Scottish councils take part in IoT pilot to create safer, sustainable communities

Scotrail will have the ability to measure air quality within train stations

Six Scottish local authorities alongside several companies and an education institution are set to participate in an internet of things (IoT) trial which has the potential to transform the experience of people who live within communities across the country.

The “IoT accelerator packs” are being supplied by North, a UK-based IoT service and solutions provider.

Data insights

The packs will provide access to real-time data insights on waste management, air quality, social housing solutions, building health and water monitoring capabilities.

According to North, if used in the right way, they have the potential to transform the ways in which local communities live and work and can deliver a wide range of societal and economic benefits.

With access to the Scottish Government-backed national internet of things network, IoT Scotland, and funded IoT accelerator packs, the organisations involved can investigate and evaluate the power of IoT technology. Scotrail, Blackwood Homes and Care, and Borders College are taking part in the trial alongside the following:

Aberdeen City Council
Angus Council
East Renfrewshire Council
City of Edinburgh Council
Fife Council
Highland Council.

Working closely with each organisation, North determined the services which would most benefit from smart solutions. Comprising of sensors and the back-end services required to deploy the selected pack, the IoT accelerator packs are accompanied with professional services to facilitate the roll-out. The North team will then evaluate and capture feedback, with deployment and support fully funded by the provider.

“These innovative accelerator packs have been designed to help organisations explore internet of things solutions which can deliver sustainable social and economic benefits for local communities”

Fife Council has selected intelligent waste management technology. This will help to reduce its carbon footprint and operational costs using data to monitor smart bins, which align waste collection frequency with demand, significantly reducing costs and emissions.

Scotrail, Edinburgh city, Angus and East Renfrewshire Council will have the ability to measure air quality within train stations, council buildings or across a busy town centre, measuring and reporting on temperature, humidity and pressure, alongside primary air pollutants. Allowing for environmental teams to access and collate measurements in real-time more easily and frequently than traditional manual processes

Similarly, Blackwood Homes and Care will be implementing the use of sensors within its social housing to monitor and improve living environments. This will ensure parameters such as moisture control and ventilation are adequate, providing a healthy living environment for tenants whilst also protecting the fabric of the building.

Borders College will use the technology to monitor levels of CO2 within the working environment across its building. With high levels of CO2 saturation proven to have a detrimental effect on an occupant’s health, affecting productivity, comfort, absence rates and learning retention.

“Digital technologies like IoT help drive forward our economic recovery while reducing business costs and enabling progress towards net-zero emissions”

Aberdeen City Council will implement smart sensors to monitor its water, alongside Highland Council, which has already successfully adopted the smart IoT sensor technology across its schools, care homes, leisure centres and council offices to gather a range of data and insights.

The addition of water monitoring is set to help each of the organisations maximise their water safety, by continuously monitoring and measuring water temperature to identify and reduce the risk of legionella and other bacteria.

“These innovative accelerator packs have been designed to help organisations explore internet of things solutions which can deliver sustainable social and economic benefits for local communities,” said Kate Forbes, cabinet secretary for finance and the economy, Scottish Government.

“Digital technologies like IoT help drive forward our economic recovery while reducing business costs and enabling progress towards net-zero emissions.”

Actionable IoT data

North claims IoT Scotland is the UK’s most advanced IoT network, and it is hoped that through the IoT accelerator packs, local authorities will realise the benefits insightful and actionable IoT data can deliver, driving the adoption of IoT technologies and smart solutions to revolutionise the lives of people throughout Scotland.

Data gathered by these smart solutions will remain the property of the council and all data will be handled in accordance with data protection and GDPR regulations. Councils will have the opportunity to pay to expand and continue the solutions after the initial 12-month period if they so wish.

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Scottish councils take part in IoT pilot to create safer, sustainable communities