Projects

[Translate to Englisch:]

EasyDigiTwin - Mobile Mapping

Development of an AI-based mobile mapping process for the low-threshold creation of urban digital twins

Development of an AI-based mobile mapping process for the low-threshold creation of urban digital twins
<p>The use of an urban <strong>digital twin</strong>, a comprehensive virtual image of a city, can significantly simplify municipal tasks such as infrastructure management. However, creating a digital twin through <strong>mobile mapping</strong> has so far required expensive equipment and specialized professionals.</p> <p>Together with the <strong>Westfälische Hochschule</strong>, we are developing a user-friendly and cost-effective mobile mapping process called <strong>EasyDigiTwin</strong> to create urban digital twins. This process is designed to enable cities and administrations to create their own digital twins and allow broad access to this technology and its benefits.</p> <p><strong>EasyDigiTwin </strong>will implement a prototype for a low-cost approach to mobile mapping using only cameras and GPS receivers. In order to then extract three-dimensional information from the image data, a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence method called <strong>Neural Radiance Fields - NeRF</strong> is used. This should further help to reduce costs while at the same time achieving a first-class quality.</p> <p>EasyDigiTwin is being funded by the <strong>BMDV </strong>with around €200,000 until August 2024 as part of the <strong>mFUND</strong> innovation initiative. The BMDV has been funding data-based research and development projects for the digital and networked mobility of the future with mFUND since 2016.</p>
[Translate to Englisch:]

LoRaWAN network

The LoRaWAN network usually consists of one or more gateways (antennas) that communicate with associated LoRa end devices.

The LoRaWAN network usually consists of one or more gateways (antennas) that communicate with associated LoRa end devices.
<p>By setting up a city-wide Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), SWD is taking the next step toward being able to offer digital services in Dormagen. The network usually consists of one or more gateways (antennas) that communicate with associated LoRa end devices. These can be both sensors and actuators. The gateways themselves are connected to the Internet and thus transport the collected data or sent commands.&nbsp;</p> <p>The advantage over other technologies, such as WLAN or 5G, is the low investment and operating costs, due to the high transmission distance of the individual antennas combined with very low energy requirements of the end devices. This means that the entire Dormagen urban area can be covered with just a few antennas. In addition, there are a large number of sensors that can be used for a wide variety of applications, both in an industrial context and in the smart city area. As a result, both citizens and local companies benefit from the infrastructure that has been set up. &nbsp;</p> <p>After the technical infrastructure has been set up, a test phase will be run, during which various use cases will be tested and transferred to productive operation. For companies, SWD will offer a service in which the network can be used for operational use cases. This will save companies the investment costs for the network and they will only have to procure the corresponding sensor technology. This ensures that significantly more use cases can be implemented profitably. &nbsp;</p> <p>Citizens can implement their own use cases via a free service and also benefit from the fact that municipal departments can map their tasks more efficiently and thus more cost-effectively and in a future-proof manner.&nbsp;</p>

Edge Cloud Real Lab

The real lab provides the relevant methodological competence and develops blueprints.

The real lab provides the relevant methodological competence and develops blueprints.
<p>Global data volumes are rising steadily and at an ever-increasing rate. In addition, there will be more and more smart end devices (e.g. smartphones and sensors) in the future. Furthermore, the applications of the future will have a greater need for low latency, i.e., transmission with little delay.</p> <p><br /> These developments mean that, according to experts, the "edge cloud" will prevail as the future data infrastructure. This means that smaller data centers will emerge across the board, stationed closer to the end device of the data sender.&nbsp;As a result, the location of data centers will become highly relevant and municipalities will have to provide space for these requirements. In order to be able to generate local value creation, digital parks should be created around the data centers. These have the potential to positively shape structural change.</p> <p><br /> However, it is unclear how exactly such an ecosystem must be built so that it brings the greatest possible added value to municipalities and companies. The Edge Cloud Reallabor in Dormagen will provide the relevant methodological expertise and will develop a blueprint for the development of local edge ecosystems.</p>

Smart Industrial City HUB

The SIC HUB provides a spatial environment for cluster activities and is available for innovation-driving companies.

