Big data, open data and telepathy: building better places to live, work and travel

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Big data, open data and telepathyBuilding better places to live, work and travel

Dr Rick Robinson FBCS CITP FRSA AoU, IT Director, Smart Data and Technology

[email protected] http://theurbantechnologist.com @dr_rick

Smart Data & Technology


Why do we need smart cities (and towns, villages and infrastructure …)?The Barnett Graph of Doom

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/may/15/graph-doom-social-care-services-barnet


Why do we need smart cities (and towns, villages and infrastructure …)?UK social mobility is low, and it kills people early

http://life.mappinglondon.co.uk/


Why do we need smart cities (and towns, villages and infrastructure …)?2050: 3 billion more citizens competing for jobs & resources

The United Nations World Urbanisation Prospects: http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/


Why do we need smart cities (and towns, villages and infrastructure …)?Threats to resources from climate change

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-

business/asda-food-waste-risk-climate-change

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews

/australiaandthepacific/kiribati/9127576/Enti

re-nation-of-Kiribati-to-be-relocated-over-

rising-sea-level-threat.html

Smart Data & TechnologyUrban data

Smart Data & TechnologyEconomic data

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The Billion Prices Project: http://bpp.mit.edu/

Smart Data & TechnologyCircular economy data

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Trash Track: http://senseable.mit.edu/trashtrack/

Smart Data & TechnologyExponential technology: digital disrupts physical


Smart Data & TechnologyDisruptive innovation

Smart Data & TechnologySmart Urban Highways

Smart Data & TechnologySmart Sewers

Smart Data & TechnologyCommunity engagement and open innovation


Social and demographic Economic

Weather

Geospatial and infrastructure

Sensors

Operational and assets

Crowdsourced

Joint works

Smart Data & TechnologySmart aspirations: regions, cities, communities

Smart Data & TechnologyDisruptive Innovation

• Founded in 1919

• Over 680,000 rooms in 91 countries

• Over 310,000 employees and franchise employees

• Market capitalisation $29.64B

1997 2003 2006 2006 2007

• Founded in 2008

• Over 800,000 rooms in 192 countries

• 600 employees (2013)

• Estimated value $13B (2014)

Smart Data & TechnologyThe importance of a good diet

http://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerilla_gardener_in_south_central_la?language=en


Smart Hack Birmingham 2012


Birmingham Smart City Alliance

http://birminghamsmartcityalliance.wordpress.com/


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/sport/rugby-trytracker/10630406/ibm-big-data-analytics-dublin.html

The “unusual suspects”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/sport/rugby-trytracker/10630406/ibm-big-data-analytics-dublin.html



http://harbornefoodschool.co.uk/

Smart Data & TechnologyWhat is the bounty of the information revolution?

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2014-06-04/new-world-order


Photo of Masshouse Circus, Birmingham, before its redevelopment, by Birmingham City Councilhttp://www.birmingham.gov.uk/cs/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=Planning-Management%2FPageLayout&cid=1223092740947&pagename=BCC%2FCommon%2FWrapper%2FWrapper

http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/cs/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=Planning-Management/PageLayout&cid=1223092740947&pagename=BCC/Common/Wrapper/Wrapper

Images and concept from Kelvin Campbell’s “Smart Urbanism” movement:http://www.massivesmall.com/

Massive / Small: what are the characteristics of cities that give rise to “massive” amounts of “small-scale” innovation?

Smart urbanism

Smart Data & TechnologySmart digital urbanism

• Accessible and adaptable• A digital environment of Open Data, Open Architectures, Open

APIs, Open Standards, Cloud Computing and Open Source

• Engaging• Informed engagement enriched by Open Data and Social Media

• Top down and bottom up:• Planning frameworks, procurement policies, and soft

infrastructures that incentivise and enable

• Entrepreneurial and enterprising:• Enabling more people to make a better life for themselves

http://theurbantechnologist.com/2015/02/01/smart-digital-urbanism-creating-the-

conditions-for-equitably-distributed-opportunity-in-the-digital-age/


“Private investment shapes cities, but social ideas (and laws) shape private investment. First

comes the image of what we want, then the machinery is adapted to turn out that image. The

financial machinery has been adjusted to create anti-city images because, and only because,

we as a society thought this would be good for us. If and when we think that lively, diversified

city, capable of continual, close- grained improvement and change, is desirable, then we will

adjust the financial machinery to get that.”

The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_and_Life_of_Great_American_Cities

http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/smart-cities/Smart-Cities-Standards-and-Publication/PD-8101-smart-cities-planning-guidelines/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_and_Life_of_Great_American_Cities

http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/smart-cities/Smart-Cities-Standards-and-Publication/PD-8101-smart-cities-planning-guidelines/

Smart Data & TechnologySome (more) questions

• How can we esimate the cost of delivering services to new areas and communities?

• How could we deliver our services differently – or how could they be complemented – in order to reduce crime, increase social mobility or contribute to economic growth where we operate?

• How can we stop accidents before they happen?

• How can we survey assets more frequently, completely, cheaply and safely – at a distance, at height and underground?

• What social, economic and environmental insights could our customers find in the data we require to operate our business?

• Where will technological solutions (robotics, artificial intelligence, autonomous / remote systems) replace human activity in our market …

• … and how will human skills and jobs evolve to complement them in a competitive, effective business?

But most importantly …

• What have a forgotten to think about?

• And how could you help us?

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Thankyou

Dr Rick Robinson FBCS CITP FRSA AoU, IT Director, Smart Data and Technology

[email protected] http://theurbantechnologist.com @dr_rick
