Connected Veberöd inspiration in Danish-Swedish project
In the project InnoTech Task Force Nineteen Danish and Swedish partners will gather to discuss how to create a cross-regional arena — a Taskforce — to promote innovation in green transition, sustainable cities and rural areas. The project is led by Danish Gate 21 and together with the Swedish side Innovation Skåne They arranged the Kick-off that included the bus ride. In the project, municipalities, regions, academia and companies will jointly develop methods and share knowledge about solutions where data and new technologies are the focus. Some of these solutions could be to optimise traffic flow in urban areas to create better space and conditions for cycling and walking, to make 3D models of the city to facilitate the placement of photovoltaic cells, for example, and creating a better management of properties that can be energy optimised through digital twins of buildings. The understanding of the data could also lead to action in the water area or could increase citizen influence along with the social network in villages.
The project had its kick-off in Lund in February 2023, and then the Danish-Swedish group took the opportunity to make an inspirational bus trip to Smart villages in Veberöd. In Veberöd in the eastern part of Lund municipality, Smart Villages has as its mission to investigate what digital technology can do for a smaller society — as a complement to the smart city. There, Jan Malmgren works with the digital village platform veberod.nu to engage citizens and businesses. Smart villages were part of Future by Lund's SOM project, and in connection with this a LoRa network was set up in the village. Through the network, Smarta Villages has been able to try many different solutions with sensors — such as monitoring the water level in the cows' water, monitoring theft of bicycles and seeing that the kindergarten gate is closed. In addition, in collaboration with LTH, a digital twin has been developed for the village. Through this model, it could also be possible for citizens and the municipality to communicate with each other.
The project participants were invited to take a trip around the village and see how Vaquita Technologies uses sensors in the village stream to directly report on the water status and how in another project it is used Univers' app to quickly map damage to roads. University of Boston make a survey of the largest road junction in Veberöd to be able to test different traffic flows on a small scale and at another intersection we test smart lighting poles that light up when a vehicle approaches. Smart villages are also part of Future by Lund's Flow project and there measures AXIS radar the speed of cars on the Dörrödsvägen and in another experiment is visible Skånetrafikens buses in the village's 3D model. In addition, Jan Malmgren was able to tell us that behavioral scientists from Halmstad will research what the villagers want and what makes them feel good.
- We offer researchers and companies a place and a benevolent village to work with. I feel that the villagers are happy to participate, as long as they feel that they get something back, such as when they get to test smart lampposts,” says Jan Malmgren. Now we wonder if we can also show happiness and loneliness in 3D — and this could be done, for example, by allowing villagers to send a happy or sad old man from different places.
During the visit, he also presented The power ring how the IoT network used in Lund and Veberöd has gone from project to permanent operation and Lund company Sensativas how the IoT platform Yggio, which was tested in the same project, is now available in about twenty Swedish cities.
What did the project participants think about going on an innovation trip to Veberöd?
This is what Nina Hvitlock, Innovation Skåne, says.
- It has been fantastic to go on an innovation trip to Veberöd. It is a village where you experiment and dare a lot. I am incredibly impressed that they have managed to engage both young and old to find and try different digital solutions to develop society. The most interesting thing is the whole — that is, the fact that many different digital solutions have been tested in one place. It's awesome that they can measure everything from water levels and quality of water in the streams and see when the cows need water to regulating the lighting and measuring the speed of cars for a long time.
Even Sif Enevold, Gate 21 was pleased with the visit.
- We have had the opportunity to see some concrete solutions and hear companies tell us about the advantages of their solutions. At the same time, we have heard from those who work with Smart Villages what their mindset is, what models they have used and how they have started cooperation with citizens. The most exciting thing for me has been to gain insight into the village's 3D model, where we have seen, among other things, how to use the model for future village development by incorporating new housing into the model and that you can also see in real time how the buses run and how traffic develops in the village.
- At the same time, it has also been really exciting to hear the story of how a fiery soul who wants to make a difference and who has the ability to involve citizens can create new solutions. Here you can discover what a rural community needs to be a modern society.
The InnoTech Taskforce Project
Financier: EU Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak 60%
Project Management: Lise Søderberg, Gate 21 supported by Innovation Skåne and Faelleskabet for dynamic data.
Partnerschappen: Gate 21, Innovation Skåne, Höje Taastrup, Fredriksberg, Aarhus, Guldborgsund, Region Sjaelland, We Build DK, Akilay, Tomelilla Municipality, Ängelholm Municipality, Gov Tech Midt, RUC, DTU, Zealand Academy, RISE, Halmstad University.
Project time, preliminary study: January — June 2022
Main projects: 2023 — 2025
Contact: Lise Soderberg