UKCRIC - CORONA: City Observatory Research platfOrm for iNnovation and Analytics

Completed

Energy Efficiency(Residential and commercial)
Not Energy Related
Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research(Other Supporting Data)
Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research(Environmental, social and economic impacts)

Basic and strategic applied research

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Computer Science and Informatics)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Civil Engineering)
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences)

Not Cross-cutting
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Environmental dimensions)

Mr PM James
Sch of Engineering
Newcastle University

Standard

EPSRC

01 February 2018

30 April 2020

27 months

£1,011,544

Civil eng. & built environment

North East

UKCRIC

Mr PM James, Sch of Engineering, Newcastle University

Dr L Chapman, Sch of Geography, Earth & Env Sciences, University of Birmingham
Professor D Coca, Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield
Dr RJ Dawson, Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University
Dr D Densley Tingley, Civil and Structural Engineering, University of Sheffield
Professor J Evans, Environment, Education and Developmen, University of Manchester
Professor S Glendinning, Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University
Professor J Harris, School of Water, Energy and Environmen, Cranfield University
Dr SR Jude, School of Applied Sciences, Cranfield University
Professor M Mayfield, Civil and Structural Engineering, University of Sheffield
Dr AK Namdeo, Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University
Dr M Pregnolato, Civil Engineering, University of Bristol
Professor CDF Rogers, Infra. Engineering & Management, University of Birmingham
Professor CA Taylor, Civil Engineering, University of Bristol
Dr DO Topping, Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester
Dr T Tryfonas, Civil Engineering, University of Bristol
Professor N Tyler, Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London

The CORONA project will provide the research and technical resource needed to support and unlock the research potential of the UKCRIC investment in Urban Observatories.Cities generate the vast majority of the country's wealth and investment in its infrastructure amounts to billions each year. Cities are complex entities, with dynamic and interacting infrastructure, social and environmental aspects. Research typically focuses on single sectors, and limited timeframes and therefore is unable to understand the interwoven processes and systems.The UKRCIC Observatories equipment grant has provided resource for sensors and observation equipment to be deployed at the whole city-scale to monitor over long timeframes an unprecedented range of variables, systems and processes. CORONA uses advances in 'smart city' technologies and the Internet of Things to enable these Observatories. However, we are not just using this data in a 'smart' way to optimise the operation of city functions (e.g. transport systems), rather using this data to build a long term understanding of the complexity of cities and infrastructure in their short and long term.CORONA will achieve this by developing an understanding of how to apply scientific rigour to observation and learning (as one might expect in a typical laboratory) to measure a city and to start to unpick these patterns to enable decision makers, policy setters, citizens and scientists improve their understanding of how cities operate. Ultimately the research foundations put in place by CORONA and the UKCRIC equipment grants will enable us to collectively, make better decisions on investment and have a clear understanding of the potential impacts of our choices within urban areas.To achieve our long term vision we need a solid foundation in the science of urban sensing, the collection, management and governance of the data and to establish working practices that enable local authorities, utilities, scientists, citizens and policy makers to work together. In CORONA key societal challenges facing our cities will be addressed (Air Quality, Energy, Housing) as a means to understand the practical aspects of urban monitoring and to develop a clearer picture of how this new 'urban sciences and engineering' can enable better decisions to be made that will improve quality of life and benefit the economy.

21/08/19