A Trinity professor will help lead a new Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) programme called Enable, which is set to launch on January 31st.
Prof Siobhán Clarke, from Trinity’s School of Computer Science and Statistics, is one of the leading researchers in SFI’s new Enable programme. Clarke joined Trinity in 2000, having previously worked for over 10 years as a software engineer in IBM.
The Enable research programme aims to make advances in the use of technology, especially through the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things is a network of everyday objects which are capable of connecting to the internet and sharing information. It is hoped that the research will give technology a better understanding of what is going in the environment in real time, helping communities to make better decisions.
Enable will draw on expertise from three existing SFI research centres: Connect, Insight and Lero. Clarke is a Principal Investigator at Trinity’s branch of Connect and will serve as Director of the Enable project. She will work with researchers from third-level institutions throughout Ireland, including Dublin City University, NUI Galway, University College Cork and Cork Institute of Technology.
SFI is funding the project, with further funding being provided by industry.
The Internet of Things has become a hot topic in recent years, with more and more home appliances becoming bluetooth enabled and “smart” technology quickly becoming the norm. It is estimated that by 2050, 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in urban environments, and there has been growing recognition of the fact that information communication technology research needs to move beyond a focus on cities and start considering smart urban environments.
Enable will focus specifically on such issues as developing smarter buildings and more efficient transport networks, while providing better decision-making support and data protection to communities. It is hoped that this research will help experts overcome the challenges that currently limit the applicability of the Internet of Things in community life.
Trinity was the first university in Ireland to join the LoRa Alliance, an international organisation that promotes the development and growth of the Internet of Things. When the partnership was announced, Geoff Mulligan, Chair of the LoRa Alliance, said that it would help Ireland “keep pace with, and shape, the rapidly evolving Internet of Things scene”.
The programme will launch tomorrow at the Wood Quay Venue in Dublin.
