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“Charting a Sustainable Future: Sign up for ‘Advances in Water Management and Climate Adaptation’ Lecture Series!”
“Charting a Sustainable Future: Sign up for ‘Advances in Water Management and Climate Adaptation’ Lecture Series!” 1764 720 ide3a

While the ide3a project has concluded, the Smart Water Networks department of TU Berlin is continuing education  in the thematic realm of ide3a, as exemplified by the lecture series titled “Advances in Water Management and Climate Adaptation.” This course is scheduled every Tuesday from October 17th, 2023, to February 6th, 2024, taking place in person at TU Berlin and being streamed online, guest speakers will be either in person or connected online.

The lecture series on “Advances in Water Management and Climate Adaptation” is a comprehensive course designed to explore the latest techniques, tools, technologies, strategies, and policies in managing water resources and adapting to the challenges posed by climate change. Tools and technologies will include, among others, advanced modelling techniques, digital technologies, remote sensing, geographic information systems. Water management and climate adaptation strategies and policies will unpack the intertwined relationship between environmental, technological, societal, and economic stakes, and include topics related to climate justice, multi-objective optimization, risk and conflict management, and multi-sector dynamics under uncertainty.

Following an introductory session, different early-stage researchers from international universities, research institutions, technology centers, and policy institutes will present cutting edge research, projects, lessons learned, challenges and visions on water resources management and climate adaptation. Each lecture will have an approximate duration of one hour, followed by interactive discussions involving attending students and the lecturer.

Assessment includes weekly quizzes based on the lecture content and a concise final report focusing on one of the topics covered in the lecture series.

While a background in topics related to water resources management, hydrology, hydraulics, environmental systems analysis, or related fields is recommended, it is not a strict requirement for participation. Participants will earn 3 ECTS credits for their engagement in this course.

We extend a warm welcome to external participants, for details follow the link below.

 

Register here!
© reflection videos of CID 2023 participants

3rd ide3a CID concluded
3rd ide3a CID concluded 2550 1394 ide3a

During the third and final iteration of the “Critical Infrastructure & Digitalization (CID)” lecture series, which took place from April 18th to July 28th, a total of 23 students from PoliMi and TUB actively engaged in the program. This last iteration was part of a comprehensive series of weekly online lectures thoughtfully organized to explore various facets of the digital and technological transformation of different urban critical infrastructure sectors, such as water, energy and mobility.

Throughout this extensive series the students had the privilege of gaining invaluable knowledge and insights from a dynamic blend of senior and junior researchers hailing from different faculties of TU Berlin, as well as guest speakers from the ide3a partner university PoliMi and esteemed international institutions such as TU Delft, Exnation and MIT to name a few. These experts – among which was Ashlynn Stilwell from the University of Illinois – presented cutting-edge research projects, shared lessons learned, illuminated ongoing challenges, and visionary perspectives.  The primary goal of this intensive course was to equip students with the ability to critically analyze and discuss pressing technical problems and innovative solutions related to critical urban infrastructure systems. Additionally, students were empowered to envision and outline future developments and challenges in this evolving landscape.

Moreover, participants developed the capacity to identify and elucidate the synergies that exist between various infrastructural components. They also gained competence in understanding the basics of simulations and scenario analysis within these domains.

To successfully complete this course, students undertook weekly quizzes, ensuring their grasp of the subject matter. Additionally, they were tasked with creating a video reflecting on one or more topics they found most relatable within the CID course. From among these submissions, we would like to highlight the two most interesting videos, offering an opportunity to showcase the students’ remarkable insights and contributions to this dynamic field.

