Presentation of a brain made out of data

Projects and Learnings from the DFKI SmartCity Living Lab

In this session of the ISCN Global Mixer we looked at research from the SmartCity Living Lab of DFKI, the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence, that demonstrates the potential of data-driven urban solutions, highlighting benefits for municipalities and remaining hurdles.

Event details

artificial intelligence data management & data strategies data visualisation
Datetime
07.10.2025, 11:00 - 11:30
Event type
Online (virtual)
Dokumentation

Paragraphs

Key takeaways

  • Participation is essential: Involving stakeholders and end-users early and continuously ensures that solutions are relevant and widely accepted.
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration: Bringing together experts from multiple disciplines –urban planning, technology, social sciences, and the arts – leads to more holistic and innovative solutions.
  • Flexibility and adaptability: Projects must remain responsive to changing needs and contexts to stay effective.
  • Technology as an enabler: Digital tools support – but do not replace – human interaction and social engagement.
  • Sustainability and inclusivity: Long-term ecological, social, and infrastructural sustainability must be integrated from the outset.
  • Importance of data: Data plays a central role in informing decisions, tailoring interventions, and measuring impact. However, ensuring transparency, data privacy, and ethical management is crucial to maintaining trust and effectiveness.

In this session of the ISCN Global Mixer we looked at research from the SmartCity Living Lab of DFKI, the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence. Dr. Martin Memmel demonstrated the potential of data-driven urban solutions, highlighting benefits for municipalities and remaining hurdles.

“Bringing data to life can already make a difference and make things happen”

Three Example-Projects:

  1. ÖkoHaSie 2025 – Urban Participation and Development 

This project focuses on developing localized, climate-related risk assessments for urban areas. Using a matrix-based method, it evaluates various environmental characteristics of neighborhoods – such as surface sealing, slope, or building types – and identifies risks like heat or heavy rainfall.
AI plays a key role by automatically extracting relevant features from cadastral and earth observation data. Additionally, the concept of “climate twins” is used to identify areas that currently face the projected future climate of another region, offering practical insight into adaptation strategies.

  1. Ageing Smart – Technology for an Aging Society 

Aging Smart addresses the challenges posed by the aging baby boomer generation. The project develops a data-driven decision-support system to help municipalities plan age-appropriate infrastructure and services – such as housing, healthcare access, and mobility.
Data from various domains – including geospatial data, environmental indicators, and municipal finances – are integrated into a platform that allows city planners to simulate development scenarios and assess their impacts on accessibility and livability.

  1. Crafting Futures – From Knowledge to Action

Unlike many research projects that focus on generating more data, Crafting Futures emphasizes action. Based on the belief that we already know enough about climate change, the project aims to make this knowledge tangible and actionable through Augmented Reality (AR).
Using mobile devices, citizens can view real-time data about their environment – for example, local air pollution – and simulate interventions, such as planting trees or modifying street layouts. These actions and their outcomes are visualized in AR, helping to bridge the gap between data, perception, and civic participation. The project promotes co-creation and dialogue between citizens and local authorities to foster shared visions for sustainable urban transformation.

This event is part of the ISCN Global Mixer, a series of events organized by the International Smart Cities Network. The presentations cover a wide range of topics related to international smart city approaches and provide exciting insights into urban digitalization worldwide - in just 30 minutes.

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