Dundee’s future as a smart city was outlined at a special event (on Thursday September 28).
Local stakeholders were updated by Dundee City Council’s smart cities team on a number of projects that are helping to drive forward services by the imaginative use of technology and data.
These include smart waste bins, which use sensors to monitor levels of waste and solar power to compact rubbish.
Other areas under discussion will be a focus on open data, public safety and mobility. The projects aims include giving local businesses, academics and communities an opportunity to become involved to gain insights into how cities are starting to apply smart technology.
The Dundee programme is part of the Scottish Cities Alliance vision to enable cities to become more liveable and resilient through the use of Data and Digital Technology. The projects are jointly funded by the European Regional Development Programme
The Scottish Cities Alliance is a unique collaboration of Scotland’s seven cities and the Scottish Government working together to deliver economic growth through investment in infrastructure
Staff from Dundee-based mobile app company Waracle will be talking to the audience, as will representatives from Urban Foresight, a consultancy working with the council on its mobility project. The audience will also hear from CENSIS and Edinburgh City Council’s digital innovation team.
Dundee City Council leader and chair of the Scottish Cities Alliance Councillor John Alexander said: “We have already secured £1.4m for the creation of Mobile Innovation Living Laboratory (MILL) to establish Dundee as a test bed for smart mobility solutions that will look at areas such as mobility services and smart parking.”
Councillor Alexander added: Our vision is about developing future solutions to benefit the people of Dundee and the many visitors we are attracting to the city.
“We are working to ensure that these fit with the priorities our citizens have identified and our strategic aims for the city – fair work and enterprise, community safety and justice and building stronger communities.”
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
