As reported on 23 May, MK:Smart is at the heart of the Internet of Things (IoT) in Milton Keynes. Today saw the initial project meeting of the consortium of BT, Milton Keynes Council, Neul, Connected Digital Economy Catapult, Future Cities Catapult and The Open University in a Low Power Machine to Machine (LPM2M) communications network demonstration.
Drivers in Milton Keynes may benefit from new parking data © Steve Daniels
BT presented the results so far of their MK:Smart sensor deployment in Milton Keynes. A rich picture of parking habits in specific MK locations can already be evidenced. The BT trial to date is based on the simple sensing of a car entering and leaving a parking space, therefore recording duration of individual stay, frequency of change, and demand for parking in the area. Even with a limited deployment, the data can be analysed to create visualisations of these parking habits that can be used to inform parking providers and car users with valuable information about current availability and predicted availability.
The LPM2M project will take these demonstrations and develop use cases for the expansion of sensor deployment in parking and other scenarios. With a wealth of expertise in sensor developments and data analytics, the consortium will now identify technology partners and service providers to build on the ground demonstrations that push the thinking and deployment of IoT in Milton Keynes.
In addition to plans to deploy sensors in parking and refuse collection, other use cases such as pest control and pedestrian movement are already under discussion. The MK Data Hub will support the innovation environment and provide the data analysis capacity needed to accelerate engagement with developer communities in the IoT domain.