Cenaero, a research centre in Wallonia, Belgium, has appointed Axians to complete the installation of a new supercomputer. The aim is to accelerate basic and applied research thanks to high-speed computations. The world of high performance computing (HPC) is based on petaflops, where one petaflops is equal to one quadrillion floating-point operations per second. In […]
To meet the operational needs of transport companies engaged in the transition to all-electric, Mobility, a subsidiary of VINCI Energies, has integrated new functionality into its intelligent charging platform. Replacing combustion-engine buses with all-electric vehicles is a major part of the energy transition in public transport. The transition is happening at different speeds in different […]
In force since 25 May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides a highly restrictive framework for the use of facial recognition technology in European cities. So restrictive as to hinder the development of smart cities? On the contrary, argues Cécile Maisonneuve, chairwoman of La Fabrique de la Cité think tank: by establishing a […]
As an indispensible part of the public space, light creates a hierarchy of urban spaces, and shapes user behaviour. Today it is a focus of the search for ways to reduce local energy consumption. In the second half of the 17th century, Police Lieutenant Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie had streetlights installed in Paris to […]
To help drivers avoid tailbacks on a nearby motorway, the Waze navigation app is rerouting them in large numbers through the municipality of Lieusaint, in the Seine-et-Marne department, some 40 km to the south of Paris (France). This “smart” diversion is causing major inconvenience for locals. In an effort to trick the Waze algorithm and send […]
In a move that will benefit city-dwellers, the Connected Worlds company in the Netherlands has worked with Axians to roll out a network of sensors that enable cities to fine-tune management of such things as traffic and pollution. A cloud of dust marks the place in a Dutch neighbourhood undergoing urban renewal where an old […]
The impending end of the “all-automobile” era is prompting cities to re-examine the future of car parks and consider ways to re-purpose them. We look at ten innovative uses, including housing, offices, and logistics hubs. The dual energy and digital transition currently under way is causing disruption in cities built to accommodate the car, and […]
Next-generation buildings feature more and more digital applications, but struggle to make them communicate with each other. That’s where BOS (Building Operating System) comes in – a solution linked to BIM (Building Information Modelling). If the place it actually occupies in the urban landscape was to be measured against the media coverage it receives, then […]
The Norwegian capital designs and implements pilot programmes that forge a greener and more inclusive city using technological innovation. Awarded the European Green Capital 2019 title by the European Commission, Oslo has equipped itself with the means to realise its environmental ambitions from a very early stage. The Norwegian capital is also the world leader […]