City of Schwerte. FIWARE4Cities book ed. 6

In this weekly series, we present to you each time one innovative city on its digital journey and on its way to become smart(er). This time, we have the City of Schwerte for you.

Schwerte, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, has a population of around 46,000 and is located on the edge of the Ruhr region. The town is characterised by its combination of urban life and natural surroundings.The historic old town in particular, with its half- timbered houses and lively (club) culture, makes Schwerte an attractive place to live.

Thanks to Schwerte’s location between the conurbations of the Ruhr region and the local recreational areas in South Westphalia, Schwerte is interesting for both commuters and nature lovers. With the Smart City Strategy DOS2030, the city of Schwerte is pursuing a clear vision for the future. This strategy uses digital technologies to improve the quality of life and shape sustainable urban development. Important projects include the expansion of digital infrastructure, intelligent traffic management and the promotion of digital culture.

The focus here is on the development of an urban data platform for linking and visualisation of data. In addition, the participation of citizens is facilitated by digital platforms. In this way, the city of Schwerte is positioning itself as a future- oriented, sustainable, liveable and social city.

DOS2030

Data platform: The city of Schwerte operates an urban data platform that is based on FIWARE technology and serves as a central hub for collecting and analysing urban data. This platform integrates data from various sources, such as IoT sensors and weather stations, and enables their real-time evaluation.

FIWARE offers the necessary flexibility and interoperability to link different applications and services. This enables seamless integration with other systems and promotes the development of innovative smart city solutions in Schwerte. Digital twins of public buildings: The city of Schwerte uses terrestrial 3D LIDAR scanners to create digital twins of public buildings. These digital models are essential for the planning and maintenance of urban infrastructure.

Environmental, traffic and safety sensors:The city of Schwerte has implemented a network of sensors that collect data on air quality, traffic density and safety. This data is integrated into a FIWARE-based urban data platform to support evidence-based decision-making.