor of the Ministry of Urban Development and the Government of India, and Mr Jagan Shah, Director of the National Institute of Urban Affairs. Mr. Ambitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Aayog delivered the keynote speech at the closing session of the workshop and responded to the suggestions and outcomes of the deliberations.

The objective of the workshop was to share the best practices and expertise in smart solutions and models as gained through the Morgenstadt Global Smart Cities Initiative which is backed up by a Consortium of more than 40 partners from industry, NGO, government and research institutions. The Morgenstadt Initiative is coordinated by Fraunhofer and includes already several smart city labs and initiatives across Europe, as well as in Asia and Latin America. The workshop was divided into three main sessions – Smart Energy & Water Session, Smart Mobility & ICT and Smart Governance & Management System, it also included sessions on topics like Smart Water Management, Financing Models for Indian Smart Cities, Sustainable Energy Systems for Smart Cities and Energy and Building amongst others. The lectures were followed by interactive Q&A sessions. In addition to the workshop, information on specific technologies was also displayed.

Pictures: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft

Within the Training Mission, webinars are an additional measure to transfer valuable knowledge among cities. During the course of seven webinars with a duration of two hours each, partners from several cities come together for an exchange of information, experience and a discussion. These sessions are also open to interested persons outside of Triangulum. The first three webinars have already successfully taken place in April (“Smart City Policies and Governance” and “ICT Reference Architecture”) and May 2017 (“Smart Business Services and Innovation Management”).

The Lighthouse City partners together with TÜV Süd and Fraunhofer are currently supporting the Triangulum Follower Cities to replicate solutions and write their respective Implementation Strategies. This takes place within a series of sessions called the “Follower City Training Mission”. The mission started successfully at the end of February 2017 with the first workshop “Implementation Strategies”, followed by a second event in April 2017, focusing on the subject “Smart Grids, Energy Storage and Renewable Energies”. We can happily announce that more training sessions are to be organised!

(Pictures: Fraunhofer IAO)

Experience the smart solutions in the Triangulum project! Maybe the solutions can also be used in your municipality? Or maybe the smart solutions are something for your home?

On Thursday, 15th June at 1 pm the tour starts at the Lyse headquarters. The Mayor of Stavanger, Christine Sagen Helgø, will welcome the participants with an opening speech before a brief introduction to the Triangulum project. Participants will then be shown a demonstration appartment that has a number of smart home solutions installed.

The group will then be transported to the University of Stavanger in one of the battery operated buses that Stavanger has installed within the Triangulum project. Members of the Triangulum consortium will explain how the data the university collects is being used and in which way this benefits the citizens.

The last point on the agenda will be the presentation of a new film clip at Stavanger cinema that demonstrates what the citie’s sewer is going to be used for. The County Mayor in Rogaland, Solveig Ege Tengesdal, will also be attending.

Participation to the event is free of charge, but registration is necessary.

Triangulum’s fifth newsletter is online. Read the newsletter here.

Earlier this year, Manchester received an invitation from DG REGIO to submit a proposal to participate in an EU pilot project. The invitation forms a fantastic opportunity to share Manchester’s Smart City project experience, including Triangulum, beyond Europe.

“World Cities” (www.world-cities.eu) is focused on sustainable urban development and is promoting the exchange of experience and best practice between EU and non-EU countries. The project is being piloted with cities within five non-EU countries (South Korea, South Africa, Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam). Manchester is building on a strong relationship with Adelaide in Australia. The initial visit to Adelaide took place in May 2017.

Triangulum has started on its road to replication – putting the Follower Cities at the core of the activities. Among the many contributing events this year were Follower City Days, an intense two day meeting in each of the Lighthouse Cities. First out was Stavanger, hosting the project partners from Sabadell, Prague and Leipzig during the first week of May. The follower cities were able to have a closer look at solutions that can be further developed at home – such as electric vehicle charging, an innovative video and the energy centre at Stavanger municipality. A well deserved dinner break included a trip to Alchemilla (pictured) – a greenhouse that is more than a greenhouse, situated at the neighbouring island Rennesøy.

(Pictures: Lyse)

Eindhoven´s smart street lights allow customisation to individual purposes and react depending on personal requirements. A smart light system is leading the way for joggers and walkers in a popular local recreation area around two ponds by guiding different ways of different lengths in different colours. Citizens can choose according to their pace and requirements and will be led by the new smart lighting system which will be officially launched by a summer party for the entire population.

(Pictures: Eindhoven)

The futuristic looking lamp post contains innovative technology – The running device offers different options for walks and distances.

In 2016, Eindhoven issued an I-City tender encouraging start-up companies to apply with their ideas on how to make the city smarter. More than 20 firms were competing with innovative ideas, seven of them are now selected. The award-winning ideas tackle various sectors of the daily life:

Abby Solutions wants to integrate solar energy into the everyday business and has therefore developed a mobile sustainable energy source to make electric bikes smart.

Bit Sensor’s new IT solutions are filling the gap between connected devices and security issues.

Atelier Veeger developed an interactive billboard which residents can use 24/7 and that allows not only an increased involvement of the citizens but also the public environment to respond.

Octo optimises occupation and comfort in Triangulum’s demo-area Strijp-S by monitoring and using real-time data. Because of this innovation, nobody has to search endlessly for the ideal workplace any more.

ViNotion experiments with smart cameras that can interpret images and provide information about special activities in the Strijp-S corridor. In this way, smart roads could be developed that for instance respond automatically in case of an emergency.

Omines develops a smart city data platform on which data from smart cities can be collected, edited and analysed. In this manner, various data sources can be combined for the benefit of the resident and the user.

The listed start-up companies are selected to receive 20,000€ each in order to realise their innovative ideas and solutions which will contribute to future smart districts and cities.

#vlog @ReinWesterdijk @roelofsmichiel met de Abby met zonne-energie geen stopcontact meer nodig voor je elektrische fiets @StrijpS pic.twitter.com/ZMS9sYbe1l

— Staf_Depla (@Staf_Depla) February 23, 2017

#vlog @EnableBitSensor winnaar I city Tender @StrijpS #IOTsecurity weten dat je gehackt bent is de beste beveiliging pic.twitter.com/jZU04ReeQs

— Staf_Depla (@Staf_Depla) February 23, 2017

One of the winners presenting his innovative idea in front of Eindhoven’s jury