The Little Book of PUBLIC SPACE and the Internet of Things

Our public spaces are changing, they are at the forefront of a technological revolution yet this is a revolution that often remains hidden from sight. Sensors are being installed and the ability to interact with objects in our spaces – from projects such as the PETRAS Talking Trees through to conversations with Lamp Posts or data interactions with local wildlife is changing our interactions both in and with these places and spaces. Via a series of interviews with key players in the field and a deep dive into the landscape of the last 20 years of developments around the world, this Little Book explores the current implications of the Internet of Things (IoT) in public places and looks at the future of technology trends for these spaces. We explore safety and security and move onto maintenance (it’s more interesting than it sounds and is arguably a key driver for the use of the Internet of Things in our public realm). We then look at some of the issues affecting people and explore health, community building and culture while exploring the use of public space for play. After this, we explore conservation and culture, transport and signage, accessibility and then, finally, we discuss future trends. The implications and insights in this Little Book are wider than public spaces. The use of sensors in our environment can open up a new understanding of how urban places work. From social interactions and the importance of play through to a feeling of wellbeing and simply acting as a break from the surrounding environment, our public spaces are all important. This importance is often focused on cities due to the history and importance of the public realm but it is equally applicable to the local park or town square in smaller cities, towns and villages. As ever with society and technology, things are always changing and arguably, at an increasingly rapid pace, our public spaces are perhaps not as public as we thought and with this shift in public/private ownership the ability to deploy technology changes. Things can also be taken to extremes, where the need for ethical and governance structures to help temper the rise of technology in our public life. This Little Book explores these factors with a number of examples. Yet at its heart, the Little Book is about our places and spaces and how the future is one of adapting and opening up access to not only space but the context and access to two multiway interactions via the Internet of Things. We start by examining what the IoT actually is, in a sea of definitions, and move onto exploring different themes (mentioned above), supplemented by interviews with local stakeholders in London and beyond as well as partners of UCL CASA. At the end of every theme, we also highlight some of the thought leaders worth keeping an eye on in the years to come.

source :

https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10131007/1/Little_Book_of_Public_Space_IoT.pdf