ISTP International Week 2023 |
Smart Connected Communities

  1. Week Objectives
  2. Daily Structure
  3. What's required of you
  4. Grading

     
  5. The Project Brief

     
  6. Padlet Structure
  7. Questions + Team Creation

     
  8. Day One Instructions

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Overview

  • Use English all the time throughout the week
  • Run a project as a team, according to brief specifications, in English.
    • Research a specific topic relevant to your training course, in English
    • Develop teamworking skills, in English
    • Improve spontaneity when speaking and listening, using business and technical English
    • Communicate with teachers, teammates, supervisors, etc. to build something real. 
  • Showcase your design and engineering capabilities to respond to a brief.
  • Produce and give a professional presentation, in English

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Language & Secondary Objectives

  • 9 - 12 Morning
  • 1:30 - 5pm Afternoon

 

  1. All start in Lecture Theatre for half-day agenda
    1. Specific tasks to complete each half-day.
  2. Split into groups for individual research / brainstorming
  3. Meeting to discuss objectives, options and advance projects, then work in pairs / group.

 

  • Fixed Schedule but flexible "breaks"

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Daily Structure

  • You will have a week to research and prepare:
    • An oral presentation (20 to 25 minutes) + 10 minutes Q&A (will affect grade) relating to your project
    • Presentation slides to complement your presentation.

 

  • During the week, you will also develop:
    • A comprehensive Padlet with project progress and work submissions (objectives each half-day).
    • A short team/ project introduction video.
    • A website / app design of some kind [project or promotion].

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What is required of you?

  • Group grading for week AND final presentation

(+/- points for individual grading)

 

 

  • Individuals / the group graded during the week on:
    • motivation
    • participation
    • punctuality
    • team work,
    • use of English. and
    • Padlet submissions

 

  • Final Presentation graded on
    • Business Insignt / Comprehension
    • Spoken Presentation in English
    • Quality of Responses in Q&A

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Grading

  1. Develop a smart connected community project in an ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRY.

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The Brief

 

...integrate emerging technologies and engineering principles within the natural or built infrastructure of geographically-bound areas (towns, cities, neighbourhoods, etc.) with the aim of improving the well-being, social and economic outlook, health, security, etc. of the people who live, work, learn or travel within these areas

Smart Connected Communities...

Do you use any connected devices? What for?

What data does it track? Who can access that data? What is done with the data?

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Smart Connected Communities?

Connected Device Project (NO!!!!!!!)

 

  • Individual electronic devices to control of share data / other devices via a network (IoT)

Smart Connected Community Project (YES!!!)

 

  • Integrates [connected] devices, seonsors, Big Data, and data analytics to gather information and enhance services, infrastructure and well-being of the community

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Smart Connected Communities?

Connected Wheelie Bin Project
 

  • Informs the user when their bin is almost full, or how much they are recyling.
  • Compares their recycling habits to their neighbours.

Smart Connected Community Recycling Project (YES!!!)
 

  • Local council installing wheelie bins with integrated sensors or cameras across the city in the homes its inhabitants.
  • Bins are connected NOT through the home network but to an existing shared or public networks

  • Data used to optimise waste collection routes, encourage recycling through competition between neighbours and tax incentives, or to recover increased funds by penalising residents or businesses not recycling sufficiently.

  • Focus not on the individual, but the community

  1. Develop a smart connected community project in an ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRY.
    1. Design for any context, e.g. energy, enviroment, refugee support, policing, dating, etc. BUT SOLUTION USES ENGINEERING IN YOUR FIELD OF STUDY.
    2. Respond to identified challenges or potential opportunities for any type of community (neighbourhood, community groups, municipal organisations, etc.)
    3. Engineer a BESPOKE smart connected community solution (bespoke technology and central infrastructure).

    4. Must eventually make a profit (if for the private sector) or break even (if for the public sector).

      • A budget request must not exceed 2,500,000 USD.

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The Brief

  1. This is NOT A COPY-AND-PASTE ACTIVITY
    • Engineer a BESPOKE SOLUTION for an existing issue in YOUR SPECIFIC CHOSEN COMMUNITY!
  2. Solution should be ADAPTED FOR important considerations such as budget, infrastructure needs, users, climate, cultures, etc.
  3. Project will be based in an ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRY (English as official language)
    • Use of French in discussions and use of French resources will be HEAVILY PENALISED. 

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WARNING!

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Padlet, Questions?, Team Creation

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Day One AM (Project Setup)

  • Choose a Connected Context (Local economy, Energy, Environment, Refugees, Policing, Dating, etc.)
  • Consider communities with issues related to the field (for which there could be a real use for eventual project ideas, and where you believe it would be economically viable). What specifically is the issue?
    • Tip: Focus project in an area you imagine there is a need for a solution, and in an area of society you are interested in and have a little knowledge.
  • Brainstorm general ideas as possible solutions to these problems. (These must include smart connected element and bespoke technology).
    • Could your solutions eventually be expandable? Would each solution be for for government, individuals or businesses? How could it benefit each?
  • Create Padlet and section "Day One AM idea Generation". Post 4 or 5 of your ideas (one per person) with a short description.
  • Prepare to present ideas (briefly, NO POWERPOINT OR IMAGES) to the year group in the afternoon. Think about which project idea you think you will choose and why.

