City of Melbourne is calling for resident input as to how sensors can be used in the city.
City of Melbourne and the Emerging Technologies Research Lab (ETLab) at Monash University have commenced a project to improve the way smart cities are being built, by involving resident input. Under the project, a live activation has been launched in Melbourne’s Argyle Square that enables residents to interact with various sensor technologies that have been installed throughout. These sensors can detect and collect data about microclimates, pedestrian activity, rubbish bin levels, air quality, and park activity, among other things. Residents are also able to scan QR codes that explain each technology and allow them to provide feedback once they have interacted. “By helping the City of Melbourne engage with the local community early in the process of testing new smart technologies and planning the future city strategy, this project will contribute important insights into how people perceive, value, and use emerging technologies in the urban environment,” ETLab director and chief investigator Sarah Pink said. “This partnership employs a transparent approach to data collection, which is also why it was so important for us to include the local community and invite them to take part in our live experiment,” she added. Melbourne is also set to benefit from its first dedicated traffic congestion management team.
