Manchester project wins £10m ‘smart city’ technology prize

CityVerve project will demonstrate applications of Internet of Things technologies

A project in Manchester aimed at improving services in the city has been chosen as the winner of a £10 million government-led technology competition.

The CityVerve project, which will be located in the Manchester Corridor, will demonstrate applications of Internet of Things technologies and services in four key areas: healthcare; transport; energy and environment; and culture and community.

The project is made up of a number of elements:

• Management of chronic respiratory conditions: CityVerve will set up a ‘biometric sensor network’ which will help improve responses to patients’ conditions and improve how local healthcare services work.
• Community wellness: a network of sensors positioned in parks, along commuter and school routes will track the progress of individuals and teams competing against each other for physical activity and fun.
• Talkative bus stops: the project will convert ‘flag and pole’ bus stops into safe places with location-based services, sensors/beacons, mobile apps and intelligent digital signage. People will check-in to their bus stop and let bus operators know they are waiting for their service.
• Smart lighting: to reduce car use, alternative forms of transport need to be attractive and safe. Smart lighting, in addition to connected street lighting, will help address this.
• Bike sharing: the project will introduce Internet of Things enabled bikes in a crowd-sourced and maintained, secure bike sharing service. It will also include ‘e-cargo’ bikes to make ‘last-mile’ deliveries on the Corridor.
• Smart air-quality monitoring: street furniture and connectivity infrastructure such as lamp posts and street cabinets will be used to monitor air quality at different heights and locations. Information will be passed to those with health conditions and made generally available to support walking options and routes.

Digital economy minister Ed Vaizey said: "The Project will bring real benefits to people who live and work across Manchester, one of our Northern Powerhouse cities.

"The UK’s tech sector is renowned for its creativity as well as pioneering research and development. The Manchester project will help the UK to be a world leader in the adoption of Internet of Things technologies and inspire others around the world to create smarter cities."

The government-led competition received 22 entries involving  34 cities across the UK. The competition is part of a wider £40 million government investment in the IoT between 2015 and 2018.

A recent report by independent consultants Arup estimates that the global value of the Internet of Things sector will exceed £255 billion a year by 2020.