In May, Smart Dublin delivered two Lunch & Learn staff engagement events with Fingal County Council (FCC). These informal staff engagement sessions are designed to inspire staff to think about how emerging technology could transform their services.
The first event took place in Swords on 15th May where Alan Murphy, Smart Dublin Regional Manager gave an introduction to Smart Dublin – highlighting that Smart Dublin’s purpose is to support the four Dublin Local Authorities in improving local authority services enabled by emerging technology.
At the event Alan Murphy commented “Our most successful projects have had strong buy-in from staff right at the outset. They bring the subject matter expertise for the relevant service. We hope the Lunch & Learns will inspire staff and will demonstrate how their services could be enhanced and know who to contact to get the project started.”
Jack Kavanagh, Smart Dublin’s Open Data Lead then introduced ‘Open Data’. He explained the publishing obligation on public bodies, highlighting how open data is being used and outlined the processes within FCC to unlock new datasets.
Smart DCU’s Kieran Mahon then shared his work researching and developing a Digital Twin in the city microcosm that is Smart DCU. Kieran illustrated how Digital Twins can be utilised for a variety of applications – from facilities management to assisting students with additional needs to locate and plan their attendance on campus.
FCC’s Digital Officer, Aishling Hyland presented how 3D modelling can be used to better communicate planning proposals in the public consultation process. She shared some recent examples of 3D modelling used for the Balbriggan Harbour regeneration planning consultation and the Swords Cultural Quarter development. VR headsets were available for attendees to view the models and see how impactful 3D modelling in VR is as a visualisation and communication tool.
On opening the Blanchardstown event, FCC’s Director of People, Corporate and Digital Services, Mary Egan, said “Fingal County Council is excited to collaborate with our Local Authority colleagues across the Dublin region through the Smart Dublin initiative. The Lunch & Learn series is an excellent opportunity for our colleagues to discover how Smart Dublin works with the four Dublin Local Authorities and explore how Smart Dublin can facilitate collaboration opportunities with academia and industry, supporting our efforts to deliver innovative services for our communities.”
The speakers and format at the Blanchardstown was similar to the Swords event with the addition of Grace D’Arcy, Programme Manager, Academy of the Near Future (ANF) from the Smart Docklands team.
Grace gave an overview of the ‘Design Your Future City’ and ‘Citizen Science’ Transition Year (TY) programmes. She highlighted how through the programmes, younger citizens develop an awareness of how emerging technology and data informs the design of more efficient public services. The Citizen Science TY programme is delivered in schools across the country, it gives young people an opportunity to learn by doing and become actively involved in a community-based student-driven project. The students use air quality, traffic and weather monitoring sensors to capture local air pollution data. They learn how to interpret the data, identify key environmental problems and develop creative solutions to solve the challenges and have a real impact.
The Smart Dublin Lunch & Learn initiative highlights the value of staff from across the four Dublin Local Authorities as vital and valued contributors to the innovation process. By actively involving employees in the development of new solutions, Smart Dublin is tapping into a rich vein of practical insights and experiences that are essential for effective public service innovation.
Email info@smartdublin.ie to learn more.