Our vision
Infrastructure, digital innovation and data are promoted within the city to deliver economic growth and public service reform.
This means enabling the right infrastructure in the city to support our Digital Coventry ambition, including internet connectivity to deliver economic prosperity and improve the lives of residents. Establishing Coventry as a leading Smart City with specific focus on energy, health and transport
industries. Using innovation to deliver better public services, with less money - this includes maximising digital channels including social media to engage hard to reach groups. It also means harnessing the power of data and insight more effectively.
Our journey so far
We are trialling eight solar-powered smart bins in Broadgate Square. These bins have sensors in them which provide alerts when they are full, or reaching capacity and need emptying. The data that the bins provide is accessible through a cloud-based management portal. We also get daily
reports emailed to us with data about the bins. As the bins are powered, they have a compactor in them to allow them to take more waste before they need emptying. The trial has been successful and we are now looking at installing 20 more smart bins within the city.
“Previously we had staff on continuous bin runs throughout the day, now we only need to deploy staff to the bins when they need emptying making us much more efficient.”
Area Manager – Street Cleansing and Grounds
We have started a trial of digital air quality monitoring solutions using Air Sensa technology. Each sensor takes continuous readings of air quality and atmospheric conditions. These readings are then sent to a cloud based software platform where it can be interpreted by a number of apps with features such as pollution - avoiding journey planning. We also hope to be able to share this data with our partners for them to create their own apps and provide further insight from the data. If the trial is successful we will install more sensors across the city.
"It is hoped that live air quality data can link to the Urban Traffic Management Control data to allow real time traffic management changes in line with pollution levels.”
Head of Regulatory Services
We teamed up with Appy Parking and Nwave to trial an innovative new parking app that will help to make finding an on-street parking space in Coventry simple. Appy Parking shows available spaces in real time in order to eliminate the need to trawl the city’s streets looking for a gap. It is being trialled at three locations in the city to show on-street spaces at New Union Street, Warwick Road and St John’s Street.
“It is hoped that not only will the app and sensors make looking for a parking space for all car users a thing of the past, but it will help businesses be more productive and also reduce pollution.”
Transport Innovation Manager
We have developed a 140km state-of-the-art fibre network. Working with our partner CityFibre it is being updated and extended through the Coventry Core initiative to reach more businesses. The network currently connects over 300 key sites throughout the city, including government buildings, schools and hospitals. To make it ready for Coventry’s business community it’s been upgraded and extended to reach more businesses.
“This is a major step forward for Coventry businesses and for the city as a whole. It will give businesses a competitive advantage over their rivals elsewhere and will make the city very attractive in terms of inward investment.”
Advent Communications – Based in Coventry
Case Study â A connected city helping with transport
Over recent years, Coventry has developed a network of connected devices led by our Traffic and Transport teams that help our Urban Traffic Management and Control function in the provision of Intelligent Transport, not only in the city but the wider sub region. There are a number of different device types connected on what is known as a mesh network. They can all talk to each other and provide real-time information back to a central hub.
To date, we have 500 devices connected to this network and they all help in the provision of our traffic lights, totems/signs, CCTV, Variable Message Signs, Automated Number Plate Recognition systems and parking meters.
Our mesh network is a fundamental building block of our aspiration for a Digital Place. We hope to increase the use of the mesh network and be able to innovate more and more with the data and services it provides.
How we will achieve our vision
- Provision of high bandwidth, resilient and reliable internet connectivity across business and residential areas. This will include developing the Coventry Core further - our Gigabit City partnership with CityFibre.
- Provision of high coverage, resilient and reliable mobile telecommunications across the city.
- Traditional highways and building developments are designed with digital in mind.
- Innovation opportunities are actively sought out to maximise the investment made in our digital infrastructure, e.g. developing our mesh network.
- Innovate, taking advantage of the latest technologies available for economic growth, creating an environment that enables others to grow their business.
- Implement digital technologies that are not only green and low carbon in themselves but also enable and support other green and low carbon initiatives, activities and working practices.
- Create a leading digitally rich learning culture with support from the two universities, our many colleges, schools, academies, libraries and educational services.
- Create an environment that attracts leading digital businesses to the city and supports the innovation of start-ups.
- Positioning Coventry as a “living lab” encouraging new innovations and demonstrators.
- Innovation and efficiency will be enabled through leading edge data visualisation and analytic tools.
- Data will be shared between partner organisations where we are licensed to do so to increase process efficiency.
- Where possible, practical and when we are allowed, our data is made open and published.
- Data quality and integrity is built into all service design and working practices.
- Align with existing or define new standards to include public data hubs, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Internet of Things strategy and devices, transport data (traffic flow, parking, public transport) air sensors etc. Learn from and align to Smart City frameworks
and standards - Digital security is reviewed not only at the design stages of a new service but continually through the life cycle of the digital technology.
- Digital security standards, practices and procedures are continually updated in line with industry trends in cyber resilience.