The SIC HUB provides a spatial environment for cluster activities and is available for innovation-driving companies.
<p>Dormagen is becoming a Smart Industrial City and, as an industrial city in transition, is responding to the challenges of the digital age and structural change with intelligent measures. The aim is to build up modern digital location factors and to support companies in innovations and digital transformation as well as in the conception of digital and sustainable business models through consulting services and networking. In order to spatially locate the cluster activities, the Smart Industrial City HUB will be set up in the commercial district on the A 57 - Alte Heerstraße, which will be available specifically for innovation-driving companies, coworking and networking activities. The resulting synergy effects are an added value for companies in the quarter, which thus have direct access to the innovation ecosystem that has emerged over the last five years. The neighborhood itself will be included in the smart city strategy and will have solutions from the area of smart spaces, edge cloud and, in perspective, data monetization concepts for resident companies.</p>

Smart photovoltaics

The supply of renewable energies requires decentralized production and sufficient storage options.

The supply of renewable energies requires decentralized production and sufficient storage options.
<p>The supply of renewable energies requires decentralized production and sufficient storage options. In the best case, energy is either generated directly where it is consumed, or in any case in the direct vicinity. This results in low energy losses through transmission and thus high energy efficiency. In particular, photovoltaic systems on roofs could cover a large part of the power supply. Decentralized energy storage systems ensure a continuous supply and are able to absorb overproduction and compensate for shortages.</p> <p>In the "Smart Photovoltaics" project, the approach is to be taken one step further: through the factors of measurement, control, decentralized energy production and decentralized energy storage, as well as the digitalization of processes, all the necessary elements are to be implemented in order to test and implement smart grid principles. Furthermore, data on energy production and consumption will be integrated into the Urban Data Platform to enable a variety of use cases. In particular, a reporting system for e.g. climate balances will be developed (incl. energy dashboard) and the mapping of relevant key figures in the digital twin of the city of Dormagen will be enabled.</p>

Metro Edge Cloud

Since December 2021

Since December 2021
<p>In order to be able to collect and process IoT data securely and efficiently, a cloud platform was developed together with the Dormagen-based startup Global Digital Management Solutions (GDMS), which developers and companies can use from now on to manage their infrastructure and applications. Vendor independence and sovereignty over one's own data are particularly important. The platform is home to our cross-cutting technologies, the Digital Twin and the Urban Data Platform, and will be successively developed further.</p>
[Translate to Englisch:]

Traffic census city center

Since October 2021

Since October 2021
<p><strong>Visitor flows: </strong>To support the Downtown Master Plan and the Integrated Urban Development Concept (ISEK) Dormagen, visitor flows in the pedestrian zone of the downtown area are recorded with the aid of sensors and the data made available on the basis of LoRaWAN radio technology.</p> <p>This serves to optimize the planning and measurement of measures, especially of a structural nature, the real-time observation of what is happening in order, for example, to be able to check compliance with visitor and safety concepts, the marketing of advertising or retail space, and the demand-oriented planning of city festivals and markets. In the future, the analysis of the data will allow forecasts to be made of the expected number of visitors on a particular day and event.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Road traffic:</strong> A sensor-based cross-section measurement is also being carried out on flowing traffic in Dormagen's city center. The digital recording of traffic based on LoRaWAN radio technology will support planning processes of the city of Dormagen and enable the measurement of measures.</p>

Urban data platform

Since December 2021

Since December 2021
<p>The basis of our smart city activities is improved transparency and local cooperation to bring together, evaluate and optimize information that was previously maintained in isolation. Interactions between the most diverse producers and consumers must be balanced. Decentralized structures, smart grids, regional clusters and further networking of industry and services are building blocks of integrated urban development, especially in the areas of energy, environment and mobility. Local data platforms help to overcome silo thinking as well as to achieve automation effects and enable new services.</p> <p>In our system-of-systems approach, independent distributed systems form an open system network. The urban data platform orchestrates and harmonizes interfaces and workflows in this system based on open standards and future-proof architectures. We rely on open source modules and a horizontal platform solution for the integration of data from sensor or third-party systems. This allows historical and real-time data to be optimally utilized using uniform data standards and models.</p>

5G test field

Together with Chempark operator Currenta, possible areas for the installation of a 5G test field in the northern Chempark environment are currently…

