What is Smart Docklands?

What is the'Smart Docklands' Initiative?

Smart Docklands is a unique world-class smart city testbed in the heart of Dublin’s Docklands. Established in 2018, it is funded by Dublin City Council and Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre CONNECT, through the ENABLE Research Programme in Trinity College Dublin.

It is a first of its kind in Ireland and globally, where the municipality and academia have funded a Project Management Office (PMO) to play an ‘honest broker’ role amongst government, the tech and startup community, business owners, universities and research centers, and citizens of Dublin.

This innovative ‘quadruple helix model’ not only successfully engages collaboration between different stakeholders, but has secured strategic global partnerships with Google, IBM, AT&T, Accenture, Dense Air, Microsoft, Vodafone, Autodesk, Mastercard, Intel, and Softbank.

What are trying to achive?

Smart Docklands successfully facilitates and enables the testing and trialling of smart city solutions by identifying real local challenges and working with diverse stakeholders to come up with lasting solutions in areas such as disruptive technology, environmental monitoring, waste management, and smart mobility.

Our mantra is do not deploy “tech for tech’s sake”. Through our community engagement programme we work closely with a diverse range of stakeholder groups including physical infrastructure companies, utility providers, property developers, building owners and local residents groups to identify challenges which can be addressed through new smart city technology and applications.

Over 250 participants have provided us with hundreds of challenges and concerns which are actively being used to inform the direction of new pilot projects across the Docklands Smart City test bed — everything from safety issues, to better management of waste, flooding alerts, better connectivity, congestion and water safety issues.

Through collaborative effort, Smart Docklands not only has the ability to transform Dublin City and improve the lives of those who live and work in the Docklands, but also provide solutions that can be scaled globally.