In this webinar, Simon Chapple and Tommy Lawson will describe the £10 million government capital funded IoT sensor network the University of Edinburgh is building across the whole 7,700 km2 geography of South East Scotland as part of the University’s City Region Deal Data Driven Innovation programme.  

They will present the technologies and capabilities of this unique facility for real-time capture of highly detailed indoor and outdoor environmental data and how they are utilising this unique facility to support research and education from primary school pupil to University graduate, and to enable a wide range of innovation in IoT-based applications from sustainable tourism to biodiversity monitoring. 

Our speakers

Simon is Head of Data Technology in the Information Systems Group at the University of Edinburgh. He began his career in supercomputing at the University of Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre in the early 90’s, after graduating from the University in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. Over the intervening years, he has worked for a number of successful start-ups based in Scotland developing novel scalable computing solutions, in a variety of domains including finance, commerce and healthcare, all with the common theme of applied data analytics. 

Simon is also a specialist in technical and business solution innovation and has carried out many consultancy projects for both new and established companies and organisations, helping them to develop new products and services to bring to market. In 2015, Simon rejoined the University to lead in the development of a range of new data focused digital services, including the creation of the Internet of Things Research and Innovation Service, a component of the wider Edinburgh International Data Facility, part of the University’s Data Driven Innovation programme within the South East Scotland City Region Deal. Under Simon’s leadership, the IoT Research and Innovation Service is establishing a regional IoT sensor network covering the whole of South East Scotland, some 7,700 km2. 

This unique large-scale IoT facility will provide low power wide area wireless networking for tens of thousands of low-cost sensors to monitor all aspects of the natural and built environment in real-time including weather, biodiversity, air/water quality, building safety, efficiency and energy use. Both the infrastructure created, and the data captured by this facility, will spawn new research for academia and enable innovation in smart IoT applications for the region’s companies, start-ups, local authorities and councils. One of the most exciting aspects of this long-term project is the wider establishment and use of the sensor network through the participation of the region’s 550+ primary and high schools, introducing the secure and safe use of connected IoT sensors in the taught curriculum and aiding the development of data literacy.
 

Tommy is an experienced engineer, learning and assistive technologist, teacher, and school manager that has spent 40 years working in nursery, primary special and secondary education. In his early career as a maths and computing teacher, he worked with the first computers coming into Scottish schools, designing and creating new curriculum content.

For the past twenty years, his senior management role in a Scottish local authority saw him driving forward the use of innovative digital solutions to support learning and teaching locally, nationally and internationally. He also played a pivotal role in designing and building new schools and learning spaces, gathering expertise from across the world.

In the past three years, he has returned to Moray House School of Education and Sport at the University of Edinburgh as an adviser to the Data Education and Data Technology teams as they deliver the Scottish and UK Government funded Data Driven Innovation project.  Supporting learners and teachers across the school east of Scotland, he integrates the latest sensor technology into science, technology, engineering and maths. Tommy’s research interests include digitally empowered and inspiring learning spaces, data and digital education and technology in schools. Beyond work, he is a Trustee at Thornton Rose, Riding for the Disabled and an Ambassador for the Reverse Rett charity, helping to speed a cure for Rett Syndrome.