Giulia D’Aleo – A student from PoliMi with expertise in user experience design and service design, Giulia’s unique perspective focused on the citizen’s viewpoint. She gained a fresh and insightful perspective on the intricate processes related to water management systems and energy grid networks. This newfound understanding allowed her to envision the city as an organized resource management system.

https://vimeo.com/864352822

Hasti Makdhoum, studying energy engineering at PoliMi, displayed exceptional creativity and an illustrative prowess in explaining the complexities of digitalization within the energy sector, particularly focusing on the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Energy Management Systems (EMS). Her approach involved simplifying intricate technical concepts into easily understandable and visually engaging explanations, making them accessible to a broader audience.

https://vimeo.com/869467709

© Samira Frenzel

ide3a project closing meeting: Building connections that endure
ide3a project closing meeting: Building connections that endure 2560 1920 ide3a

The ide3a project will end after three and a half years on 31 October 2023.

While this chapter may be drawing to a close, the relationships and collaborations we have nurtured will continue to flourish. We have achieved milestones, tackled challenges, and left an indelible mark on the fields of e-learning, e-research, and e-mobility. The knowledge and experience gained are invaluable, and they will undoubtedly influence our future endeavors.

Before we embark on our individual paths, we invite you to join us for the closing meeting of the ide3a project on 11 October 2023. This gathering is not only a celebration of our collective achievements but also an opportunity to strengthen the enduring connections we have cultivated. This will be a fantastic opportunity to revisit the project’s outputs and hear about the outcomes of the individual sub-projects presented by Prof. Dr. Andrea Cominola, Lisa Westphal, Markus Fischer and Leonie Dornbusch. These presentations will be streamed online, ensuring that colleagues from around the world can be part of this event.

Program 11 October 2023 :
4pm – 5pm (public, online): ide3a re-visited and presentation of the main outputs of the ide3a part projects e-learning, e-research and e-mobility, future collaboration possibilities


Your presence and input at the closing meeting are invaluable to us. We are eager to hear your feedback and insights as we reflect on the ide3a project’s journey and its impact on our collective knowledge. If you are interested in joining us we kindly ask you to register via the following link. The Zoom-Link to the event will be shared after registration.

Register here!


Thank you for being an integral part of the ide3a project, and we look forward to seeing you at this event.

Congratulations to the winner of Smart “Sustainable Cities & Communities – Phantom Menace or New Hope”
Congratulations to the winner of Smart “Sustainable Cities & Communities – Phantom Menace or New Hope” 1956 1574 ide3a

We are proud to announce that ide3a alumni have participated and won in the ENHANCE-workshop & hackathon “Smart Sustainable Cities & Communities – Phantom Menace or New Hope?” from May 15-May 19 2023 in Warsaw. The workshop that was organised by Warsaw University of Technology was aimed at helping participants understand the complexity and importance of the processes involved in designing and operating sustainable and smart cities concluding with a competition in which the participants came up with a solution for selected problems diagnosed in their cities.

Julia Silalahi, Florian Pages, and the two former Smart City Hackathon participants Joschka Kayenberg, and Lorenz Nitsch represented the Technische Universität Berlin and came up with an innovative solution to empower consumers and promote renewable energy usage in the European energy sector! Their idea for a voice assistant , providing real-time information about the forecasted share of renewables in total energy production, is a simple yet brilliant way to tackle the challenges posed by non-dispatchable renewable energy sources and lack of awareness among the general public.

By informing users about periods of favourable renewable energy availability and low-price hours, this intuitive and accessible system can enable consumers to adjust their energy consumption patterns, thus supporting the integration of renewable energy into the grid. It’s an excellent example of how technology and information can drive positive change in the fight against climate change and contribute to building smarter, more sustainable cities and communities.

Thus, their solution was chosen to be the winner by the judges of the workshop “Smart Sustainable Cities & Communities – Phantom Menace or New Hope?” amongst seven other ideas submitted by other competing teams from different universities. The entirety of the ide3a network would like to congratulate the winning team wholeheartedly and is looking forward to more groundbreaking solutions and initiatives by ide3a alumni! It’s truly inspiring to see young minds coming up with world-changing ideas to address real-world challenges.

A short overview and summary of all submitted projects can be found here.

