Kerbside (data) collection

By Robyn Francis | Global Engagement Coordinator | Smart Cities Council
With the increased use of e-commerce and the shared economy, the competition for our road, kerb and footpath spaces is evolving.
Digital Twins provide an opportunity for city managers and planners to generate insights that were not possible a few years ago.
Often Digital Twins are thought of purely as a 3D visualisation tool, however when combined with agent-based modelling to simulate people movement they will provide a valuable source of information for decision-makers.
As part of Digital Twin Week 2021, our friends at Veris pulled together a session with a diverse panel to discuss this topic. The panel included:
Kellie Dean | Veris
Nathan Quadros | Veris
Melanie Davern | RMIT University
Elizabeth Stark | Symbolix
Robert Stopajnik | Urban Communities & Development, Development Victoria
Catherine Hill | City of Melbourne
We started off talking to the City of Melbourne’s transport strategy for 2030, taking into account the 75% decrease in activity given the current COVID lockdown restrictions and need to stimulate visitors to the city, accommodating for multi-modal transport (emphasis on active transport) facilitation and competition for kerbside space.
Data management and customer value propositions were emphasised as vital components to the creation of any Digital Twin roadmap. When it comes to how we use spaces, we have to understand how we use data and how we connect into smart cities conversations.
Connectivity is key - for example the continuation of a bike lane that ensures safe end-to-end travel. Data can measure the number of cyclists going past, but does it give us the information needed to solve the problem, or is it data for data’s sake?
For insight into the answers to questions around pavement scanning methods for digital twins, the reconciliation of multiple perspectives that can be realised and using data for democratic, transparent and inclusive decision making, keep an eye on our news page as we unpack this and more.
A recording of this session will be made available on the Smart Cities Academy website on November 1 2021. Subscribers to the DT Hub will be notified when available.