HMGCC Co-Creation Challenge: Visualising Smart Cities

Cityscape at sunset with glowing network lines and nodes connecting various points across the urban landscape.

Summary of Challenge

Can you help us see inside a smart city? This is the focus of the latest funded challenge launched by HMGCC Co-Creation.

We’re looking for innovators to build a tool that lets security professionals quickly visualise a smart city in 3D — showing where nodes and sensors are located, how they connect, and where the vulnerabilities might be.

Smart cities use thousands of sensors, cameras and connected devices to manage infrastructure and public services. But, to mitigate security risks, better ways are needed to understand where those devices are and how they connect.

HMGCC is looking for software that can take open-source smart city data and display it as an immersive, interactive 3D map — layering in the locations and types of sensors and connected devices across an urban environment. Approaches such as Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR) are welcome, but we would also like to hear about novel methods.

The goal is a Technology Readiness Level 5 (TRL 5) demonstrator – technology basic validation in a relevant environment.

HMGCC Co-Creation will provide funding for time, materials, overheads and other indirect expenses for applicants successful in phase 2 of the competition.

Context of Challenge

A smart city is an urban environment that uses technology, data, and digital connectivity to improve infrastructure, enhance public services, and create a safe and sustainable liveable environment. These sensor rich environments are developed through a complex supply chain of vendors. Understanding more about the way they work can help mitigations be put in place around any potential risks for
privacy or information security.

To better understand these threats, HMGCC Co-Creation requires a user-friendly solution that enables us to see an immersive version of any global city.

The Gap

Although the ability to create a 3D virtual city exists, and some open source smart city data is openly available, what is rare is bringing these datasets together.

A functional 3D map must not only visualise the city layout but specifically layer the various smart city nodes (such as CCTV, streetlights and utility sensors), with a particular interest in sensors using wireless connection protocols. The data ingestion pipeline must also be able to handle global data.

Dates

*Please note, the successful solution provider will be expected to have availability for a one hour onboarding call via MS Teams on the date specified to begin the onboarding/contractual process.

Clarifying questions or general requests for assistance can be submitted directly to cocreation@hmgcc.gov.uk before the deadline with the challenge title as the subject. These clarifying questions may be technical, procedural, or commercial in subject, or anything else where assistance is required. Please note that answered questions will be published to facilitate a fair and open competition.

Eligibility

This challenge is open to sole innovators, industry, academic and research organisations of all types and sizes. There is no requirement for security clearances.

Solution providers or direct collaboration from countries listed by the UK government under trade sanctions and/or arms embargoes, are not eligible for HMGCC Co-Creation challenges.

How to Apply: Phase One

Please submit your application on the HMGCC Co-Creation website. Any queries please email cocreation@hmgcc.gov.uk.

All information you provide to us as part of your application will be handled in confidence.

Applications must be no more than one page or one slide in length. HMGCC Co-Creation reserves the right to stop reading if this limit is breached. The page/slide limit excludes title pages, references, personnel CVs and organisational profiles.

There is no prescribed application format, however, please ensure your application includes the following:

Phase 1 applications will be assessed using the following scoring criteria:

Following assessments, the successful applicants will be invited to submit a more in-depth proposal in phase 2. There will be feedback given to the successful applicants to aid their full proposal submission.

Challenge Documents