Convened by the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard, the Smart City Innovation Accelerator gathered one of the largest groups of city CTOs in Dublin’s Smart Docklands District. The focus was on the development of ‘Smart Districts’ using Dublin’s Docklands as an exemplar and a model for innovation.
The Accelerator brought together CTOs representing 23 cities from San Jose to Moscow and from Tel Aviv to Paris. Also participating were members of the City Digital Profile group from the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and members of the City Protocol Society, a city to city global collaboration network.
The attendees came together to discuss the ‘Dublin Principles’ which define the criteria for Smart District status and enable cities to measure progress as Smart Districts emerge around the globe. The CTOs tackled the challenges of creating and scaling future smart districts worldwide for the shared benefit of citizens and business communities. Key discussions included the high connectivity of future districts, internet-of-things sensor deployments and role of technology in delivering better outcomes for citizens.
The CTOs gathered in Grand Canal Square to view the latest in smart vehicle technology including Irish Police force (Gardai) smart cars and Microsoft’s flagship first responder connected jeep. This provided a unique opportunity for discussion about public safety and the use of technology to offer greater security and safety for citizens.
The Smart Docklands District, with its density of new builds, global tech companies, smart assets and range of connectivity options, provides a unique platform for SMEs and entrepreneurs to develop new and innovative solutions that will transform the way our cities operate.
This includes one of the world’s most connected buildings (Accenture’s The Dock), a testbed for low cost flood-monitoring Internet of things sensors, the world’s largest pilot of connected and smart bike lights (See.Sense) as well as a range of new connectivity solutions that will drive cutting edge innovations across the district.
The Accelerator was created and is chaired by Dr. David S. Ricketts, Innovation fellow, Technology and Entrepreneurship Centre at Harvard. The gathering will be an annual event.
‘Smart Docklands showcases what can happen when a city district develops the level of connectivity and sensor density to make a significant jump in the quality of life for people living and working in the area’, said Dr. David S. Ricketts.
Owen Keegan, chief executive, Dublin City Council said: ‘Dublin City Council is in a unique position to act as an ‘honest broker’ and bring together stakeholders who want to trial innovative new solutions to challenges faced by our cities in collaboration with technology companies, entrepreneurs and researchers on the ground.’
Dublin’s Docklands is said to have great potential as a Smart City District. Forty-four thousand people work in its thriving business district and it is home to twenty-six thousand residents. There is a high concentration of new builds and a wide range of connectivity and smart assets. It is also home to a selection of leading global technology companies who are eager to make use of a world class testbed in their backyard.
The programme was developed to engage cities, technologists and citizens in the transformation and innovation occurring daily in our cities. The programme convenes smart city leaders from across the globe in an intimate, curated setting to tackle the key challenges cities face and collaborate on new strategies and solutions.
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