Unit information: Systems and Technologies for Smart Cities 2 in 2015/16

Unit name	Systems and Technologies for Smart Cities 2
Unit code	CENG25300
Credit points	10
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. Theo Tryfonas
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Civil Engineering
Faculty	Faculty of Engineering

Description including Unit Aims

The aims of this unit are for the students to:

• Develop an appreciation for the variety of information technologies that facilitate the delivery of integrated infrastructure;
• Be kept informed of and get exposure to the latest developments with respect to significant Information Technology (IT) developments in the field of Civil Engineering;
• Further develop familiarity with programming languages and the use of computer applications.

The unit will explore issues of IT within the infrastructure sector and more specifically how technologies such as sensor networks, smart meters, data fusion, information modelling, neural networks, 3D modelling etc. are used to deliver integrated services such as smart transport, sustainable planning, structural health monitoring, intelligent buildings, stakeholder engagement platforms etc.

The unit contents will cover at a broad level the following topics: wireless sensor networks and their applications, smart metering, radio-frequency identification applications, building information modelling, neural computation and artificial neural networks modelling, knowledge representation and management, 3D modelling and CAD with integrated simulation, use of new media for stakeholder engagement etc.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit the students will:

• Develop an appreciation for and have a basic understanding of a variety of information technologies that facilitate the delivery of integrated infrastructure, incl. wireless sensor networks, radio frequency identification, artificial neural networks, building information modelling, computer aided engineering etc.;
• Be able to analyse and specify the informational needs of civil engineering projects;
• Be able to define at system level information architectures that meet the needs of the delivery of integrated infrastructure.

Teaching Information

Lectures (14 hrs), invited talks and/or seminars (4 hrs), demos and/or computer classes (4 hrs).

Assessment Information

The unit will be assessed via a combination of individual (40%) and group coursework (60%), involving two discrete but interconnected elements, as per the following: a critical analysis of contemporary topics in smart cities (ULO 1&2), urban app design and/or prototyping including requirements capture, data analysis and visualisation (ULO 2&3).

Reading and References

Townsend, A (2013), Smart Cities: Big Data, Civic Hackers, and the Quest for a New Utopia, W. W. Norton & Company (CORE)

Various authors (2014), DESIGNING THE URBAN FUTURE: Smart Cities, Letters to the Editor, Scientific American

Foth, M. (Ed.) (2009). Handbook of Research on Urban Informatics: The Practice and Promise of the Real-Time City. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, IGI Global.

Kymmell, W. (2008). Building Information Modeling: Planning and Managing Construction Projects with 4D CAD and Simulations. McGraw-Hill Construction Series.

(plus a selection of key research articles from journals such as Building Research & Information, Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems, ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering etc.)