Intel Collaborative Research Institute
sustainable connected cities
JIALIN D E N G
MA Narrative Environments
PLACEMENT REPORT
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ABOUT ICRI CITIES CODESIGNING SUSTAINABLE CITY EXPERIENCE
DESIGN FOR HUMANS BUILD FOR THE LONG TERM DELIVER ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE
The Intel Collaborative Research Institute for Sustainable Connected Cities (ICRI Cities) ICRI Cities is concerned is concerned with how to enhance the social, economic and environmental well being of cities by advancing compute, communication and social constructs to deliver innovations in system architecture, algorithms and societal participation. Their approach is interdisciplinary, combining methods from computer science, the social sciences, interaction design and architecture to improve how cities are managed and maintained in order to ensure and enhance citizen well-being. There are many fundamental technical, social and urban challenges and opportunities that need to be addressed to accomplish this. This will entail investigating, developing and deploying adaptive technologies that can optimize resource efficiency, and enable new services that support and enhance the quality of life of urban inhabitants and city visitors.
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ABOUT ICRI CITIES CODESIGNING SUSTAINABLE CITY EXPERIENCE
DESIGN FOR HUMANS BUILD FOR THE LONG TERM DELIVER ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE
The Intel Collaborative Research Institute for Sustainable Connected Cities (ICRI Cities) ICRI Cities is concerned is concerned with how to enhance the social, economic and environmental well being of cities by advancing compute, communication and social constructs to deliver innovations in system architecture, algorithms and societal participation. Their approach is interdisciplinary, combining methods from computer science, the social sciences, interaction design and architecture to improve how cities are managed and maintained in order to ensure and enhance citizen well-being. There are many fundamental technical, social and urban challenges and opportunities that need to be addressed to accomplish this. This will entail investigating, developing and deploying adaptive technologies that can optimize resource efficiency, and enable new services that support and enhance the quality of life of urban inhabitants and city visitors.
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PROJECT THEMES The city-wide computer is viewed as a protected yet shared asset; this is beyond today’s notion of cloud computing. Imagine a dynamic technical infrastructure across the city, some parts manage the water network, some belong to transport or the city’s cafes etc. The networks are owner managed and individual. However, what is an accident caused some parts of the city’s management networks to fail? Could we build a cross-city membrane that allows data to be related via internet cafes, or be gathered by transport systems or even by motivated citizens? Can we do this reliably, securely and on demand? Recently there has been a move away from spares highprecision city sensing to embedding highly dense networks to cost effectively monitor city eco systems, which feed data to models in a near-real-time fashion, but from lower quality sensing systems. However, though the cost issues are being resolved to a degree, deployment issues remain. Sensing placement s problematic and political so alternatives to solely fixed deployments are required.
CITY AS A PLATFORM HARNESSING THE INVISIBLE CITY ENABLING CONNECTED COMMUNITIES SUSTAINING SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
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PROJECT THEMES The city-wide computer is viewed as a protected yet shared asset; this is beyond today’s notion of cloud computing. Imagine a dynamic technical infrastructure across the city, some parts manage the water network, some belong to transport or the city’s cafes etc. The networks are owner managed and individual. However, what is an accident caused some parts of the city’s management networks to fail? Could we build a cross-city membrane that allows data to be related via internet cafes, or be gathered by transport systems or even by motivated citizens? Can we do this reliably, securely and on demand? Recently there has been a move away from spares highprecision city sensing to embedding highly dense networks to cost effectively monitor city eco systems, which feed data to models in a near-real-time fashion, but from lower quality sensing systems. However, though the cost issues are being resolved to a degree, deployment issues remain. Sensing placement s problematic and political so alternatives to solely fixed deployments are required.
