by the guest editors German Castignani (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology) and Georgios Mylonas (Industrial Systems Institute, Athena Research Center)

In recent years, urban environments worldwide have focused on sustainability to tackle rapid urbanisation, climate change, and resource constraints. This ERCIM News special theme “Sustainable Cities” highlights recent research and technological advancements in computer science, data science, AI/ML, and digital twins that drive this transformation through European research projects.

by Soteris Constantinou (University of Cyprus), Constantinos Costa (Rinnoco LTD), and Demetrios Zeinalipour-Yazti (University of Cyprus)

The EcoCharge framework, developed at the University of Cyprus, allows eco-friendly electric vehicle charging by utilising an intelligent algorithm to connect drivers with the most environmentally sustainable chargers. This innovative approach enhances the use of renewable energy, minimises CO₂ emissions, and optimises charging through a user-friendly mobile GIS application.

by Davide Basile, Maurice ter Beek and Alessio Ferrari (CNR–ISTI)

Researchers from the Formal Methods and Tools (FMT) lab of CNR–ISTI work on the increase of capacity and digitisation of railway transport. The research is conducted in the context of the NextGenerationEU-funded project on “Railway Transportation” (Spoke 4), which is part of the National Centre for Sustainable Mobility (MOST).

by Christian Cintrano, Gabriel Luque, and Jamal Toutouh (University of Málaga)

Exploring the fusion of advanced technology and urban planning, the HUMOVE project is pioneering diverse smart mobility solutions, each designed with a human-centred approach. From enhancing pedestrian pathways to optimising e-scooter and electric vehicle infrastructures, discover how these case studies are actively redefining sustainable urban transport for a variety of city residents.

by Noé Marius, Patrick Gratz, Laurence Johannsen, and German Castignani (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology)

The deployment of electromobility in urban areas is crucial for sustainable development. Local Digital Twins (LDTs) are especially relevant to monitor, predict and simulate the potential of electromobility as well as process renewable energy scenarios to support the development of smart, sustainable and ultimately net-zero cities.

by Dominik Puecker, Thomas Weyse (University of Applied Sciences Burgenland), and Igor Ivkić (University of Applied Sciences Burgenland and Lancaster University)

The energy sector is essential for economic development, and the liberalisation of the electricity market has made energy pricing dynamic, influenced by supply and demand. Accurate energy price forecasting is crucial for supply planning and investment decisions, offering security and risk minimization for producers and traders. We propose a cloud-based AI prototype that predicts energy prices using historical data. It details our method for assessing model accuracy by comparing actual to predicted prices, demonstrating how cloud technology can streamline data-intensive tasks in energy forecasting.

by Christoph Klikovits (Forschung Burgenland GmbH) and Silke Palkovits-Rauter (Fachhochschule Burgenland)

A data intermediary plays a crucial role by ensuring compliance with data exchange rules, facilitating a fair and secure flow of data between various partners. This mediation enhances transparency, resolves conflicts, and fosters trust, enabling compliant data sharing and collaboration within a data ecosystem. In the context of smart cities, this is particularly important as it ensures that the massive amounts of data generated by urban systems (including energy data such as smart meter data) are handled responsibly to support sustainable urban development and innovative public services.

by Donatos Stavropoulos (University of Thessaly), Panagiotis Tzimotoudis (University of Thessaly), and Thanasis Korakis (University of Thessaly)

This article explores how integrating Internet of Things (IoT) and smart grid technologies in residential settings can significantly enhance energy efficiency and management, balancing energy demand and supply to create sustainable urban living environments.

by Luigi Briguglio, Tetiana Vasylieva, and Carmela Occhipinti (CyberEthics Lab.)

The establishment of an ethics and regulatory governance framework during the whole development lifecycle ensures the embedding of values and rules, setting the stage for a transformative journey towards sustainable energy practices.

by Pavel Kogut (Digital Resilience Institute), Eva Schmitz (Data Competence Center for Cities and Regions), and Arne Schilling (Virtual City Systems) 

Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) are a key building block in the future energy paradigm for carbon-neutral cities and communities. With digital twin technology, urban stakeholders can take advantage of smart planning and control measures to optimise PED development. A new PED-oriented digital twin that covers more domains than just energy is currently being created for Aarhus to fast-track its balanced transition to net zero.

