Bristol’s ambition to become a global laboratory for change has taken a major step forward with the official launch of Bristol Is Open – a world-beating project that places the city at the forefront of innovative technologies ranging from driverless cars to remote health monitoring.
The ground-breaking ‘smart city’ initiative is based on a sophisticated, city-wide digital research infrastructure that will be used to test new ways of running cities.
Some 1,500 lamp posts across the city are being fitted with devices to create a mesh capable of carrying huge amounts of data as well as gathering information about air quality and temperature. 
At its core will be a ‘wireless mile’ linking innovation hubs such as Engine Shed and Watershed in a powerful network. It will also give partner organisations the chance to experiment, learn and develop innovative solutions to many challenges of modern urban life in what is being described as the world’s first ‘open programmable city’ project.
Ideas already suggested include superfast connectivity for high-definition media – a major boost for Bristol’s fast-growing creative sector – to machine-to-machine communications.
Driverless cars – which are shortly to be trialled on Bristol’s streets – and high-capacity data transfers to bring together research on a global scale will also feature in the scheme, a joint venture set up between the University of Bristol and Bristol City Council.
Telecoms giant NEC has signed a memorandum of understanding to become Bristol is Open’s first long-term partner and will trial its latest network technologies.
NEC Europe, Middle East and Asia director of strategy & solutions, Dejan Bojic, said: “We see our partnership with Bristol as a unique opportunity to apply and showcase NEC’s ‘solutions for society’ in close collaboration with local government, universities and industrial partners.”
Bristol Is Open has also announced an emerging partnership with Bristol’s Chinese sister city Guangzhou.
Committee of Industry and Information Technology of Guangzhou chief engineer Jian Rao said “We are impressed by Bristol Is Open team’s holistic vision. We believe they are creating a good test bed network, which we are hoping to use for reference in our smart city project to be rolled out in Guangzhou. We very much look forward to partnering with Bristol Is Open in the coming year and deepening our knowledge and understanding together.”
Bristol Is Open was officially launched by Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson and University of Bristol vice-chancellor Professor Sir Eric Thomas.
Mayor Ferguson said: “Cities across the globe have to face up to the looming challenges posed by increased population, scarcer resources and a changing climate. Our year as European Green Capital is the perfect time to take these first steps towards building the model of the cleaner, greener city of the future.
“Bristol Is Open is a project that will improve our understanding of what technology can do to overcome the challenges faced by cities around the world. Its impressive marriage of sophisticated information communication technology and great collaborative working with our friends at the University of Bristol gives me real hope for the future.”
Sir Eric Thomas added: “Bristol is renowned across the world as being a centre for digital innovation and world-class research. It comes as no surprise that this city leads the way in developing solutions to the major issues facing urban life today. The university will focus on how technology can be deployed, as we see a convergence of ICT and computing environments.”
Bristol Is Open is being chaired by Dick Penny, managing director of Watershed since 1998. Over that period Watershed
has expanded from an independent cinema and arts centre to an international catalyst and connector for innovative digital creativity.
It is lead partner and host of the Pervasive Media Studio creative technologies collaboration with University of the West of England and University of Bristol.
Funding for Bristol Is Open has been secured from the Government’s Super Connected Cities programme and Innovate UK.
Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Making sure our cities are properly equipped to deal with growing technological challenges is part of the Government’s long-term economic plan.”
Bristol Is Open will take licence of the infrastructure from Bristol City Council and have direct access to the University’s BlueCrystal 2 supercomputer housed in the Advanced Computing Research Centre on Park Row.
Bringing together a superfast fibre, wireless and mesh network with the immense storage and processing capabilities of a supercomputer will give partners the chance to trial their solutions at city scale.
Among the organisations taking part in the first stages of Bristol Is Open is the city’s At-Bristol science centre.
It is upgrading its planetarium to become the first in the UK to use digital 3D. Visitors will be able to fly through rings of Saturn, journey to distant stars, tour the Solar System and see it in a way that they’ve never seen it before – all from the comfort of their seats.
Next week: Harnessing the power of Bristol as a smart city to help solve critical issues such as transport
