Two Offaly projects awarded funding for digital innovation

Two projects in Offaly have been awarded funding under the Digital Innovation Programme, which encourages Local Authority-led innovation projects that provide a public benefit and support regional digital development.

The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD yesterday announced €1.2 million in funding for 20 projects across the country under the programme. These projects must promote, support, or otherwise advance at least one of the seven pillars of digital maturity, including Digital Skills, Digital Economy & Employment and Community & Culture.

Edenderry IoT (Internet of Things), a Smart Town Technology project between Offaly County Council and Cellnex has been awarded €35,021 under the ‘innovation’ stream, which funds the trialling of new technologies or innovative uses of existing technologies.

In its first phase, the project has been successful in translating opportunities for rural town management into tangible and practical case studies demonstrating benefits, costs savings and opportunities for service improvements using embedded device connection functionality in relevant IoT sensor sets.

Several opportunities have been identified as to how this project might move forward with funding, ranging from a commission of a feasibility report to analyse outputs to date to see what outcomes can be extracted from those, and look in depth at the wide range of opportunities that are available.

Also in Offaly under the innovation stream, a Water Flow/Level Recording project has been awarded €14,268, which will use the learnings from Edenderry IoT to measure parameters on flow levels and flood management, as well as water quality for environment safety.

This project’s description states that this will be done by building a Programme Logic Controller which will be integrated “into a custom Printed Circuit Board with input connectivity from a range of IoT sensors.”

The project leaders have also identified the opportunity to work with Meath County Council, the Local Authorities Water Programmes Office, the OPW and the EPA.

Speaking at the announcement of the funding, Minister Humphreys said: “The Digital Innovation Programme is designed to encourage innovation and collaboration, and to help us to work smarter in supporting rural Ireland. The range of projects approved today showcase the imagination, energy and expertise that exists in rural Ireland.

Speaking following the news that Edenderry is to receive two awards totalling €49,000 under the Digital Innovation Programme, Cllr Mark Hackett said: "Innovative solutions to environmental problems are needed now and I am delighted that Edenderry, with thanks to the County Council and Cellnex, is leading the way as a Smart Town. This funding is for two projects, the first in watercourse management and water quality and the second building on the success of IOT sensors already helping with the management of public services in the town. Well done to all involved.”

"The Digital Innovation Programme is an initiative of the Department of Rural and Community Development. It is designed to encourage local authority led projects that support digital development. The Offaly projects included in today’s announcement are both by ‘e-denderry’, an IoT – Internet of Things project between Offaly County Council and Cellnex . It has been successful in translating opportunities of IoT for rural town management into tangible and practical case studies demonstrating benefits, costs savings and opportunities for service improvements using embedded device connection functionality in relevant IoT sensor sets," he added.