Some 3,000 representatives from business, the public sector and research will meet at the URBAN FUTURE Global Conference in Vienna from 28 February to 2 March 2018.
Vienna (AIT). According to UN forecasts, around 70 percent of the world's population will live in cities by 2030. The challenges of sustainable energy supply, urban planning and mobility for urban regions and metropolitan areas are huge. Cities in Asia and Africa are growing particularly quickly, but Europe, too, must manage the increasing concentration of urban spaces. AIT is positioning itself as a strong partner to business and the public sector in this field to develop solutions for tomorrow's smart and resilient cities.
The URBAN FUTURE Global Conference being held in Vienna from 28 February to 2 March is one of the world's largest meetings of city changers. With 400 participating cities, 200 speakers and more than 50 discussions and working forums, the conference will examine current challenges facing the cities of the future, and present best practice examples.
Innovative mobility solutions
Mobility is a key driver for the smart city of tomorrow. AIT has developed a broad spectrum of tools to create sustainable, affordable and efficient mobility systems for tomorrow's cities. "One vital aspect here is to record, analyse and simulate human mobility behaviour. We also need to assess and evaluate the effect of planned measures on individual infrastructures or the entire transport system," explains mobility expert Arno Klamminger, Head of Center for Mobility Systems.
Smartphone app as future e-ticketing solution
"Our software tools SIMULATE, EXPERIENCE, PLAN, MODE, SMART SURVEY and IMPACT help to answer these questions and support transport planning and policy decision-making," says Klamminger.
For example, the experts at AIT use smartphones to automatically record the routes people take and their means of transport. This data can then be used for quick and simple mobility surveys, automatically calculating travel times, and especially for innovative Be-In/Be-Out ticketing systems.
Megacities in the spotlight
Cities with populations in the tens of millions are (still) predominantly located in Asia and Africa. However, increasing rural depopulation is also facing cities in Europe with major challenges including energy supply and environmental protection, i.e. decarbonisation. The constructive role private and public stakeholders can play will be discussed by AIT scientists together with international experts on a panel which will examine the roles of the public and private sectors in developing smart cities in Europe, the Mediterranean region and the Middle East.
Urban know-how from planning to implementation
Modelling and simulating urban development and infrastructure are used to analyse city growth patterns to determine future infrastructure investment needs and to estimate costs. One such method is to use artificial intelligence for rapid prototyping, allowing complex development scenarios for cities or new districts to be developed, implemented and integrated into existing concepts. Nikolas Neubert, urban planning expert at the AIT Center for Energy: "Our focus lies on exploiting the vast quantities of urban data available by integrating them into city planning and decision-making processes. This allows us to offer high-quality consulting services for the smart and resilient cities of tomorrow."
URBAN FUTURE Global Conference 2018
28 February to 2 March 2018
Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center
Additional information: https://www.urban-future.org/
At URBAN FUTURE, Stand 31, AIT experts will be demonstrating how artificial intelligence can be applied in sustainable urban planning, and how public participation using augmented reality might look like in future. Mobility solutions including SIMULATE, EXPERIENCE, PLAN, MODE, SMART SURVEY and IMPACT will be presented.
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology is Austria's largest non-university research institute. With its eight Centers, AIT regards itself as a highly specialised research and development partner for industry. Its researchers focus on the key infrastructure issues of the future: Energy, Health & Bioresources, Digital Safety & Security, Vision, Automation & Control, Mobility Systems, Low-Emission Transport, Technology Experience and Innovation Systems & Policy. Throughout the whole of Austria - in particular at the main locations Wien Giefinggasse, Seibersdorf, Wiener Neustadt, Ranshofen and Leoben - around 1,300 employees carry out research on the development of those tools, technologies and solutions that will keep Austria's economy fit for the future in line with our motto "Tomorrow Today".
Contact:
Florian Hainz BA Bakk
Marketing & Communications
Center for Mobility Systems
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH
florian.hainz@ait.ac.at | www.ait.ac.at
T +43 (0)50550-4518 | M +43 (0)664 88256021
Mag. Angela Balder
Marketing & Communications
Center for Energy
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH
angela.balder@ait.ac.at | www.ait.ac.at
T +43 (0)50550-6302
Mag. Michael H. Hlava
Head of Corporate and Marketing Communications
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH
michael.h.hlava@ait.ac.at | www.ait.ac.at
T +43 (0)50550-4040