ConnectiCity at LNDW 2023
ConnectiCity at LNDW 2023 1920 2560 ide3a

Climate change and urbanization are posing major challenges to sustainable urban development, which needs to address the increasing risk of extreme hydroclimatic events such as flooding, population growth, growing demands for resources, housing shortage, and increased traffic. ConnectiCity is a serious game which has been developed by the ide3a project partners with the aim to provide its player base with comprehensive understanding of the aforementioned challenges, their impact on interconnected critical urban infrastructure systems, and possible solutions to effectively mitigate them in an interactive educational environment.

With the official release of the serious game ConnectiCity on the 20th of March this year it was finally time to introduce the game to a wider audience using any opportunity. Such opportunity presented itself during the Long Night of Science (German: Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften, LNDW) on the 17th of June 2023. This renowned annual event serves as a platform for scientific institutions to engage with the public, and ConnectiCity was proudly featured at both the FSD Chair at TU Berlin and the Einstein Center simultaneously.

Teams of experts were assigned to each location, instructing visitors allowing them to not only learn about the scientific background of ConnectiCity but also to experience the game firsthand with guidance from these knowledgeable teams. The response from visitors of all ages was overwhelmingly positive, as they immersed themselves in the gameplay and engaged in thought-provoking discussions about the challenges facing sustainable urban development.

The ide3a team is delighted by the level of interest and enthusiasm shown by the participants who didn’t show a single sign of exhaustion when nearing midnight.

 

 

 

 

Release of ConnectiCity Game
Release of ConnectiCity Game 1111 768 ide3a

The ide3a network is proud to announce the release of ConnectiCity, the open-source serious game that teaches you about climate-resilient cities and inteconnected critical infrastructure systems!

Climate change and urbanization are posing major challenges to sustainable urban development, which needs to address the increasing risk of extreme hydroclimatic events such as flooding, population growth, growing demands for resources, housing shortage, and increased traffic. The serious game ConnectiCity has been developed by the ide3a project partners and led by our game developer Giuseppe Angelini at the Technische Universität Berlin. ConnectiCity aims to provide its player base with comprehensive understanding of the aforementioned challenges, their impact on interconnected critical urban infrastructure systems, and possible solutions to effectively mitigate them in an interactive educational environment.

Introduction to the game

In the game, players are tasked with developing a new neighborhood in the city of ConnectiCity, while also protecting it from flash floods with the use of Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) solutions and managing traffic with strategically placed bus stops. ConnectiCity introduces its players to this task by assigning them the role of an expert planning consultant hired by Connie, the city´s mayor. Throughout the game, players are awarded points based on the social, economic, and environmental impact of their decisions.

As a project oriented towards education, ConnectiCity provides a fun and interactive way for students to learn about urban planning, sustainability, and the importance of resilient interconnected infrastructure systems, with a focus on stormwater and mobility networks. By fostering a deeper understanding of climate-resilient cities and interconnected critical urban infrastructure, ConnectiCity empowers students to become agents of change and contribute to the development of sustainable and resilient cities.

The final version of ConnectiCity was first presented on the 20th of March at the FUTURIUM in Berlin during the celebration for the start of the second funding phase of the Einstein Center Digital Future, attended by leading stakeholders of digitalization in Berlin. Today, we are happy to officially release it as an open-source game granting its users access to its legacy code and enabling its users to customize the settings of the game.  

Do you want to know more about ConnectiCity? Check out the promotional video below and the following resources:

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· ConnectiCity release and GitHub repository
· ConnectiCity documentation

Are you interested in playing the game? Will you be able to keep your city safe from flooding?

 

Critical Infrastructure & Digitalisation Course – Register Now!
Critical Infrastructure & Digitalisation Course – Register Now! 2126 1417 ide3a

**ATTENTION**: The registration period ends on April 2 2023 – follow the link below to register!

For the third time, ide3a is hosting its lecture series “Critical Infrastructure and Digitalisation (CID)” for Master students from all partner universities (TU Berlin, NTNU Trondheim, DCU Dublin, PoliMi Milano, CUT Cracow, HPI Potsdam). Lectures will take place every Tuesday from 3:15 to 4:45 pm during the upcoming summer semester starting on April 18 until July 18, 2023 and will be held in English.

