Pictured at the launch of the new Cork Smart Gateway were (l-r) Claire Davis, Donal O’Sullivan and Ruth Buckley, via Darragh Kane
An industry collaboration in Cork has seen the creation of a new ‘Smart Gateway’ to help the country prepare for a sensor-heavy future.
Smart solutions are being investigated globally to improve everything from water management systems to traffic volumes, crowd monitoring to strains on power resources, and Cork is trying to get to the front of the queue.
A new ‘Smart Gateway’ has been initiated to help the entire region position itself as a more attractive destination for both industry and public, with ‘regional challenges’ to be overcome by smart solutions.
Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Nimbus Research Centre and Tyndall National Institute are the founding members of Cork Smart Gateway, with environmental detection, flooding and waste management tipped as early areas of interest.
“Working together with a shared vision of a smart region, the opportunity for Cork Smart Gateway to identify challenges faced by citizens in the Cork region and address these areas through technology, data analytics and the convergence of IoT is immense,” said chairperson of the initiative, Ruth Buckley.
Research already done
The gateway has been set up on the back of new research conducted throughout the county, which found that plenty of people feel improved impact on local decision-making is good for everybody.
“A smart region is one that utilises e-government, publishes open data and fosters an open data economy,” said Claire Davis, programme manager of the gateway. She also referenced “citizen-centric dashboards”, as well as participation and urban testing as keys to an improved society.
Flood detection systems in Bandon, an LED lighting replacement scheme off the south coast and cloud energy management are smart projects already underway in the region.