CITY AS A PLATFORM HARNESSING THE INVISIBLE CITY ENABLING CONNECTED COMMUNITIES SUSTAINING SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
DEVELOP THE RESEARCH ECOSYSTEM SUPPORT CONNECTIVITY AND THE SHAPING OF OUR URBAN ENVIRONMENT
A solution would be to view ‘city sensing’ as a combination of fixed, mobile and soft-sensors (crowd sourced), that come together to provide the sensed information. Data about atmospheric conditions can be monitored but also can other city data. For example, a logistics company travelling the city delivering (e.g. food) will require realtime traffic updates to minimise the delivery time, costs and carbon foot-print. These routes will be calculated on demand from traffic reports (many such companies have their own Sat Navigation systems). They also carry some sensors – what if this array of sensors was extended and the data shared? Instead of requiring many fixed sensing and base-station units, mobility can be exploited. This can be combined with data coming in from sensor augmented phones and other soft-sensing sources. There are the obvious issues of reliability, in terms of how reliable the data is and how reliable the platform is. To this end we need to have metrics that communicate notions that represent data provenance, its source, precision and potential degree of trustworthiness. Further, what guarantees can be made when one interest is relying on another interest’s hardware computing infrastructure when these infrastructures are assumed to be composed from dynamic, low-end, heterogeneous components? Finally, what are the incentivisation schemes that can be used to drive this diverse market of computing services, the interaction and collaboration? Such schemes should not only incentivise companies to share resources, but the public also.
05 3 MOTIVATIONS: -The position of London as a diverse, cosmopolitan and complex city provides the perfect environment for exploring many of the issues facing western ci&es. -The external investments being made in developing London as a centre for research on “future cities” -The presence of two world class academic institutions (UCL and Imperial) and the established creative, design and financial sectors.
DEVELOP THE RESEARCH ECOSYSTEM SUPPORT CONNECTIVITY AND THE SHAPING OF OUR URBAN ENVIRONMENT
A solution would be to view ‘city sensing’ as a combination of fixed, mobile and soft-sensors (crowd sourced), that come together to provide the sensed information. Data about atmospheric conditions can be monitored but also can other city data. For example, a logistics company travelling the city delivering (e.g. food) will require realtime traffic updates to minimise the delivery time, costs and carbon foot-print. These routes will be calculated on demand from traffic reports (many such companies have their own Sat Navigation systems). They also carry some sensors – what if this array of sensors was extended and the data shared? Instead of requiring many fixed sensing and base-station units, mobility can be exploited. This can be combined with data coming in from sensor augmented phones and other soft-sensing sources. There are the obvious issues of reliability, in terms of how reliable the data is and how reliable the platform is. To this end we need to have metrics that communicate notions that represent data provenance, its source, precision and potential degree of trustworthiness. Further, what guarantees can be made when one interest is relying on another interest’s hardware computing infrastructure when these infrastructures are assumed to be composed from dynamic, low-end, heterogeneous components? Finally, what are the incentivisation schemes that can be used to drive this diverse market of computing services, the interaction and collaboration? Such schemes should not only incentivise companies to share resources, but the public also.
05 3 MOTIVATIONS: -The position of London as a diverse, cosmopolitan and complex city provides the perfect environment for exploring many of the issues facing western ci&es. -The external investments being made in developing London as a centre for research on “future cities” -The presence of two world class academic institutions (UCL and Imperial) and the established creative, design and financial sectors.
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PEOPLE The Institute has been set-up under an “Open IP� philosophy to encourage a mix of researchers from industry, academia and government working with citizens in the city. We have a core team of researchers who are funded via ICRI Cities and a broader network of researchers who we work with on other projects that relate to our research agenda. The Intel Collaborative Research Institute is part of a larger Intel University Collaboration network.
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PEOPLE The Institute has been set-up under an “Open IP� philosophy to encourage a mix of researchers from industry, academia and government working with citizens in the city. We have a core team of researchers who are funded via ICRI Cities and a broader network of researchers who we work with on other projects that relate to our research agenda. The Intel Collaborative Research Institute is part of a larger Intel University Collaboration network.
