IBM awards Dublin ‘Smart City’ grant
The Irish capital Dublin has been awarded a grant from IBM as part of the company’s Smart Cities Challenge. The award, worth €362,000, will see a team from IBM analyse a specific problem before travelling to the city to resolve the issue using data analytics technology.
The Smart Cities Challenge aims to tackle issues such as clean water, healthy food, revenue generation, job development, efficient transportation, and public safety. Dublin City Council has already been working with IBM on a smart city project, analysing the use of transport within the city. The council claims this has already led to improved services.
Over 500 cities have entered the Smart Cities Challenge during the past three years, with 116 been selected for involvement. Winners include Eindhoven in the Netherlands, which has reduced crime with strategies including social media.
The IBM announcement comes as a new research project, led by Professor Rob Kitchin of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, begins. The venture, entitled the Programmable City project, will examine Dublin as a smart city and is part-funded by the European Research Council. It will work with the city council, business owners and the local community to find out how technology can be used to improve the lives of those living in Dublin. The project will run for five years.
