We are transforming environmental service delivery and management of Sunderland’s environmental footprint.
Improving the city’s environment is a great way to improve the wellbeing of residents and visitors to Sunderland. Decarbonising the environment is also crucial to all our futures. We are already building out a network of connected specialist sensors to provide real-time insights across the city. This city data will enable informed improvement actions to be taken. Our current list of environmental solutions continues to grow and includes: air quality, waste management, rainfall monitoring and more.
We have also explored solutions to improve energy efficiency in council owned buildings. This project is not only environmentally responsible but also financially advantageous: the carbon reduction potential for 14 buildings is >1,000 tonnes per annum, with cost savings of around £40k per year through energy reduction efforts.
Air quality
We’ve already deployed over 30 air quality sensors around our smart city. These sensors feed data into our smart city data platform through connection to our LoRaWAN network. The air quality data can be used to improve awareness of public health, reduce pollution, inform policy development, and make our city more sustainable.
Waste management
Following 2022’s trial of smart compactor bins across the city, our Smart City team is commencing a new trial to continuously improve the monitoring and management of waste collection. This new pilot has retrofitted sensors to existing shroud bins across parts of Sunderland. Data from these sensors has been input into our smart city data platform, for the council’s teams to assess. The first phase of the project will highlight to officers how full a bin is and when it has been emptied. This will help with resource allocation and validate that certain areas have been emptied as necessary. With enough data collection, in the second phase the data from the bin fill sensors will be utilised for route optimisation, thereby enabling more effective scheduling for the emptying of bins. Through maximising resource utilisation and minimising unnecessary journeys, Sunderland City Council will save time and fuel.
Rainfall monitoring
Until recently, the team at Sunderland City Council collected rainfall data by visiting rainfall bucket sites and manually exporting historic rainfall data.
The Sunderland Smart City team has deployed two solar powered rainfall buckets to measure rain levels around our city of Sunderland. Connected via our smart LoRaWAN network, these newly deployed devices record and share rainfall data every 15 minutes.
The near real-time rainfall data from our newly deployed devices is combined with DEFRA data and fed into our smart data Platform, where users can view rainfall trends over time and use 3D mapping tools for flood modelling. This informs understanding of storm frequencies and enables better understanding of flooding in the south of the city and the Coalfields. By supporting teams to understand rainfall in near real-time, proactive warnings and interventions can be enabled.
Smart mould and damp sensors
We are undertaking a pilot project within existing social housing stock to install environmental sensors that monitor temperature and humidity in key rooms of 12 council properties. Incorporating advanced technology to improve housing quality and residents’ health is a key area of Sunderland’s smart city vision and mission.
Trash screen monitoring
Our Smart Trash Screen Monitoring pilot aims to address time-consuming manual trash screen inspections by using sensors to detect blockages in real-time and integrating rainfall data to distinguish natural water level changes. This system is expected to reduce labour costs and unnecessary site visits, with success measured by its ability to provide timely alerts and scalability for city-wide implementation.
Gully monitoring
Sunderland is piloting Smart Gullys to improve gully cleaning efficiency and flood management by providing real-time water level data. Advanced sensors monitor water levels and silt buildup, enabling early identification of problematic gullys and offering flood teams continuous updates. The pilot aims to reduce frequency of inspections, with success measured by the system’s ability to provide accurate monitoring, timely alerts, and potential scalability for wider use.
Further details on these solutions can be found on our Innovation Challenges page.
For more information on how our networks and solutions could benefit your organisation, please contact us using our contact form. We would be delighted to discuss how our smart city capabilities can support you.