In our increasingly digitized world, domestic communities are also required to increasingly and efficiently use new technologies and digital tools. In the research project “Smart Communities”, the University of further training Krems and the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems – both located at the Ecoplus Technopol Krems – developed a digital system together with the FOTC St. Pölten and Fotec Research and Technology Transfer GmbH, the research company of the FH Wiener Neustadt – from the Ecoplus Technopolis Wiener Neustadt – the local water management and environmental monitoring in communities should be simplified and improved. The “Smart Communities” project was accompanied and supported by the State of Lower Austria by the Economics, Tourism & Technology Department.
“The digital transformation not only offers enormous opportunities for the economy, but also our municipalities can only benefit from the new possibilities. The best example of the ‘Smart Communities’ project is that a variety of data networked in such a way that it can be used easily and quickly in the municipalities and rural regions,” explains Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner and emphasizes: ” The domestic technopolises – so once more benefits the people in the country. ”
The project worked on a system that uses sensors to automatically record environmental and infrastructure data, for example from drinking water systems, groundwater level, sewage disposal or bathing water and forwarding it to a central location by radio. The employees in the municipalities support meaningful visual presentation and interaction methods in using the generated data as the basis for puncture public services solutions.
But not only the municipalities, but also the research institutions involved, particularly benefited in the area of Internet of Things (IoT) – that is, physical objects that are networked with each other and can exchange data with each other. “The project enabled the UWK to expand its expertise in the efficient IoT sensors, IoT networks and the visualization in the context of the entire value chain for municipalities and companies,” said project manager Thomas Lampoltshammer and Albert Treytl from the University of Krems.
The project team of the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences focused on the integration of sensor data and interactive dashboards (digital interfaces that can indicate data and information dynamically and user -friendly and can also be processed by users). “However, the project is not only an important part of research at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, since it makes complex environmental data accessible through innovative data visualization and thus enables targeted decisions and actions. In addition, it also makes a valuable contribution to realize the E³UDRes² vision of smart & sustainable region in Lower Austria,” explains Franz Fidler, Head of Faculty for Technology and Economy At the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences.
The European University E³UDRes² is an alliance of nine universities and universities of applied sciences from all over Europe, which is led by the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences. E³UDRes² stands for “engaged and entrepreneurial European University as Driver for European Smart and Sustainable region” and promotes the development of small and medium -sized cities and its rural environment for intelligent and sustainable European regions. In addition, the alliance explores how universities could be designed in the future.
In the “Smart Communities” project, the IMC Krems worked on the development and practical application of digital tools, which allows citizens and community workers to develop sensor -based smart services for their own needs even without programming knowledge. “This innovation uses existing data and promotes data-based decisions, which means that the digital participation in Lower Austrian communities can be strengthened sustainably,” explains Gerhard Kormann-Hainzl, technical university professor at the Institut Entrepreneurship.
“The Fotec team brought their expertise in the ‘Internet of Things’, for short, and Low Power Wide Area Network, for short LPWAN, to efficiently network rural communities with smart solutions,” informs Helmut Loibl, Managing Director of Fotec, the part of the Vienna Neustadt research institution.
LPWan enables the connection of devices over large distances with low energy consumption. The analysis (regional) Connectivity providers and the development of innovative use cases support the solution of local challenges.
Building on the “Smart Communities” project, Lower Austria, together with a German partner region, was awarded the contract for a new EU project as part of the “European Data Space for Smart Communities” (DS4SSCC). The aim of the project is to further promote data -based innovations for smart and sustainable communities and to strengthen cross -border cooperation at European level.
“The ‘Smart Communities’ project is a best practice example for the cooperation of innovative research institutions across Lower Austria and for the innovative developments that are made possible,” says Claus Zeppelzauer, Ecoplus authorized representative and head of the company & technology. He explains: “In order to drive this development even further, we have further developed the technopolies, clusters and platforms of Ecoplus to the Lower Austria innovation ecosystem, which is co -financed by the European Union.” Ecoplus operates Technopole in Krems, Tulln, Wieselburg and Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria, which have location -specific priorities, but work closely together in central and large topics and bundle their expertise.
Further information: Ecoplus Economic Agency, Mag. (FH) Markus Steingrandl, phone 02742/9000 196 19, email: m.steinmassl@ecoplus.at.