There will be a few changes compared to the last years: The course will have no workshops this time and the exams will be less time-consuming. That is why the students will be awarded 3 ECTS instead of the former 6 ECTS.

The lecture series will be conducted fully online this year.

This lecture series will outline and discuss the latest advances on the digitalisation of critical urban infrastructures. Lectures will be given by various experts from academia, industry, and the policy-making sector, with main focus on water networks, energy grids, sensor and communication networks, mobility, and urban planning.

The overarching goal of the course is to identify and communicate synergies and dependencies between the different sectors and topics, along with discussing them. Each lecture will be of (approximately) 1-hour duration, followed by a discussion among the students and with the lecturer (for live presentations only). As part of the open knowledge material of this course, podcast episodes with interviews of the expert are made available from previous versions of the course. Parts of the lectures will be provided as recorded videos from past editions of the course.

After completing this course, students will be able to draw conclusions and predict forecasts for the future of critical urban infrastructure, as well as present and discuss these ideas. The course will also be an opportunity for students to connect and build relationships with students from other fields and universities.

For international students: You will be awarded a certificate after completion of the Course. Please contact your study track coordinator individually to check if and how the CID course can get the credits recognized.

For TU students: Students from the following study tracks at TU Berlin can accredit the course as Wahl-Pflicht-Modul:

Computational Engineering Science (Informationstechnik im Maschinenwesen) (M. Sc.)
Maschinenbau (M. Sc.)
Patentingenieurwesen (M. Sc.)
Physikalische Ingenieurwissenschaft (M. Sc.)
Planung und Betrieb im Verkehrswesen (M. Sc.)

We are looking forward to conducting this course with interested students from all partner universities. If you are interested in participating please follow the link below and register for the CID course.

Register here!

on air: the CID Podcast
on air: the CID Podcast 1865 916 ide3a

The ide3a network is proud to present the CID podcast. The CID podcast series is a production created as a part of the ide3a project and the associated lecture series “Critical Infrastructure & Digitalization” (CID).

The CID podcast provides not only an overview of digital and technological transformations in different urban infrastructure systems such as water, energy or mobility but also valuable insights into the different research areas of the interviewed experts. The series is featuring David Bermbach, Andrea Cominola, Rita Maria Ugarelli, Sangyoung Park and Monica Vitali.

Urban water systems are increasingly pressured by a growing number of challenges, such as water scarcity, pollution, ageing infrastructure etc. Digital transformation of the water utilities can play a crucial role in improving the resilience of these critical infrastructures. In our interview with Prof. Dr. Andrea Cominola (Chair of Smart Water Networks -Technische Universität Berlin) we go on a journey around the globe to see where water utilities are currently standing in the process of digitalisation.

While digital technologies bring great opportunities, it is important to talk about the downsides as well: critical infrastructures are increasingly popular targets of physical and cyber attacks. STOP-IT is a pioneering research project focusing on developing solutions to protect the water infrastructure against such threats. Prof. Rita Ugarelli (Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering – Norwegian University of Science and Technology) is one of the lead scientists of this exciting project. In our second podcast we learn about how such cyberphysical attacks look like, and we also discuss the importance of educating professionals in the water sector to be prepared to deal with such challenges.

Another industry facing various challenges and opportunities in the age of digitalisation is the mobility sector. In the third episode of the CID podcast our guest is Prof. Dr. Sangyoung Park (Chair of Smart Mobility Systems – Technische Universität Berlin) who specializes in the electrification of the transport sector while also tackling the question of how to enhance the safety of vehicles by means of digitalization and connectivity. Prof. Park helps us get a better understanding of the numerous trends influencing the transport industry, from electric vehicles, through autonomous driving to shared mobility.

