Building a smart city – from the ground up

Ten years on from the Canterbury earthquakes, Christchurch is forging a new cityscape as a smart city of opportunity.

In Christchurch, we are exploring new technology and approaches to help make our city a smarter, safer place in which to live, work and play.

By using sensors and smart technologies we can now access real-time data on all sorts of things that allow us to better understand how our city is functioning.

That understanding supports our planning and decision-making. It helps us to identify and create business opportunities and cement Christchurch’s place as a sustainable 21st century city.

In recent years, we have worked collaboratively with several private and public sector entities to champion technological advances that make our city safer and more connected.

We have developed a Christchurch-specific web app, SmartView, which is becoming an essential digital destination for city residents and visitors alike.

The app provides access to a range of real-time information about the city – from where to find local mountain bike tracks and check that they are open, to the number of spaces available in car park buildings or the nearest bus stop and the time of the next arrival.

Users can also check air quality, how best to get places, get weather updates or find out what is happening in the city or discover street art, among the many options.

In-built disaster response and resilience

Smart Christchurch’s earthquake response network, EQRNet, is centre stage in the fields of disaster response and emergency management, making the city a better, safer and more resilient place.

The dense network of seismic sensors spaced across Christchurch measures earthquake intensity and delivers immediate information on the likely building and infrastructure response.

Smart Christchurch has installed the urban network of seismic sensors to boost the city’s earthquake resilience, with 150 sensors at critical infrastructure points across the city.

Developed in partnership with Canterbury Seismic Instruments, EQRNet instantly compares localised shaking to every building’s design and the New Zealand Building Code limits.

The network then provides information to building and infrastructure managers, emergency teams and the public, enabling a rapid response to an earthquake.

EQRNet gives first responders the real-time, relevant information they need to prioritise their actions and keep people safe.

It also provides valuable data on ground movement to engineers, research organisations and authorities to help understand and enhance the resilience of buildings and infrastructure.

Map and track graffiti

Graffiti across Christchurch is being “mapped and tracked” using innovative technology to help identify offenders and cut costs to ratepayers.

The direct cost to the City Council of graffiti clean-up work is close to $1 million annually. However, this does not include costs incurred by property owners, such as utility companies.

The Smart Christchurch Graffiti Recognition trial tracks graffiti activity using data from the public and contractors to help curb building damage and identify repeat offenders to Police.

It also helps to identify repeatedly targeted sites.

The technology analyses photographs of graffiti to map offending, with most reports of graffiti vandalism coming via the Council’s Snap Send Solve smartphone app.

By capturing key data to identify repeat offenders, a city can cut the huge clean-up cost, negative impact on neighbourhoods and damage to buildings and property.

The technology uses a machine learning and algorithmic identification technique, and then matches graffiti images that show key similarities.

We are currently trialling the technology for 12 months, with the early results looking positive.

Making connections

Each year we host an annual innovation showcase that makes better connections to a smarter city.

As technology evolves, a city must be in a position to take advantage and that advantage and advancement lies in the innovation developed in the gaps between industries and sectors such as design, engineering, education, and government.

Our Innovation Expo opens the doors to the connections that can bridge those gaps.

A smart city strives to strengthen all connections with local technologyfocused businesses and organisations and encourages the technological skills of younger generations.

A smart city also recognises that a range of youth-centred activities – such as e-sports and open-tech opportunities – teach many skills, including communication, teamwork and greater mental agility and adaptability, along with stronger analysis abilities.

For any smart city, connection, collaboration and communication are the keys to empowering people to build a sustainable, supportive and successful economy.

Solar power lays waste to rubbish

A built-in solar cell-powered compactor means that Christchurch’s Bigbelly bins can swallow up to five times more rubbish than a standard waste bin. The bins utilise smart sensors that detect rubbish levels and alert maintenance contractors when nearing capacity so that the bins can be emptied on demand.

The smart bins prevent rubbish overflows – ensuring well-maintained public spaces – and optimise the waste collection service.

Gearing up to maximise EV charging

Smart Christchurch’s innovative new parking occupancy sensors – installed at EV-charging parking sites – will allow drivers to check the availability of public chargers.

The sensor data will also reveal if drivers are using these spaces for longer than allowed or any need for more spaces to meet demand as people opt for electric vehicles.

Interactive map bears fruit

An online food map – accessible via SmartView – reveals where people can find free fruit and nuts growing in public spaces in Christchurch and across Banks Peninsula.

Nearly 7,000 Council-owned trees that produce fruit or nuts feature on our Smart Christchurch map, pointing urban food foragers to the right locations.

Michael Healy, Programme Manager, Smart Christchurch