The document discusses Bristol's approach to becoming an open smart city by engaging citizens to collect sensor data. It describes how Bristol worked with citizens to understand issues they wanted technology and open data to address, such as collecting data with sensors to help understand damp in homes. Bristol believes a smart city requires citizen involvement and that citizens should control how their data is used. The goal is that citizen data combined with city open data can help create a truly smart city.

1. Photo: Matt Gibson
Working with Citizens to collect sensor data
for an Open Smart City
Katherine Rooney
ODI Bristol and Bristol City Council
@krooneyrooney katherine.rooney@bristol.gov.uk

2. Bristol, England
Population 450,000
Capital of the West of England
Open Data Institute Node
Digital employment cluster

5. www.opendata.bristol.gov.uk

6. https://portal-bristol.api.urbanthings.io

8. In 2016 Bristol and London were
named as Leading Smart Cities in the UK.

9. ?
Something is
missing…

10. Photo: Shellac
Cities are about people.
So, Smart Cities should also be about people.
And we should ask people, what kind of city do
you want to live in?

11. Photo: Matt Gibson
In Bristol we ask, “How can technology and open
data improve Bristol’s Future”?
To answer that question, we must start with
understanding what issues we would like
technology and open data to help us solve.
We are learning to not start the conversation
with technology and data.

12. Working with Knowle Weds Media Centre we
started with open conversations.

13. If you start with an open conversation, you often
end up somewhere you would not expect!
Can we use sensors to collect data that would
help solve this issue?
Photo: David Singleton

14. Working with
people who
don’t usually
work with data –
we have to start
from the
beginning.
What is data?
How can we
collect it?

15. Designing a
sensor to collect
data to help
people
understand more
about damp in
their homes

17. The Frogs lived in
damp homes for
a week,
collecting data.

18. An important
part of The
Bristol
Approach is the
City Commons,
making sure
citizens control
how their data
is used.

19. Explaining data
ownership is
even harder than
explaining how
to collect and
visualise data!

20. The ‘damp season’
has started again
in England, and we
have some new
improved Frogs
ready to hop into
damp homes.
http://kwmc.org.uk/projects/bristolapproach/

21. In summary:
• In Bristol we believe that a smart city will only
succeed if citizens are involved and engaged.
• There is a huge opportunity now for citizens
to collect their own data.
• If citizen data can be combined with city open
data, we can get closer to a really smart city!
Photo: Luke Andrew Scowan

22. Photo: Matt Gibson
Thank you!
Katherine Rooney
ODI Bristol and Bristol City Council
@krooneyrooney katherine.rooney@bristol.gov.uk