Together with Chempark operator Currenta, possible areas for the installation of a 5G test field in the northern Chempark environment are currently being explored.
<p>Together with Chempark operator Currenta, possible areas for the installation of a 5G test field in the northern Chempark environment are currently being explored. This test site will also be made available to the city of Dormagen as part of a cooperation to test urban use cases.</p> <p>For the period from June to September 2021, SWD, the city of Dormagen and Currenta, with the involvement of Chempark companies and regional innovation drivers, conducted a series of workshops to identify use cases and business models. The results were submitted to the Zukunftsregion Rheinisches Revier via a project outline in the "REVIER.GESTALTEN" funding call, which was given a first star ("Substantial project idea") in the supervisory board meeting in December 2021. The aim is now to build on this to prepare a corresponding funding application.</p> <p>With the help of the 5G mobile communications standard and other wireless technologies, such as LoRaWAN, IoT applications are to be made tangible for industry and municipalities and matured as a standard in Dormagen.</p> <p>Further information on the "REVIER.GESTALTEN" funding call: <a href="https://www.rheinisches-revier.de/foerderung/downloads-und-links" target="_blank">https://www.rheinisches-revier.de/foerderung/downloads-und-links</a></p>

Energy efficiency ChemLab

Since October 2021

Since October 2021
<p>Approaches to climate protection, efficient energy use and sustainable business must be viewed holistically. Therefore, public and private users must be sensitized in the same way as infrastructure operators and companies in order to collectively reduce energy consumption and thus reduce CO2 emissions. In addition, the use of renewable, volatile energies means that load and storage management, as well as distribution and sales mechanisms, must be adapted to the new technologies.&nbsp;</p> <p>Based on a demo in the coworking space "ChemLab", smart home applications will be used to reduce heat and electricity demand. Furthermore, digital energy monitoring can be initiated and new data-driven applications can be developed. In addition to reducing energy consumption, new digital and sustainable services are to be promoted via specializations and cooperations.</p>

Digital twin

Since October 2021

Since October 2021
<p>The digital twin is a data-based simulation environment. By setting up a central platform, the digital planning of construction, traffic and infrastructure measures is to be supported and supplemented by the possibility of simulating the effects of the measures.&nbsp;</p> <p>The first step was the demo of the sugar factory area, which was created on a test environment with the support of the Chempark operator Currenta as initial partner and on the basis of which various feasibilities were tested. The demo is currently being moved to a productive environment. In addition to 3D data from overflight images of the sugar factory site, the demo involves various 3D modeling of buildings, greenery and infrastructure. In addition, overflight images of Dormagen-Mitte, Dormagen-Nord and parts of Horrem were created, which will be added to the Digital Twin in the short term via so-called tiles.</p> <p>The digital twin is to be developed successively for the entire Dormagen urban area, provide all relevant data in real time and enable interfaces to external databases.</p>

Parking space management Helbüchelstraße

September until March 2022

September until March 2022
<p>The short-term and cab parking spaces on Helbüchelstraße / Höhe Marktplatz were fitted with eight ground sensors. These sensors record whether the designated parking spaces are being used. Additional evaluations can be made via the dashboard as to how long the parking bays are occupied and whether the maximum permitted parking time is being exceeded. The data is recorded via a LoRaWAN gateway and forwarded to the application interface.&nbsp;</p> <p>This proof of concept will be used to gain insight into how and to what extent digital parking management can be used to reduce parking search traffic. The goal is to optimize the parking supply in the city.</p>

Demo sugar factory area

September 2021

September 2021
<p>At the annual meeting of the Local Alliance Dormagen, a demo was presented to explain the possible applications of digital twins.&nbsp;For example, a fictitious planning design for the development of the former sugar factory site between the city center and Chempark was used to highlight the fact that this is a cross-sectional technology. It is a facilitator for different areas of application. These include&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>building management&nbsp;</li> <li>infrastructure planning and management or even</li> <li>mobility issues and</li> <li>energy management.</li> </ul> <p>But the technology is also suitable as data-based support for the sustainability strategy of the city of Dormagen. Dormagen has set itself concrete goals as a globally sustainable municipality. These goals must be made measurable in order to be able to check whether they have been achieved. This requires data and visualizations in order to involve as many social groups as possible.</p> <h3><a class="btn btn-info btn-xl" href="https://digitaler-zwilling.glitch.me/#" target="_blank">Try out the demo yourself</a></h3>

Smart Industrial City is a joint project of Stadtmarketing- und Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft Dormagen and Currenta, operator of the Chemparks Leverkusen, Dormagen and Krefeld.

© Smart Industrial City | Design & Coding by kopfsturm®