Tallinn University of Technology and its private partner organisation, Thinnec, approached the city with the idea of installing more than 800 sensors all over the city. The outcome was to measure the city environment with different in-box tools, to provide data for real-time overview and for later analytics.
This project was initially planned as a research and development project for sensor communication technologies and a new set of sensor devices. Public communication was not part of the agenda, but the possibility to know more about the city’s environment was of interest to stakeholders across the city. Until then, the available information was provided through past studies and research reports, without a real-time overview.
The City of Tallinn has been one of the global leaders for e-governance. The Smart City sensor initiative adds a new layer of smart city to the urban environment by using the potential of the internet of things (IoT). Simulations of different sensors were established in the Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol, the university campus area and private offices and homes. This was the basis for moving on.