TASK SMART CITIES
THE programme also includes a pack on Smart Cities which explains how they work and the technology used to improve services such as transport and waste collection.
They aim to reduce environmental impact and increase the quality of life for citizens and visitors.
Children learn how technology such as smart sensors around the city gather data in real time in order for the city “to understand” the behaviour and needs of its residents. The insights collected from the data are then communicated with organisations such as councils who use them to create solutions and improve operations.
The pack explains that car emissions are one of the biggest issues that cities face when trying to become more environmentally friendly.
The activity included in the pack is to create a poster to encourage people to walk or cycle to work or school, instead of driving.
Suggestions for the poster include listing the benefits of walking and cycling to the city and to the individual, such as cost savings, improving the environment as well as physical and mental health.
The poster can be created digitally using Raspberry Pi’s HTML/CSS Wanted activity or hand drawn.
Children are also asked to find out all the major advantages of Smart Cities, whether there are any drawbacks and if any exist already.
The technical activity in the pack is to create a simple house from a single block. In order to do so, participants need a desktop or laptop computer capable of running Blender and will learn how to design basic 2D and 3D assets.