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WORKING DIRY
MY MISSIONS: - Exterior Design for Air Quality Boxes - VI Design and Curating for Intel ICRI Exhibition Marquee, TechMixMag Summer Festival - Visual Design for London Living Lab - Sensing London project - Visual Design for ICRI CITIES Annual Review 2014
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WORKING DIRY
MY MISSIONS: - Exterior Design for Air Quality Boxes - VI Design and Curating for Intel ICRI Exhibition Marquee, TechMixMag Summer Festival - Visual Design for London Living Lab - Sensing London project - Visual Design for ICRI CITIES Annual Review 2014
11 JUNE - SEPTEMBER:
Exterior Design for Air Quality Boxes AIR QUALITY BOXES The AIR QUALITY BOXES measures SO2, NO2, VOCs, CO and NO. In includes five sensing units by ScienceScope and an Intel Galileo board. The sensed data is gathered by the Intel Galileo board and sent online. The data is stored in a live portal (Xively) and can be accessed on: http://www.iotschool.org/explore/
11 JUNE - SEPTEMBER:
Exterior Design for Air Quality Boxes AIR QUALITY BOXES The AIR QUALITY BOXES measures SO2, NO2, VOCs, CO and NO. In includes five sensing units by ScienceScope and an Intel Galileo board. The sensed data is gathered by the Intel Galileo board and sent online. The data is stored in a live portal (Xively) and can be accessed on: http://www.iotschool.org/explore/
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JUNE - JULY:
Tech MixMag Digital Summer Festival Digital Summer Trip returns to Tech City this July over three days, and three new digital sites! (3rd - 4th - 5th July) There are the world’s leading digital and media companies, producers and programmers to share their tech secrets and host hands-on digital workshops, from app design to video production, games design to digital marketing – to programming a Raspberry Pi and much more! The festival environment focuses on digital skills and routes to work: apprenticeships, to IT roles in the armed forces, starting company to further study.
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JUNE - JULY:
Tech MixMag Digital Summer Festival Digital Summer Trip returns to Tech City this July over three days, and three new digital sites! (3rd - 4th - 5th July) There are the world’s leading digital and media companies, producers and programmers to share their tech secrets and host hands-on digital workshops, from app design to video production, games design to digital marketing – to programming a Raspberry Pi and much more! The festival environment focuses on digital skills and routes to work: apprenticeships, to IT roles in the armed forces, starting company to further study.
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AUGUEST - OCTOBER:
LONDON LIVING LAB SENSING LONDON To inform and inspire around Sensing London and how to design the experiences (technology, services etc) how sensing + urban data can be used to support cities and its citizens through new city experiences for sustainable and connected living – starting with grounding in terms of what we have learned in the past year about the present day realities. Looking concretely at what we have learned around present needs/perceptions of air quality, suggest key thematic areas for design for considering the wider potential of sensing in cities and create representative design examples.
AUGUEST - OCTOBER:
LONDON LIVING LAB SENSING LONDON To inform and inspire around Sensing London and how to design the experiences (technology, services etc) how sensing + urban data can be used to support cities and its citizens through new city experiences for sustainable and connected living – starting with grounding in terms of what we have learned in the past year about the present day realities. Looking concretely at what we have learned around present needs/perceptions of air quality, suggest key thematic areas for design for considering the wider potential of sensing in cities and create representative design examples.
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SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER:
Visual Design for ICRI CITIES Annual Review 2014
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER:
Visual Design for ICRI CITIES Annual Review 2014
CRITICAL SELF APPRAISAL
GRAPHIC DESIGN AND SOFTWARE
SKILLS I HAVE LEARNT:
EXPERTISE FROM A NEW FIELD
The placement reaffirms the importance of graphic design crafts to me. These graphic design crafts include lay-out, typography and socio-cultural sensitivity. Most of my colleagues were not trained traditionally in graphic design, which is able to play a huge role in the field of archive and information design.
