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Outdoor Comfort Project – RAK Municipality Internship experience
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January 8, 2024There has been a noticeable increase in thermal stress in recent years, which has had negative effects on public health, energy consumption, productivity at work, and the use of public areas. Setting the management of outdoor comfort as a top priority will help to reduce these issues and improve liveability. High temperatures pose a serious risk to human health, especially when they are high and can have lethal consequences. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released alarming data showing that, in 2022, the minimum estimate of heat-related mortality in Europe was 15,000 people.
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- Dr. Shamik Palit, Associate Professor , Computer Science and Software Engineering
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- Ms. Preetha VK, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Natural Science
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- Ms. Preetha VK, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Natural Science
The summers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are particularly hot, reaching temperatures as high as 50°C [2]. The UAE is renowned for its blistering temperatures. The RAK Municipality in the United Arab Emirates has initiated the Outdoor Comfort Project with the objective of improving the comfort levels of outdoor areas and reducing the negative impacts of elevated temperatures on inhabitants and guests. Four different locations in RAK were tested for this project: Bear Grylls Adventure Camp, Wadi Shawka, Jebel Jais, and Corniche. In terms of geographic position, climatic conditions, and outdoor amenities, each site offers distinctive features.
A comparative study was carried out in order to obtain a thorough grasp of outdoor comfort and its variations across the places under investigation. The four outdoor comfort levels at these locations are thoroughly analysed in this research, with particular attention paid to temperature and humidity conditions. This study attempts to uncover possible areas for development and offer insightful information about the efficacy of current comfort enhancement strategies by examining and comparing comfort levels.
This research offers a thorough investigation of the use of machine learning models to forecast outdoor comfort system performance. The study, which focuses on predicting temperature and humidity values, is based on a dataset gathered from several projects in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), United Arab Emirates. Using important metrics, the models under evaluation—Random Forest Learner, Neural Network, and SVM—were examined. The study’s conclusions offer useful information gleaned from the data analysis procedure and machine learning models’ output. The Random Forest Learner outperformed the other models under evaluation in terms of accurately predicting outcomes and capturing data variability.
The study also suggests incorporating machine learning models into an enterprise-based decision support system to help with project management and planning for outdoor comfort. Through the utilization of these models’ predictive powers, stakeholders can make well-informed decisions on the design and optimisation of systems, thereby increasing efficiency and lowering project costs.
The project was a combination of Sensor Technology , Data Analysis & Machine Learning. We have started with initial meeting with project managers and concerned team members to gain requirements and understand the existing system in place. We then visited several parts of RAK to collect data from sensors and finally started doing an extensive analysis on the available data.
Finally, we came up with a Research Article as one of the key deliverables and submitted the same in one of the international conferences going to take place in RAK. Apart from that , we have provided technical consultation using presentation to the project manager in terms of incorporating data analysis strategies along with a smart sensor framework to make the workflow of the existing system in more efficient manner to produce accurate analysis , prediction, and throughput. The initial results have validated the proposal, indicating that when more accurate data is available, we can retrain the model and utilize it for predicting the performance of outdoor comfort projects.
The concerned stakeholders were satisfied, and we have expressed our interest to continue with the implementation of the project in future involving our students ,as far as applicable.
If there is a higher budget, it is recommended to opt for an IoT framework. This will enhance data collection and provide the ability to control devices online. The online streaming of sensor data can be utilized to promote tourism in RAK across multiple websites.
Knowledge Management Project :
This project was related to managing data and information of RAK Municipality in more sophisticated manner. The existing system was rigorously scrutinized, and explored multiple technical solutions which can fulfil the client requirement in a feasible manner.
The following features have been observed:
There are 11 main folders which includes all department of RAK Municipality.
Information regarding the stakeholder to access specific subfolders with proper rights are required.
Restructuring of the existing structure is required, whenever a duplicate files / folder detected. Under one specific stakeholder/ department, redundant files can be merged. Version of the files needs to be validated before merging.
Based on the requirement, an access control policy can be designed.
Create an interactive form to submit files which will be more convenient and reduced the confusion for selecting the right location of the folder for an end user. Based on the required level of freedom given to the end user, we can select one of the proposed solution:
- Zoho Creator
- Ms Teams Forms
- JotForm
- Google Forms
Create an interactive Tree Structure where folders can be assigned a link , through which end user can access respective files with access rights. The following Methodologies for Creating folders :
Solution 1 :
MS Teams and Creately Integration:
Microsoft Teams is one of the best ways to organize folders and files. Integrating Teams with Creately can help to visualize the folder hierarchy and files using a Tree Structure and every folder can be accessible using the predefined SharePoint link.
Using this solution mentioned above , all end user can upload files in specific location by clicking on the folder icon and it will reduce the probability of allocating the file in wrong location. It is safe and secured as data will be stored in organizational OneDrive.
Solution 2:
A Tree View Like structure can also be created using the following Open-Source Software which will be much convenient for the end user to understand the organizational structure before finding the correct folder location.
The structure is very conveniently configured using the software. The absolute path of every folder can also be explored using the software. A chart can be created and shared with all end user which will drastically reduce human error of uploading the file in wrong location.
Solution 3 :
An effective solution can be created using Ms Visio. An interactive hierarchy folder hierarchy with tree view structure can be created with respective hyperlink of the folders and files. This is a very secured and optimal solution can be done in a very convenient way and enhance end user experience in uploading and retrieving files without having any technical error.
Finally, we produced a technical document regarding standard protocols to be used for creating and naming files and directories along with technical strategies for storing and retrieving information in a hassle-free manner. The same idea has also been presented in front of the project manager and team members. They are keen to adopt the solution in near future.
Solar Project :
The aim is to make an online platform where, by entering few inputs, people can get suggestion of a best suited solar plant, along with its cost and benefits. The target users are owners of home, institutions, and industries in Ras Al Khaimah. Based on the critical inputs, a solar plant capacity is suggested. When using the climate data, no shading is assumed. An extensive reporting needs to be produced regarding cost benefit, IRR etc. A detailed software requirement specification has been designed, incorporating functional and non-functional requirements. The concerned stakeholders are satisfied, and we are expecting to be a part of the implementation phase of the project in the near future along with the students.
Proposals for Smart Road Constructions for EV in the city of RAK :
A detailed technical proposal has been submitted to RAK Municipality regarding construction of electro magnetic induction based smart roads / lanes where an EV can be charged automatically when it will drive through the proposed smart road. The proposal includes the use of dedicated web services & mobile application for charging , as well as incorporating adequate level of security for the protection of drivers and pedestrians.
With Charging as a Service (CaaS) model [5], upfront investment by fleet operators is not required. Instead, the fleet operator pays a monthly subscription fee that covers the wireless charging infrastructure, operation, maintenance, and our advanced smart charging software services. It will be cost-effective, end-to-end charging infrastructure and services, including dynamic charging wireless Electric Roads, to fleet operators via flexible business models to accelerate electric vehicle adoption.
The project manager has expressed his interest to forward the proposal to the concerned department of RAK Government to take it ahead further. We have expressed our strategies to implement the prototype of the enterprise system with the support of our students of SmartIT Club.
Authors:
- Dr. Shamik Palit, Associate Professor , Computer Science and Software Engineering, Head – Corporate Outreach & Research Innovation Committee.
- Ms. Preetha VK, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Natural Science
- Ms. Jimy, Lecturer, Faculty of Natural Sciences