In 2018, an estimated 55.3 per cent of the world's population lived in urban settlements. By 2030, 60 per cent of people are expected to live in urban areas, and one in three people will live in cities with at least half a million inhabitants. Municipal tasks include providing housing and utility, waste management and mobility infrastructure, as well as ensuring public safety, healthcare, transport and education.

In a smart city, these tasks are optimised by using modern digital technologies and data analysis. For example, intelligent transport systems can monitor and control traffic flow in real time to reduce congestion. Sensors in waste containers enable efficient waste collection by monitoring fill levels and adjusting routes. The integration of smart grids improves energy efficiency by analysing electricity consumption in real-time. The pursuit of ‘smartness’ aims to improve the quality of life of citizens, use resources more sustainably and minimise environmental pollution, thereby creating a more resilient and future-proof city.

Based on our many years of experience in the design, implementation and quality assurance of secure Open Urban Platforms, the Quality Engineering (SQC) business unit has developed the reference architecture ‘oupPLUS’ for information and communication technologies (ICT) in the smart city. It enables the implementation of standardised smart city concepts and promotes security and interoperability between components, modules, layers and general artefacts of ICT systems in the smart city. The findings from ‘oupPLUS’ will be incorporated into the creation of the next generation of standards within the framework of the DIN Smart City Forum and other relevant committees.

Our researchers are active in the following areas and offer corresponding R&D services to their partners:

• Support for the implementation and quality assurance of open urban platforms based on open standards, e.g. according to DIN SPEC 91357, DIN SPEC 91367, DIN SPEC 91377 and DIN SPEC 91397
• IT security for urban ICT
• Design of network and cloud infrastructures
• Agentic AI and data analysis to improve urban spaces and (critical) urban infrastructure
• Explainable and trustworthy AI applications for the smart city
• Support in developing solutions for optimisation problems in various domains, e.g. energy, lock management, water consumption and use
• Sustainable ICT
• Consultancy, concept development and elaboration of studies