Day One PM |

Market study, Needs Analysis

    1. Define potential users of the product/service.
      • You may have identified a need, but is it a real priority for the majority in the community? Who would benefit, only some or the whole community?
      • Would the envisaged benefits or financial gains / savings outweigh the potential costs?
    2. Get to know your community better.
      • What infrastructure exists already? Are upgrades needed, or a simplified solution eventually?
      • If for budget reasons, you envisage starting small, outside of the chosen community, would it be scalable? Would it be widely adopted or enforced by authorities?
      • Would the community have ethical concerns with your project idea?
    3. Getting to know the competition. Do similar projects exist?
      • How do the existing similar projects fall short/ what could be improved for your version?, etc.
      • What was learned during the implementation of other projects?
      • This is not a cookie-cutter project, what would need to be adapted for your community.
    • Define the specific risks for your project failing, and how these will be overcome in your design stages (designing tomorrow).
      • Problems may include, for example, local crime and vandalism, legislation prohibiting specific practices, hacking, public disapproval of exorbitant budget costs, ethicsal concerns, etc. 
  • Start making your presentation skeleton.
  • Create a SWOT - and outline how your design will overcome the weaknesses and address the threats. Highlight the strengths and opportunities you will emphasize.
  • Create the profile of the typical user of the technology. Who is this person / business? How many others fit the profile? How would they benefit from the technology? How would the community connect and benefit from the use of Big Data?
  • Answers to the questions above should be clear. YOU MAY NOT CONTINUE (e.g. design, finance, marketing) until project and market study is detailed, methodical and approved by teacher.

Day Two AM/PM |

Project Specifics (Technical Aspects / Logistics)

Get into specifics. You must be able to design the mechanics of how it will it actually work (technically/logistics)? What are the processes/ components/ human aspects needed?
 

  1. Data (What Data are you collecting, Why?, How? and How is it being put to use?, etc.)
  2. Tech Details => Device layers, Sensing Devices, Actuating Devices, etc., Transport and Network layers (short, medium, high-range network connections), Service and Application Support Layers (REST, HTTP, Databases in the backend, etc.) ???????
  3. Are employees needed to manage and maintain these services? If so, which? How many?

 

  • AM - Drawings of how the concept will work for the layman (AM)
  • PM - Flow charts of global processes expected (PM).
  • PM - Technical drawings (by hand if quicker) with required components expected

 

You may NOT continue to work on finances until this is complete (although you should be keeping a rough idea of costs)

Day THREE AM |

Finances / Costing

 

For your project to be a success, while serving the community it must either:

 

  1. Start making profits after 2 years,
  2. Only require funds equivalent or less than estimated savings through implementing the system,
  3. Not be a financial black hole

 

  • With designs and logistics now defined, create a cost estimate outlining all your project expenses, including labour, materials, equipment, building spaces, services, software, contingency costs, taxes, etc. (remember to use local costs)

Day THREE PM |

Business Models and Projections

  • Explore and brainstorm potential business models to debate in groups using the BusinessModelNavigator
     
    • Which business models could be applied to your project to generate extra funding? Many business models can be explored simultaneously.
       
    1. Design infographics or diagrams illustrating how your project will gain funding through multiple business models (to be used in presentation)
    2. Using the breakdown of costs (AM) and expected savings/ gains, create slides on your presentation breaking down the figures (easy-to-understand for investors) and create graph with a 5-year financial projection.

 

  • You  may not advance until you have [a] slide[s] with your start-up and running costs, with your business models, the expected income from the average use-case of each business model, therefore:
     
  • a) what are development costs + estimated costs from each use,  therefore over a day, year, etc.? Best-case / worst-case scenarios?
    b) what is your expected income each day, etc.? Best-case / worst-case scenarios?
    c) what are your financial projections over 1, 2, 5 years, etc.
    (whatever statistics are logical and make the business logic easyèto-understand)
     
  • ALL ESTIMATIONS SHOULD BE BACKED UP BY YOUR MARKET RESEARCH EARLIER IN THE PRESENTATION!!!! IF YOU CANNOT JUSTIFY YOUR ASSUMPTIONS, GO BACK TO THE MARKET RESEARCH TO CHECK WHAT IS MORE LIKELY REALITY.

Day FOUR AM |

Marketing Strategy + App/Website UI

  • Create your web site / Design an app interface (either needed to use or advertise service by/to individuals / business / government)
    1. Explore APIs which could be implemented into your app (e.g. maps, third party data services, etc.). Take note of costs / limits, etc.
    2. Careful: are you featuring functionality for which you have not budgeted?
       
  • Outline your marketing strategy.
    • Remember that your strategy should backed up by your market research.

 

Day FOUR PM |

Finalising Presentations & 1-min Videos

  • Finalise your presentation and PRACTISE for Day 5 afternoon.

  • Prepare and film a short 1-minute video of your team project pitch.

     

- Outline of current community situation / problem, and brief introduction to your solution
 

- Outline of Needs Analysis and Market Research (including existing solutions elsewhere, but which are not suitable)

- Introduction to your solution (and aspects which respond to needs and understands the circumstances of community)

 

- Exactly how does the project work on a macro level? (logistics, how it integrates into existing infrastructure), Website / App?

- What about the technology needed? How does it work technically?
 

- Detailed Costing

- Business model and financing

- Financial Projections
 

- Conclusion with call to action.

International Week |

The Presentation (Possible Structure)

ISTP International Week 2023 | Smart Connected Communities

By Adam Wyett

ISTP International Week 2023 | Smart Connected Communities

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