Building the digital city of tomorrow

With the Digital City project, the municipality of Rotterdam is investigating the opportunities and threats of digitisation. Part of the project is the 3D Digital Twin. A digital representation of Rotterdam on which all fixed objects – such as houses, trees and benches – can be seen. This twin of the city is supplemented with data and therefore provides valuable information. Which parking spaces are occupied? How long is a lamppost burning?

To explore what smart applications are possible with this mountain of data, the city of Rotterdam is working together with various parties, including Inholland University of Applied Sciences. Students will be working on the issue for six months. They will devise concepts that make use of the platform. Students have previously devised solutions for agriculture, events and waste. You can read more about the content of these projects here. In the second semester of the school year 2020-2021, students will once again be working on devising innovative solutions.

Share & Care

Team Creative Consultancy came up with the Share & Care concept. Share & Care is a physical second-hand shop that focuses on children from families below the poverty line. The shop offers clothing from thrift shops that have not been able to sell it. Normally, these clothes are sent back to the environmental department, but through this cooperation the clothes get a third chance. Share & Care has an online platform where products are displayed so that potential buyers can first see if there is anything on offer for their children that is still missing in the wardrobe. The tool only offers the possibility to look, buying the clothes is only possible in the website to prevent abuse of the service.

This is where the Digital Twin comes in. Share & Care has developed a tool on the website that enables customers to use an online mannequin to see what a certain garment looks like on their child. The users create an account and can enter the height and clothing size of their head. Based on this data, the system filters the available garments. The Share & Care membership system works like a gamification: by completing transactions or making swaps, the customer saves points that he or she can later convert into discount vouchers. People who have handed in clothing to the shop as a donation also save up for points. In this way, it is hoped that buying and offering second-hand clothing will be encouraged and made more attractive.

The Virtual Tourguide

After brainstorming about circularity, spreading of tourism and the Digital Twin, team Future City soon arrived at the concept: The Virtual Tourguide. The concept enables visitors to discover a number of neighbourhoods outside Rotterdam city centre. The Virtual Tourguide also offers only sustainable means of transport, for example an electric bicycle. The app also collects information on the ‘vistor flows’. Which areas outside the centre are popular?

The Tin Crusher

Team Upcoming Creators came up with the concept of the can crusher. The product, the blikpletter, can be placed next to or next to the current bins in the city centre and at tourist attractions in Rotterdam. The word says it all, with this product you can crush your can manually or automatically and throw it in the corresponding bin. Apart from the fact that this product is a real eye-catcher, it also encourages people to actually do their bit for the environment by throwing their cans in this container. The smart sensors in the container also ensure that it is measured when the can is full. The person responsible for collecting the bin can adjust his route accordingly. This ensures that no unnecessary trips are made to the container and that the ecological footprint is reduced.

Enthusiastic about the various concepts? The Urban Leisure & Tourism Lab Rotterdam will be happy to put you in touch with the various teams of students. Read more about the project The Digital City of Rotterdam municipality here.