CityU Ignites Smart City Innovation With NTT docomo 5G DX Square
Reimagining Parking With Video Edge AI & Accelerating V2X Development With Private 5G Connectivity
The Quest of Smart City Development
Smart cities aren't built in a vacuum. Every city has unique challenges and quirks, and the best solutions are tailored to fit those needs. That's where real-world testing grounds like NTT docomo 5G DX Square come in. They provide the perfect proving ground for the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) to refine its smart city vision, starting with something we all struggle with: parking.
In a bustling city like Hong Kong, where private vehicle ownership has grown, and parking availability has decreased, parking is a constant headache. It's not just about high fees; it's about congestion, wasted time, and even parking spot speculation! Traditional fixes like smart meters and apps have helped, but CityU is aiming higher.
This isn't just about counting empty spaces; it's about understanding driver behaviour, getting real-time data on parking usage, and, ultimately, making the entire city run more smoothly. With NTT's recent Private 5G (LWBS) license win — the first service provider to have one in Hong Kong — they're even exploring cutting-edge applications that were previously impossible for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) development.
“This industry-academia collaboration enables prototyping a practical solution that can be integrated with real-world environments. We believe that such a joint effort leads to a wider adoption of 5G- and AI- enabled technologies, accelerating digital transformation in our society.”
Prof WANG, Jianping
Chair Professor, Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong
Phase 1
Refining their algorithm by studying real-world scenarios
Phase 2
Expanding new use cases (V2X) for smart city development
Research Focus
CityU researchers looked to use the mobile robot to conduct field training and tests to refine their parking management algorithm. They need support to take it from the controlled environment of the lab and put it to the test in the bustling streets of Hong Kong, allowing them to transform their proof-of-concept into real-world reality. They needed a compact video analytics solution to easily capture, analyse, and store video data in the portable robot chassis.
CityU envisions a smarter city overall, with technology seamlessly integrated into everyday life. This phase, commissioned by the HKSAR Government, requires a toolbox for building various smart city applications connected by a high-speed and reliable nervous system, where information flows freely and efficiently, regardless of the terrain or weather conditions. The aim is to create a more connected urban experience.
Solution & Technology
CityU researchers used NTT’s EDGEMATRIX edge AI solution, a Swiss Army knife for video analytics. With the help of NTT, they integrated this powerful tool into a mobile robot, allowing them to process video data on the spot.
CityU researchers look to directly plug into P5G, available at NTT docomo 5G DX Square. P5G isn't just about speed; it's about reliability, efficiency, and security — benefits that current shared 5G implementations do not provide. Along with the scalability and customizability of P5G, CityU can tailor their network to specific mission-critical use cases, offering them the freedom to experiment and innovate.
Outcome
CityU researchers put the EDGEMATRIX system through its paces, training it to analyse video data in real-time. EDGEMATRIX enables researched to analyze video footage on the spot, using a built-in computer chip designed for powerful AI tasks. This rugged system, built to withstand rain, dust, and even lightning strikes, allowed them to collect valuable information in various environments and weather conditions for mission-critical application use. Thanks to its Power over Ethernet (PoE) design, setting it up was a breeze, eliminating the need for extra power cords and outlets.
CityU researchers will explore various mission-critical AI applications, taking advantage of NTT’s recent P5G license and its availability at docomo 5G DX Square. The collaboration looks to accelerate smart city development in Hong Kong and explore smart city applications involving video analysis to vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication.
About docomo 5G DX Square
Located at NTT’s Financial Data Center campus at Tseung Kwan O in Hong Kong, the first of its kind Private 5G (P5G) environment, pairing with its advanced technologies from Japan such as edge AI, offers the innovation ecosystem an unprecedented platform to fast-track ideas and turn proofs of concept for disruptive technologies such as AI, IoT and edge into real-world prototypes
- NTT, the first service provider in Hong Kong to be granted the Localised Wireless Broadband System (Private) Licence, offers a stable, high-speed, interference-free connection for the development of cutting-edge 5G applications and smart technologies
- The P5G-enabled environment equipped with cutting-edge technologies such as edge AI solution EDGEMATRIX, has laid the foundation to explore future AI applications with P5G networks and speed up Hong Kong’s smart city development.
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Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone Public Corporation
since 1953
Number of papers and presentations
at academic conferences
over 2,400 /year
Number of
IEEE Fellows
45 (including those retired)
Received
IEEE Milestones
4 Times
Corporate Overview
NTT Communications China
President: Jianming Zhang
Established: 2004-10-15
Offices: 12
Employees: 350+
Group business：
- Network service
- Data center
- Cloud
- System integrated
- Maintenance management
- IT consulting service