CityVerve: H2020 Internet of Things (IoT)

Date2016-2018
LocationManchester, UK
Funding£1,000,000 (InnovateUK)
Principal InvestigatorTom Jefferies
Co-Investigators
Ulysses Sengupta
Liangxiu Han
Bamidele Adebisi
Researchers
Eric Cheung
Jane Anderson
Khaled M. Robie

Summary

The CityVerve Project aims to test better services using the Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The Internet of Things adds sensors and data analysis to urban equipment like streetlamps, vehicles or home heating equipment. These ‘smart’ improvements will help deliver more personal, efficient and flexible products and services.

The collaborative research and development project will draw on expertise from the School of Architecture (Faculty of Art and Design) and the Schools of Computing and Engineering (Faculty of Science and Engineering).MMU has three investigators involved – two from the Manchester School of Art looking at the‘Culture’ strand of the bid and one from the School of Computing exploring ‘Energy’ use cases.

Team

Ulysses Sengupta leads research activity from the faculty of Art and Design and is the head of the Centre for Complexity Planning & Urbanism (CPU) which he runs with Rob Hyde.0

The focus of his research addresses co-evolution between ICT and future urban transformation within Manchester and with a focus on the Manchester Corridor.

Aims and Objectives

The largest single strand of research within MMU focuses on Innovative Digital Tools to Enable Greener Travel.

This research is undertaken by CPU and will include research, development, design, evaluation and publication of a research methodology and custom made digital tool ‘Green Travel Planner’ that aims to encourage more sustainable choices for citizens in day-to-day use and develop an evidence based usage map of Manchester for improved transport planning and policy decisions.

The research will result in a comprehensive review and innovative approach to developing the next generation of travel planning applications, and how these can better focus on user engagement, behavioural change and evidence based planning for sustainable/greener transport choices.

Research, development, design, evaluation and publication of a research methodology and custom made digital tool ‘Green Travel Planner’ to encourage:

  1. More sustainable choices for citizens in day-to-day use.
  2. An evidence based usage map of Manchester for improved public transport planning and policy decisions.

Results: Greener Journey Planning App

Complexity Planning & Urbanism at MMU undertook an intensive research project looking at how new digital technologies could be used to understand and motivate greener travel choices within Greater Manchester as part of the Cityverve project.

Final Result: Green-focused Journey Planning Application

The research involved study of existing journey planners and their specific strengths and weaknesses, as well as data currently available on Manchester’s existing transport networks.

As part of the research, a new journey planner search, compare and evaluate multi-modal route options for journeys from A to B within Greater Manchester enabling us to make a more conscious choice. Do you choose to be greener now that you know how?

Application Development

Occupancy and Emissions Sustainability Matrix

Existing journey planners providing emission estimates typically use distance, estimated travel time and different modes of transpiration as factors. The matrix produced here incorporates multiple additional factors (e.g. travel speed, embodied energy use based on fuel type) in an attempt to accurately estimate emissions per journey.

Image of the generated sustainability matrix, organised by transport type and carbon emissions.
Occupancy and Emissions Sustainability Metric Matrix

This report investigates occupancy/emission metrics for public and private domestic urban transport and develops an emissions/sustainability matrix for the future development of a ‘Green Travel Planning Tool’. The development involved:

  1. Review the current methods of estimating occupancy/emissions for various modes of transportation and to update these for accuracy.
  2. Produce a sustainability/emissions matrix
  3. Compare the metrics developed with results from existing journey planners producing their own estimates.

The outcomes of this study were:

  1. Identification of the latest average emissions for each mode of urban transport (normalised by occupancy)
  2. A list of emissions occupancy estimation proxies and conversion factors where applicable
  3. Identification of measurements and variables required for emissions and occupancy estimates.
  4. A dynamic matrix that can be used to compute emissions results for new journey planners.

Journey Sustainability Analysis

This report contains an analysis of the transport emissions and occupancy for the transport network within Manchester.

The study aims to identify the differences in travel distance, travel time and CO2 emissions per occupant for different journeys in Manchester using methods in emissions estimation described in the report 12.6.2 Occupancy/Emissions Sustainability Metric Matrix.

A GIS model was compiled with the road and the public transport network of Manchester to identify:

  1. Routes with the lowest and highest travel time
  2. Routes with the lowest and highest travel distance and
  3. Routes with the lowest and highest CO2 emission
  4. The difference in A) travel time, B) travel distance and C) CO2 emissions crossing the Manchester District
  5. The difference in A) travel time, B) travel distance and C) CO2 emissions from the Manchester City Centre

The methods of the study are:

  1. Comparison of routes through the Manchester District at a 500m interval across South to North and West to East.
  2. Comparison of CO2 emission and travel time between a private car and public transport for a defined distance (5km) travelling from a given location in Manchester City Centre. E.g. Manchester Central Library.

Analysis of Existing Journey Planning Applications

Towards the development of an novel, emissions-focused journey planner application, analysed are 20 Journey Planner Apps and to identify best practice features.

The apps were evaluated through a series of comparative analysis focusing on functionality, usability and popularity. The result of the study will inform subsequent research and design of innovative digital tools to enable greener travel.

Complexity Planning & Urbanism at MMU undertook an intensive research project looking at how new digital technologies could be used to understand and motivate greener travel choices within Greater Manchester as part of the Cityverve project. 

The research involved study of existing journey planners and their specific strengths and weaknesses, as well as data currently available on Manchester’s existing transport networks.

As part of the research, a new journey planner search, compare and evaluate multi-modal route options for journeys from A to B within Greater Manchester enabling us to make a more conscious choice. Do you choose to be greener now that you know how?
Comparison of Journey Apps

Reports

Occupancy / Emissions Sustainability Metric Matrix
Analysis of Journey Planner Apps and Best Practice Features
Analysis of Journey Planner Apps and Best Practice Features
Innovative Digital Tools to Enable Greener Travel: Final App Development