by Philipp Lämmel (Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems FOKUS), Stephan Borgert, Lisa Brunzel, ([ui!] Urban Software Institute GmbH), and Paul Darius (Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems FOKUS)

Digital transformation, innovations and increasing data collection in the field of administration and urban development are opening up more and more opportunities to incorporate urban data into key decision-making processes for our society. This dynamic decision-making basis influences the response of security and administrative authorities, which can lead to increased vulnerability to external attacks. The KIVEP project demonstrates how AI-based anomaly detection can be used in Internet of Things (IoT) networks to identify potential threats.

by Janick Edinger (University of Hamburg)

The Follow-The-Sun-Computing project aims to leverage surplus solar energy generated by households for distributed computing tasks, aligning sustainable energy with digital transformation. By shifting computationally intensive tasks to locations with excess solar power, the project creates a decentralised system that bypasses energy distribution challenges and reduces CO₂ emissions. This approach establishes a new market for computing power, utilising existing household infrastructure to achieve significant energy savings and environmental benefits.

by Giuseppe Riccardo Leone, Andrea Carboni, Davide Moroni, and Sara Colantonio (CNR-ISTI)

In the framework of the FAITH project, an AI-powered large-scale pilot is being organised to showcase the opportunities offered by advancements in edge computing and computer vision. The goal is to provide innovative ways to ensure safer and more sustainable public transport, encouraging modal shifts. Challenges in deploying responsible and trustworthy AI-based services will be addressed by assessing regulatory aspects and fostering co-design with end users and all the other stakeholders involved.

by Eleni Troulaki and Michail Maniadakis (FORTH-ICS)

The RECLAIM project, funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, seeks to develop innovative solutions in the waste management industry, targeting regions where access to material recovery facilities is less sustainable. By integrating cutting-edge AI, data, and robotic technologies, the project introduces the first portable and robotic Material Recovery Facility (prMRF) enabling the decentralised treatment of recyclable waste.

by Lorena Volpini, Carmela Occhipinti (CyberEthics Lab)

Imagine a busy city powered by cutting-edge technology driven by sustainability. But what if the focus on technology overlooks the human element? Technological advancements offer exciting possibilities for creating sustainable and efficient smart cities. However, focusing solely on technical solutions can overlook a crucial element: the human factor. Cybersecurity projects, essential for protecting these advancements, often prioritise technical-first approaches. This can create a blind spot, neglecting how society might perceive and react to these innovations. The Horizon 2020 project “IRIS – artificial Intelligence threat Reporting and Incident response System” [L1] recognises this challenge. It emphasises that robust cybersecurity goes beyond information security. It’s also about building trust and fostering social acceptance for these technologies within smart cities.

by Simone Gallo, Sara Maenza, Andrea Mattioli, and Fabio Paternò (CNR–ISTI)

We present an approach to supporting human control in green smart homes. The approach is based on a set of tools for allowing end users to create automations through innovative interaction modalities, execute them, and receive relevant explanations about the resulting behaviours and their relevance for the user goals, in particular those that are connected to sustainability principles.

by Lou Schwartz, Valérie Maquil, and Mohamed Saifeddine Hadj Sassi (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology)

The climate crisis demands the design of IT tools that address environmental concerns. But how to achieve this? We deployed three different approaches to find answers, identifying key challenges for future research in human-computer interaction.

by Rasha Abu Qasem (Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering IESE) and Nils Hausbrandt (Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University of Kaiserslautern-Landau)

Decision Support Systems (DSS) have been used for several city planning activities. In this article, we show how DSS can also be used to emphasise inclusiveness in smart city design by assuring the accessibility of services to all citizens, especially vulnerable ones.

by Gul Sher Ali and Sobah Abbas Petersen (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway)

Early-stage doctoral students are often vulnerable to feelings of isolation. This research explored the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for enhancing social sustainability. The findings of a case study demonstrated how technology-based social infrastructures within academic communal spaces could mitigate isolation among students by fostering community engagement. The research is done as part of the SWELL project (at NTNU, Norway) which aims for sustainable health and wellbeing in the built environments through innovative solutions.

by Jason Sioutis (ICCS), Anna Antonakopoulou, Vasileios Sourlas and Angelos Amditis (ICCS)

Discover how the ELABORATOR project [L1] is transforming urban mobility across Europe with sustainable, inclusive, and innovative solutions. Supported by Horizon Europe, this initiative unites cities, researchers, and industry leaders to develop efficient transportation networks and climate-neutral urban environments. Learn more about their groundbreaking work and future plans to revolutionise urban living.

