A Smart Balbriggan and Smart Dún Laoghaire collaboration has two proposals that have made it to the final stages of the FinEst Smart City Challenge 2023. There are six proposals in total in the final stage. The two teams will prepare their full project proposals by August and if successful, will begin the projects in November. If successful, the projects would receive funding of 800k to 1.2m euros each.
The first Smart Balbriggan / Smart Dún Laoghaire project – UrbanSplash addresses the challenge of monitoring Bathing Water Quality. The project aims to provide real-time water quality data and forecasting capabilities which would significantly enhance the current monitoring process. The project will use new data-sources (e.g.) sensors for near-real-time detection of E. coli bacteria, microbe source tracking, and other readily available meteorological data. Other stakeholders involved include Dublin City University, the University of Tartu, and TalTech.
The second collaborative project is CitySense, which addresses the challenge of assessing damaged /missing traffic signs, graffiti, and road conditions. The project will do this via deploying a sensor network based on smart mobile sensing devices. Additionally, the project will look at new ways to monitor air quality, noise levels, and parking occupancy. Other stakeholders include TalTech, the University of Tartu, and Dublin City University.
The opportunity with FinEst arose from a first meeting with Smart Dublin at the Smart City Expo in 2022, followed by a knowledge exchange event in Tallinn in June 2023.
Best of luck to our Smart Balbriggan and Smart Dún Laoghaire colleagues in the finals!