Areas of action
Our action areas are fed by the lighthouse topics of economy & technology, mobility & environment and digital services & society. These are topics that we particularly focus on because they address urgent social issues.
URBAN DATA PLATFORM
The data platform went online in February 2021. It is used to collect, process, network, analyze and visualize various data from everyday urban life.
The goal is to support and accelerate necessary urban decision-making and planning processes through the availability and evaluation of networked data. The data is non-personal data, such as measurements from sensor networks. Sensors are currently being used to record traffic data and air quality, among other things. The quality of life and living in Darmstadt is to be further developed by networking the measured values, also with other data on everyday urban life (people moving in and out, vehicle registrations, etc.).
The citizens of Darmstadt were asked what information they would like to see on the data platform and why. Many ideas have already been submitted and discussed for this purpose. Also in the future, everyone is invited to participate in the further design of the data platform.
SMART WATER
Water concerns us all – whether it’s too much, too little or too dirty. The way we use and manage water will determine whether we win the race against climate change and preserve our natural areas and habitats.
The Smart Water project means that we are building climate-resilient structures with the help of digital and smart applications. Against the backdrop of increasing droughts and heavy rainfall events, the focus is on the topic of “water in the city”.
The goal is to better adapt urban water management to climate change. Darmstadt is to become a “sponge city” by soaking up water like a sponge during heavy rains and using the stored precipitation to alleviate dry periods. In this way, it can become a climate-friendly city. The project aims to be holistic, collaborative and socially responsible and is intended to serve as a blueprint for other cities.
SMART CITY LABORATORY
The City Lab pursues the vision of enabling more people to benefit from the advantages of digitization. To make everyday life in Darmstadt even more livable, we are developing services and projects that enable citizens to find out about digitization, try out technologies, acquire digital skills, and participate in future projects.
Online and offline, the Digital City Lab offers spaces and formats for digitization: for experiencing and trying out, for joint reflection, networking and co-creation. In this way, people can experience live in the city lab how digitization is changing our world. They can playfully try out new technologies and expand their knowledge.
What’s special about it? The co-creative process behind it: an innovative group comprising city residents and specialists contributes a wide range of skills from education, science, culture, business and society to the development and programme work of the Smart City Laboratory. This results in many exciting and innovative new projects.
SMART MEDICINE COMPETENCE CENTRE
Smart City Darmstadt is the sponsor of the Smart Medicine Competence Centre. The centre is an interdisciplinary cooperation with various faculties of the Technical University of Darmstadt, non-university research institutions and local companies. It serves to exchange views internally in order to inspire ideas and visions.
The content of these projects varies: for example, we are working on solutions that allow urgent laboratory samples to be transported from one destination to another using drones instead of vehicles.
Communication between clinics should also be simplified by using the spectrum of digital possibilities. Modern technology offers great potential: Augmented reality (AR) can be used to train life-threatening interventions and support operations. The development of these and many other concepts serves to improve patient care.