by Chiara Mannari, Alessio Ferrari, and Manlio Bacco (CNR-ISTI)

The adoption of digital technologies in rural areas holds promising potential in terms of economic, productive and environmental benefits, in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, digitalisation is a socio-technical process presenting challenges at multiple levels. Socio-technical process modelling supports interdisciplinary teams in the early evaluation of the impacts of digitalisation in real contexts by performing representations of business processes transformed after the introduction of digital solutions.

by Paolo Nesi, Pierfrancesco Bellini and Marco Fanfani (UNIFI, DINFO, DISIT lab, Snap4City)

Snap4City is a digital twin platform for decision makers to operate and plan city activities, using contextual and historical data to support planning and generate problem-solving suggestions. The platform integrates ML/AI analytics, providing seamless suggestions and XAI annotations for decision makers. Recently, interactive 3D digital twin models have been provided for real-time simulation of changes and their effects on KPIs like decongestion and emissions.

by Stefano Bilotta, Enrico Collini, Luciano Alessandro Ipsaro Palesi, Paolo Nesi (UNIFI, DINFO, DISIT lab)

Snap4City is a platform enabling decision-makers to efficiently plan and manage city operations. This article is emphasizing CO₂ emission reductions through traffic flow optimization.

by Nicola Mitolo (SNAP4 S.R.L.), Stefan Mutschlechner (ASM Merano), and Paolo Nesi (DISIT Lab, DINFO Dept, Univ. of Florence)

This article explores how the Merano Municipal Services Company (ASM Merano), with the support of SNAP4, is leveraging the Snap4City platform to revolutionise public lighting management. By implementing smart, adaptive lighting systems based on real-time traffic conditions, they aim to enhance energy efficiency, improve road safety, and accelerate the city's transition to a sustainable future. Discover how this innovative approach is setting new standards for smart city operations and sustainability.

by László Tizedes, András Máté Szabó, and Anita Keszler (HUN-REN SZTAKI)

Automated road defect detection is a key component in the development and maintenance of smart cities, leading to safer, more efficient and sustainable urban environments. An artificial intelligence-based system capable of detecting potholes, speed bumps and manhole covers, among other road hazards, was developed as a result of the cooperation between D3 Seeron startup company and HUN-REN SZTAKI, and was supported by ESA Spark Funding. The proposed system combines the low computational demands of vision-based object detection with the precise distance measurement of LiDAR technology.

by Jean-Paul Calbimonte and Davide Calvaresi (HES-SO)

In the frame of the EU funded SmartEdge project, we introduce a novel physiotherapy solution, moving beyond traditional methods and subjective assessments. Our innovative approach ensures precise evaluation and timely feedback, transforming the way pain, muscular resistance, and treatment progress are monitored.

Budapest, 14-15 October 2024

ERCIM, SZTAKI, and the French CCNE-numérique are organising the third edition of the Forum Beyond Compiance on 14-15 October 2024 in Budapest. The program will consist of invited presentations, invited contributions to round tables, a tutorial session, and selected contributions. 

18 September 2024, Dubrovnik, Croatia

As part of the SmartEdge & AIoTwin Summer School, the “Edge AI meets Swarm Intelligence” technical workshop is held on 18 September 2024.

Edge AI represents a novel computing paradigm designed to facilitate local data storage and processing, with AI algorithms enabling data treatment directly at the edge of the network. This approach aims to bring intelligence to the end-devices, facilitating real-time decision-making and empowering devices to operate autonomously, reducing reliance on external cloud services.

16-20 September 2024, Dubrovnik, Croatia

The SmartEdge project is happy to announce a Summer School in collaboration with the EU funded AIoTwin project, scheduled from 16-20 September 2024.

Co-located with Formal Methods (FM) 2024 in Milan, 9-11 September 2024

The Formal Methods for Industrial Critical Systems (FMICS) conference series offers a platform for researchers and practitioners focused on the development and application of formal methods in industry. FMICS brngs together scientists and engineers to share their experiences in industrial applications of formal methods. Additionally, the conference promotes research and development to enhance formal methods and tools for industrial use.

Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik is accepting proposals for scientific seminars/workshops in all areas of computer science, in particular also in connection with other fields.