In podcast no. 4 starring Prof. Dr. David Bermbach (Chair of Mobile Cloud Computing – Technische Universität Berlin) we continue our journey in the field of sustainable urban mobility. If you also believe that a bicycle is one of the best means of transport to get around a city, this episode is for you! Prof. Bermbach tells us about the biggest challenges and most important tasks the sector must face to transition towards more sustainable solutions. We also get to know SIMRA, an app developed by Prof. Bermbach and his team, aiming to increase safety in bicycle traffic. (If this is a mission close to your heart, you can also become part of the project by installing the app on your phone.)

Data centers play a major role in our every day life enabling a level of comfort and accessibility to a huge amount of data which wasn’t imaginable 30 years ago. However, the same data centers are notorious for their high power consumption. With the climate crisis in sight, the demand for more energy-efficient data centers is growing stronger. In our final podcast episode with Prof. Monica Vitali (Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering – Politecnico di Milano) we explore the future of cloud computing and imagine how a sustainable data center could look like.

All interviews were moderated by Dóra Hegyi (Chair of Smart Water Networks – Technische Universität Berlin) and edited by Bea Meyer (Central Institution Scientific Continuing Education and Cooperation – Technische Universität Berlin). The entire ide3a team would like to thank Dóra and Bea, as well as the experts for this amazing collaboration. All the podcasts are independent entities and can be listened to in any order.

© Guiseppe Angelini

AGU Fall Meeting 2022 recapped
AGU Fall Meeting 2022 recapped 1600 1200 ide3a

The ide3a network is proud to announce that this year’s AGU 2022 Fall Meeting taking place from the 12th to the 16th of December in Chicago was attended by our dear colleagues Giuseppe Angelini and Markus Fischer in person.

This year’s AGU conference was attended by around 25,000 participants representing scientists, teaching personnel, as well as policymakers from more than 100 countries in a hybrid manner fostering a breeding ground to form international collaborations for a sustainable future; therefore offering a great opportunity for the ide3a network to promote the network itself and to  present the serious game ‘ConnectiCity’ to an international scientific audience to obtain valuable feedback and for further improvement.

The oral presentation of Giuseppe Angelini entitled Playing = Learning? Learn about Modelling and Simulation of Interconnected Urban Infrastructure while Playing with ConnectiCity was held on the first conference day. Markus Fischer took it up on him with a poster presentation on Thursday entitled ide3a – A Multidisciplinary and International Eduaction Platform on Interconnected Urban Infrastructure Systems Under Review. Both presentations were very well received by the audience showing ide3a’s great potential in the scientific community.

We once again, would thank Giuseppe Angelini and Markus Fischer for the participation as well as the organizers of AGU for this amazing opportunity.

© an_

3rd ide3a conference recapped
3rd ide3a conference recapped 1593 782 ide3a

After several years of travel restrictions due to the global COVID-19 pandemic the ide3a network is proud to announce that its 3rd annual conference was successfully concluded from the October 24 till 25  as the first in-person meeting in Berlin. While complying to applicable COVID-19 measurements the conference was attended by 21 partners representing the various partner universities and institutions such as CUT Cracow, DCU Dublin, NTNU Trondheim, HPI Potsdam, and TU Berlin to wrap up the third year of the ide3a project and to provide an overview of the on-going developments in the ide3a project focusing on several aspects regarding the three pillars of the ide3a project: e-learning, e-mobility and e-research. Opportunities of future collaborations where discussed as well.

One of the highlights of the conference was the presentation of ConnectiCity which is a serious game on urban water networks and interconnected infrastructure. Despite the game still being under development by a research group of the ide3a team the game already shows a promising potential regarding its teaching purposes receiving not only positive but also insightful feedback from the participants of the conference to tune the further development of the game. The goal is to release ConnectiCity as an open-source game allowing students to get a grasp about the relation between urban water networks and urban mobility while also allowing the students as well as teaching personnel to customize the settings of the game.

Each day was completed with a get-together event allowing to wind down and catch up with old acquaintances but also established new social networks between the partners. We would like to thank everyone for their attendance and hope to meet again soon.

© ide3a 2021
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