Through the EU project IoT crawler Aarhus works for a better integration of the smart city data. The target is to create a platform that can unify the great amount of data.

The transition from data to actual solutions is regarded as one of the key assets when becoming a smart city. Through the EU project, IoT Crawler, The City of Aarhus investigates how those data can become applicable for new smart city services. A Smart City is among others about developing new intelligent services for the benefit of the citizens and politicians. IoT Crawler supports this development by working on prototypes and demonstrations of the core concepts in a city environment. The results from those tests will be evaluated, so the data become applicable for new smart city solutions.

Connecting real-time data

The City of Aarhus and other Smart Cities in the project offer and develop services to their citizens which are based on a great amount of real-time data. The main challenge they face is that those data are not always applicable for relevant solutions.

One of the biggest problems, regarding the work on real-time data, is that the data come from various sources which makes them difficult to link and unify. At the same time the huge amount of dynamic data sources with updating real-time data is problematic to handle. Earlier the problems were faced by developing simple and specific solutions that were directed towards single challenges. And then the solutions would not cooperate across.

IoT Crawler is an initiative to solve the problems associated with being a Smart City. The ambition is, that in the future it might be easier to connect the great amount of different data.

The structure of the new platform

The purpose of this project is to build bridges between technology and domains. The City of Aarhus aims to develop a scalable, flexible and strong platform which will make it possible:

to visualize data from various data sources

to analyze a large quantity of data

to develop semantic tools which make data readable for a computer

to develop real-time applications to Smart Cities which are based on intelligent recycled components

The research project aims at a paradigm change on both how IoT application can access IoT resources and on how IoT resources will become discoverable; and there by developing a “Google” for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.  

The City of Aarhus must solve existing challenges

To survey the demand of a new data platform The City of Aarhus is carrying an essential role in the project. The City of Aarhus must collect and analyze the sceneries from stakeholders and then contribute with a nuanced view on the demands.

With The City of Aarhus as an important factor within the project, this approach will, expectantly, make the implications of solutions outside the Smart City laboratories possible, because the platforms are formed by actual, existing challenges.

The City of Aarhus is also making real-time data accessible through the Open Data portal.