How we work

GCP autonomous vehicle

Smart Cambridge supports and enables the Greater Cambridge Partnership to take advantage of the opportunities provided by technology.

The Smart team help to ensure that our investments and the legacy we leave behind are appropriately future focused by considering existing and emerging technologies.

Local councils, technology businesses, university researchers and other organisation are working with the Smart Cambridge workstream to find smart ways to tackle city challenges like transport and air quality.

Key projects

Find out more about the work we’re involved with.

Themes

The work of the Smart Cambridge team is focused around five key aspects.
  • the use of data and technology to support a shift from private car usage to sustainable forms of transport
  • the use of data and technology to improve the management of the highway network
  • improving the range and quality of data available to the GCP, and exploring innovations to help GCP and its partners make best use of the data available
  • developing strategies and approaches to ensure that new communities take advantage of data and technology to promote sustainability
  • keeping the GCP abreast of external developments and potential collaborations

How we work

The Smart Cambridge team works in a variety of different ways.
  • observing and engaging with developments in the market and developments in other organisations to provide thought leadership to the GCP
  • catalysing and supporting innovation by engagement with the commercial markets and other partners
  • carrying out trials and evaluations, and using the learnings to feed into existing or future GCP projects
  • bidding for external funding where there is clear alignment to the GCP’s objectives
  • leading projects and workstreams on behalf of the GCP where they have a strong technology component

Priorities

It was agreed in December 2020 that the programme would cover five specific items over four years.
  • better travel and transport information for journeys to support the development of travel hubs.
  • smarter signalling
  • embedding smart solutions into new and existing communities
  • future transport initiatives including driverless vehicles
  • measuring traveller behaviour change in response to new schemes

Publications

  • Topic papers developed by the Smart team to encourage the use of smart solutions in new communities (such as North East Cambridge) as early as possible. Digital Infrastructure, Environmental Monitoring and Future Mobility.

  • An Autonomous Vehicle strategy developed by Professor John Miles of the University of Cambridge. It investigate the barriers and opportunities related to using autonomous vehicles alongside the current public transport system around Cambridge.

  • A joint study with the Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction to investigate how people feel about the collection and use of data to support a Digital Twin type model.