Digitalization

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.

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.

Registration closed: Smart Sensing & Smart Cities Schools

Registration closed: Smart Sensing & Smart Cities Schools 2126 1417 ide3a

For the third time ide3a is hosting its winter schools this year. We are inviting all students from our partner universities to participate. If you are interested please follow the registration link below.

The Smart Sensing School focuses on digital measurement techniques used in urban critical infrastructure. During the Smart Cities School students will learn to outline and discuss latest advances in digitisation and urban innovation at the city scale, including open data, distributed IT systems and how they relate to governance and relevant stakeholders. Participants from both schools will than come together to Berlin for the Smart City Hackathon where they will be challenged in international teams to solve current problems of critical urban infrastructure.

Dates

Smart Sensing School (Online): 5th – 7th & 12th – 14th October 2022
Smart Cities School (Online): 2nd – 4th & 9th – 11th November 2022
Smart City Hackathon (Berlin): 30th November – 2nd December 2022

***The hackathon is mandatory for all participants of the schools and will take place in person in Berlin if possible depending on the evolving COVID-19 situation. ide3a will provide funding for all foreign participants of the hackathon to cover travel and accommodation expenses.***

Credits

After attending both one school and the hackathon students will be awarded 6 ECTS and receive a certificate. Please enquire in advance about the form in which the course can be credited to your degree programme: the best way to do this is to contact your study programme coordinator or examination office.

For TUB students: The following Master study tracks have enlisted the Smart Sensing course as “Wahl-Pflicht-Modul”: Computational Engineering Science, Maschinenbau, Patentingenierwesen, Physikalische Ingenierwissenschaften, Planung und Betrieb im Verkehrswesen. The Smart Cities course is part of the curricula of the Master study tracks Physikalische Ingenierwissenschaften and Planung und Betrieb im Verkehrswesen. All other study tracks the courses can be accredited as “Freie Wahl” or as “Zusatzmodul”.

Registration and further information

If you are interested to join one of these courses, please follow this registration links below. You will find more detailed information on the content of the courses and the registration form. After the end of the registration period we will inform all students whether they have been accepted to the course (mid-September). We are looking forward to all participants!

Registration for Smart Sensing School + Hackathon here.

Registration for Smart Cities School + Hackthon here.

Registration period is from August 22nd to September 13th 2022. It is now closed.

CID-Workshop in Berlin

CID-Workshop in Berlin 2126 1417 ide3a

Between May 17th and 19th around 30 students from PoliMi, NTNU, HPI and TUB met in Berlin for a 3 day workshop. The event was organized as part of the lecture series “Critical Infrastructure & Digitalization (CID)” organized by ide3a.

© Bea Meyer

On Day 1 a workshop on “Simulating Urban Storm Water Systems and Green-Blue Infrastructure” was conducted by ide3a ambassadors Siling Chen, Florian Brokhausen and Dóra Hegyi. The workshop was followed by a campus tour at TU Berlin and a get-together.

The testing of our prototype of the serious game “ConnectiCity” was the start of Day 2. The students played the prototype and gave us helpful feedback on the further development of our game. The Regenwasseragentur Berlin gave the participants of the CID course a three hour tour through the area of Rummelsburg. The area was designed and constructed in the 90s and is a showcase for various green-blue infrastructure measures such as green roofs and bioswales.

© Markus Fischer

A workshop on “Urban Storm Water Systems and Green-Blue Infrastructure” on Thursday concluded the event and all students headed back home. We appriciated the opportunity to hold an in-person event to meet the students while having an otherwise online-course. That way the students from the partner universities can participate in the lecture series without coming to Berlin each week.