The term “smart city” is pervasively invading our world, but what exactly does it mean? What makes a city smart? According to Jaume Barceló of the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) in Barcelona, “smartness” is not simply synonymous with technology. Rather, it depends on the appropriate use of technology grounded in a sound methodological approach.
At the CTS Winter Luncheon, Barceló, professor emeritus in the Department of Statistics and Operations Research at UPC, will discuss the concept of the smart city from a systems point of view. Specifically, he’ll focus on one of the pillars of the smart city—smart mobility—and on his suggested methodology of transportation analytics. The luncheon will be held February 9 on the Minneapolis campus.
Barceló will offer an overview of data collection and analysis techniques (with an emphasis on data fusion) used to build models that shed light on how the urban system works. He will also discuss the main dynamic models that can help decision makers support the development of smart cities.
Barceló specializes in optimization and simulation techniques related to transportation planning, traffic management, traffic simulation, and dynamic fleet management. Since 2007, he has been the scientific director of transport and ICT projects at inLab FIB, a research laboratory at UPC.
