Global IT firm Hitachi Consulting has been selected to construct a first-of-its-kind Big Data platform for Denmark’s capital Copenhagen to help achieve its sustainability goals.
To develop the platform, the firm will work with the City of Copenhagen, Capital Region, the Danish cluster organization, CLEAN and a consortium of partners.
The Copenhagen Big Data project will enable advanced analytics to support city functions such as green infrastructure planning, traffic management and energy usage. It will integrate data from multiple sources, including demographics, crime statistics, sensor-based sources — such as energy consumption meters, air quality sensors and traffic sensors, among others — and information submitted by citizens and businesses.
The integrated platform will establish a city data marketplace for the sale and purchase of data between businesses — and is one of the first times public data and private data volunteered by businesses and citizens will be combined.
The data marketplace also is expected to offer businesses insight into interactions and relationships between different city functions, supporting core business planning and fostering new business opportunities.
Providing a source of rich data to smartphone and web app developers through the marketplace, the platform is meant to enable development of new applications designed to benefit citizens, businesses, job creation and the City of Copenhagen. The platform also is expected to help the city reach its ambitious climate target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2025.
Hitachi established its mainland European Big Data laboratory in Copenhagen late last year, and the Big Data platform is the first step in leveraging Big Data opportunities for the city. Building is scheduled to commence in April, and the platform and pilot applications are expected to be complete by the end of the year.
Late last year, Denmark announced a goal to wean itself off of fossil fuels and power the entire country with renewables by 2050. What sets the Scandinavian country apart from other countries is that it is applying this goal to electrical production as well as transportation. And Denmark is already above 40 percent renewable power on its electric grid — headed toward 50 percent by 2020.
A report released last year found that smart city technology revenue will grow from $8.8 billion annually worldwide in 2014 to $27.5 billion in 2023, as cities around the world adopt smart city technology to meet sustainability goals, boost local economies and improve services.
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Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering best-in-class strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Mar 24, 2015 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 12pm GMT / 1pm CET