Most of the people I have worked with are Computer Engineers, Social Scientists, and technology experts who I have not ever worked with, it is a brand new area for me, so it is a very good oppotunity for me to learn from them about the unknown.
COMMUNICATION I was a kind of person who doesn't talk much, but at ICRI, sometimes I have to push myself to talk with people, for example, in order to collect infomation for the Anuual Review, I have to go and visit the staff at different places, I have to make email them to make appointments and prepare the questions, I have to communicate with the people I have never seen before. Sometimes I felt very frustrated as I often don't understand what they were talking about because I barely know the things they do. So I need to ask more and talk more, it made me to practise more and become more confident.
ORGANISATION
This likes a skill of self megagement, I had to have a very clear schedule every week, such as keep a diry everyday, make a working timetable to make sure thing running well, arrange a meeting with my boss, etc. It made me to have a very concious awareness of self organisation in my further study and work.
CRITICAL SELF APPRAISAL
GRAPHIC DESIGN AND SOFTWARE
SKILLS I HAVE LEARNT:
EXPERTISE FROM A NEW FIELD
The placement reaffirms the importance of graphic design crafts to me. These graphic design crafts include lay-out, typography and socio-cultural sensitivity. Most of my colleagues were not trained traditionally in graphic design, which is able to play a huge role in the field of archive and information design.
Most of the people I have worked with are Computer Engineers, Social Scientists, and technology experts who I have not ever worked with, it is a brand new area for me, so it is a very good oppotunity for me to learn from them about the unknown.
COMMUNICATION I was a kind of person who doesn't talk much, but at ICRI, sometimes I have to push myself to talk with people, for example, in order to collect infomation for the Anuual Review, I have to go and visit the staff at different places, I have to make email them to make appointments and prepare the questions, I have to communicate with the people I have never seen before. Sometimes I felt very frustrated as I often don't understand what they were talking about because I barely know the things they do. So I need to ask more and talk more, it made me to practise more and become more confident.
ORGANISATION
This likes a skill of self megagement, I had to have a very clear schedule every week, such as keep a diry everyday, make a working timetable to make sure thing running well, arrange a meeting with my boss, etc. It made me to have a very concious awareness of self organisation in my further study and work.
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FRUSTRATIONS:
COMPROMISES AND REPETITION It is very difficult to work with people have non design background, people have so different feelings and interests, often, it's hard to have a consistant idea, so as the only designer in the office, I have to learn to how to compromise to fit others taste. And it is terrable to repetitively modify my design, sometimes I cannot even recognise my design in the end. However, I also learnt how to insist and convince others, althougt it doesn't work sometimes.
CONCLUSION:
As I gradually get to understand what people are doing at the ICRI, I became so obsessed with computing, technology, big data, internet, UI/UX and so on. I have been always thinking the relationship between design, science and technology, this placement was a very good oppotunity for me to get further understanding about it, and I think to it somehow refreshed the way that I used to think. It opened another window for me to explore my capability and potential. I think it is a very precious experience and social practice in my life.
MA Narrative Environments Spatial Practices
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FRUSTRATIONS:
COMPROMISES AND REPETITION It is very difficult to work with people have non design background, people have so different feelings and interests, often, it's hard to have a consistant idea, so as the only designer in the office, I have to learn to how to compromise to fit others taste. And it is terrable to repetitively modify my design, sometimes I cannot even recognise my design in the end. However, I also learnt how to insist and convince others, althougt it doesn't work sometimes.
CONCLUSION:
As I gradually get to understand what people are doing at the ICRI, I became so obsessed with computing, technology, big data, internet, UI/UX and so on. I have been always thinking the relationship between design, science and technology, this placement was a very good oppotunity for me to get further understanding about it, and I think to it somehow refreshed the way that I used to think. It opened another window for me to explore my capability and potential. I think it is a very precious experience and social practice in my life.
MA Narrative Environments Spatial Practices