A project to demonstrate how digital can make towns more ‘smart’ places to live and work has been tested in Weymouth.
The results of the test will be unveiled at this year’s Festival of the Future, the annual event run by Dorset Council, with special guest and renowned urban designer Wayne Hemingway.
Spearheaded by the award-winning 5G RuralDorset team, the ‘smart place demonstrator’ tested how next generation connectivity could help businesses, residents and visitors enjoy Weymouth’s seafront even more.
Wayne Hemingway of Red or Dead fame is also attending the event, which is being held at the EBIKE Cafe. He will talk about how urban design can transform towns for the better.
Tim Robertson, of the 5G RuralDorset project, said: “We have used what we learned in the 5G RuralDorset project to test the same technology in an urban setting.
“This is not something that is going to change our towns today, but it definitely opens up discussion on what can be done in the relatively near future to make Dorset’s towns better places to live, work and visit.”
Also at the festival, which will be held on Weymouth Harbour on Friday 14 October, tourism students will demonstrate how tech like Augmented and Virtual Reality could enhance the visitor experience at Nothe Fort.
Weymouth businesses will also be joining the event to show how they are using the latest technology. And local embedded digital champions will explain how they are helping patients at Weymouth surgeries use the latest health applications.
Everyone is welcome to attend this free event, which will be held from 10.30am to 12.30pm.
To book tickets go attend in person or to watch online go to www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/festival-of-the-future-2022
Whilst I appreciate developing South Dorset facilities/ services etc, there never seems to be any focus on North Dorset, which appears to be a neglected area, apart from the overloading of new housing with no support infrastructures.
Hi Dominic, for the Festival we aim to visit different parts of Dorset each year. Last year we were in Blandford and Shaftesbury along with Lyme Regis and Moors Valley. This year we switched to different parts of the county. The Weymouth demonstrator was a testing exercise to show how smart tech could be applied in other towns as well. Kind regards, Rachel