Belfast City Council is exploring how data and innovative technologies can help them manage their parks and open spaces, ensuring they are safe, accessible and enjoyed by all.
Five companies – iSensing, Civica, SparroWatch, Pitchbooking and Bann Technology – were awarded up to £20,000 of funding each, as part of the council’s Amazing Spaces, Smart Places competition, to develop and trial an innovative solution in one of their parks and open spaces.
Belfast City Council, working in partnership with the Department of Justice, applied for £100,000 of Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) funding to support the projects, with Dublin City Council contributing a further £10,000.
The projects use a range of technology including:
-Internet of Things (IoT) sensors;
-WiFi connection data;
-an intelligent monitoring camera with artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision; and
-a community currency app which rewards citizens for using our parks and open spaces.
The phase one pilot projects in Belfast took place from 3-27 June 2019 in Botanic Gardens, Victoria Park, Connswater Greenway, Girdwood Community Hub sports pitches and Belfast City Cemetery.
A further two projects took place in Dublin parks in collaboration with Dublin City Council.
Belfast City Council is currently rolling out phase two of the project.
Phase One Pilot Projects
iSensing Pilot Project – Belfast City Cemetery
iSensing Ltd used WiFi connection data to better understand the flow of people and footfall in Belfast City Cemetery. The aim is to keep the cemetery safe and reduce incidents of vandalism and antisocial behaviour, especially after hours when the cemetery is closed.
Various sensors in the cemetery detected mobile devices (using MAC addresses) when they tried to connect to WiFi, and counted them as visitors to the area. No individuals were identified as all data was de-personalised.
Civica Pilot Project – Botanic Gardens
Civica’s ParkKeepr application used WiFi connection data to understand the flow of people and footfall in Botanic Gardens, including after hours when the park is closed.
They used various IoT sensors to detect mobile devices (using MAC addresses) when they tried to connect to WiFi, and counted them as visitors to the area. No individuals were identified as all data was de-personalised.
A real-time heat map of visitors in the park was also developed at https://parkkeepr.azurewebsites.net. Citizens could also report issues in the park, such as damage to street furniture and graffiti, via this website.
SparroWatch Pilot Project – Belfast City Cemetery
SparroWatch’s intelligent camera system, SparroCam, uses artificial intelligence and computer vision to determine what is happening in a location, without the need for human intervention.
The system aimed to enable Belfast City Council to monitor Belfast City Cemetery after hours, and provide real-time notifications. The SparroCam supported the council’s existing mobile CCTV cameras which are used to reduce incidents of vandalism and antisocial behaviour in parks and opens spaces.
The battery-powered solution ensures a simple and low cost alternative to a full CCTV system in remote environments.
Pitchbooking Pilot Project – Girdwood Community Hub Sports Pitches
Pitchbooking used WiFi connection data to find out more about how and when the sport pitches at the Girdwoord Community Hub were being used. This included pre-booked sessions as well as use of the pitches that hadn’t been booked in advance.
Various sensors located at the pitches are able to detect mobile devices (using MAC addresses) when they try to connect to WiFi, and count them as visitors to the area. No individuals were identified as all data was de-personalised.
CivicDollars Pilot Project – Connswater Greenway and Victoria Park
Bann Technology developed a community currency mobile app called CivicDollars which rewards citizens for using parks and open spaces.
After downloading the app, users could earn ‘Civic Dollars’ for every 30 minutes they spent in a park, and also for reporting issues such as damage to street furniture. Dollars could then be exchanged for rewards such as a free swim, gym session or bus/train ticket.
The app, which uses geo-fencing technology and is based on a social cryptocurrency platform, aims to encourage citizens to be more active and improve their lifestyle.
