Nottinghamshire County Council - May 2022

Cultivating the world's first 5G Connected Forest IN ASSOCIATION WITH:

DIGITAL REPORT 2022

IN ASSOCIATION WITH:

2

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

CULTIVATING THE WORLD'S FIRST 5G CONNECTED FOREST

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

3

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Nottinghamshire County Council’s Ceren Clulow walks us through a digital dreamworld, where technology and nature connect in unexpected, transformative ways idden amid a copse showing the early signs of spring – newly-sprouting leaves, green shoots and a morning chorus of birds – is a scene so tranquil and seemingly untouched, you wouldn’t imagine that it could be the site of one of the most innovative, far-reaching digital projects in the UK showcasing the true extent of 5G capabilities.

But there’s one woman who could see the scope of potential being overlooked in natural spaces such as Sherwood Forest and Rufford Abbey Country Park in Nottinghamshire.

“In one of my visits to Sherwood Forest, I realised that it has so much potential but

doesn't have any connectivity to do anything – for social media sharing, to connect people, to enhance the visitor experience,” explains Ceren Clulow, Digital Connectivity Manager, Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC), and Ericsson’s ‘5G Trailblazer’.

Imagining a world where nature and technology could be inextricably linked together, Clulow set about turning her ambitious vision into reality. She embarked upon a state-of-the-art digital connectivity project in and around the world famous Sherwood Forest area, located in the north of Nottinghamshire, in early 2020.

Clulow beams with pride as she elaborates on her fascinating journey: “I was looking for some funding opportunities and came across one from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport [DCMS]. In the briefing event I attended, I said, ‘I have an ambition.

After doing some research, I’ve found that there is not a forest in the world that has 5G connectivity. Do you think this is possible? Do you think we can test if 5G works in a forest?’. So, I got the push from DCMS to go for it – ‘Let's try, don't stop’.”

And that’s how the 5G Connected Forest was born – the first of its kind.

“ I said, ‘I have an ambition. After doing some research, I’ve found that there is not a forest in the world that has 5G connectivity.

Do you think this is possible? Do you think we can test if 5G works in a forest?’”

CEREN CLULOW

DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY MANAGER, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

4

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

Example of an image caption nottinghamshire.gov.uk

5

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Leading Nottinghamshire to a technologically-integrated, sustainable future Aiming to transform and uplift natural spaces within the locality, the project was based around the concept of a 5G-connected forest at its very core. It would include various strands, such as leisure, rural conservation, careers and skills, and health and social care, to make it a well-rounded project beneficial for future generations.

“The Council has property, planning, commissioning, highways, travel, transport, infrastructure and economic growth and development under the Place Department.

We’ve always thought of digital as an enabler in bringing innovations to these different areas,” says Clulow.

ONE NETWORK ANY CLOUD ALL

6

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

SOFTWARE

“ One of my strengths is that I never give up – so I didn't. I found some partners and we shared an ambition”

CEREN CLULOW TITLE: DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY MANAGER COMPANY: NOTTHINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL INDUSTRY: PUBLIC SECTOR LOCATION: NOTTINGHAM, UK

CEREN CLULOW

DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY MANAGER, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE BIO

Determined to get the project underway, Clulow established links with influential businesses, 5G network providers, tech companies, and academic institutes primarily within the Midlands, to draw out the best of both nature and technology for the purposes of conservation, education, health, and social mobility.

The process of getting the project off the ground was much more difficult than first expected, however, as Clulow explains: “I contacted major national operators, getting fully closed doors in my face and ‘no, we can't do it, it's too difficult’ – some parts of this forest are really protected, so you can't even walk in them. And, of course, with hundreds of thousands of years of forest, people think it’s the last place you can bring in innovation, which is why everybody was saying, ‘no, it's impossible’.

“One of my strengths is that I never give up – so I didn't. I found some partners and we shared an ambition. We thought about the kinds of use cases, identifying visitor experience and environmental management, both of which are really key at the moment. Then I applied for the funding, where I must have convinced DCMS, and secured £10m from them to bring the first 5G signal into a forest setting.”

Ceren has been working for the Council almost 15 years.

Over the last few years as Digital Connectivity Manager, Ceren has been responsible for driving the use of digital technologies to improve business productivity and economic growth across Nottinghamshire. During this time, she has single-handedly secured several million pounds of funding via numerous bidding processes to extend the digital connectivity in Nottinghamshire. Ceren is committed to seeing Nottinghamshire at the heart of the digital industry and at the centre of the regional, national, and international tourism map.

The initial idea was formulated with Sherwood Forest in mind, a location associated with the legend of Robin Hood.

Today, it's a 450-acre natural reserve managed by the RSPB, a third-party shared organisation that NCC works with to preserve and maintain the sustainability of the forest. Within the forest’s expanse, there are hundreds of trees over 500 years old, as well as the rather famous Major Oak that’s estimated to be between 800-1100 years old – all of which is, as you’d expect, heavily protected.

“We were thinking of how we need to protect this forest and show new generations how to do so, while also learning the history,” says Clulow. “So we worked with the RSPB when undertaking trials, asking what we’re allowed to do and where we’re allowed to fly the drones, because we’re not trying to damage nature – we’re trying to work around and with it, while also supporting and protecting it to make it even better.”

8

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL Pupils from King’s Church of England Primary Academy, Newark

“ We were thinking of how we need to protect this forest and show new generations how to do so, while also learning the history. So we worked with the RSPB when undertaking trials” CEREN CLULOW

DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY MANAGER, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Combining and layering the project’s various strands In addition to identifying Sherwood Forest as a 5G trial testbed for technology including AI and robotics, IoT, drones, and augmented reality (AR) Rufford Abbey Country Park – which is just a handful of miles away from the forest – also became a key focus, albeit one with a heavier lean towards device connectivity for leisure and events (more on that later).

Before drilling down into the specifics of what could be done at each site, though, the first step had to revolve around cultivating a 5G network from which other forms of technology could run. This is where Netmore, delivering and operating highly secure networks to nottinghamshire.gov.uk

9

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

NCC: Cultivating the world's first 5G Connected Forest

“ As a local authority, you need to know your area really well.

You need to know your businesses.

You need to know your community really well” CEREN CLULOW

DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY MANAGER, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

10

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

enable connectivity for IoT devices and open up the opportunities of 5G, got involved, along with Mavenir, which provided the necessary equipment for the project.

“Another one of my strengths is partnership and relationship management – meeting with people, networking and also sharing my ambition,” says Clulow matter-of-factly about her uncanny ability to put anyone and everyone around her at ease. “Pitching the target and trying to find a solution, I met with Netmore’s Stefan Stanislawski at a conference in London.

During a coffee break, we were just chatting – and I must have been pitching it really well because he was really interested and came up with some solutions. We just started a brainstorming session. And then we became partners.

“As a local authority, you need to know your area really well. You need to know your businesses. You need to know your community really well. What are their needs, what they want, what they don't like, the number of businesses, who are their local communities, schools, academic

partners? This is what we do in the Growth, Infrastructure and Development team at the authority. We work really close with our business and communities.”

This then started Clulow off on identifying small- and medium-sized businesses, enterprises and educational institutes in the Nottinghamshire and Midlands’ region that could become solid partners in the 5G project – which is how the likes of Gooii, ISPB, Parkwood Leisure, Birmingham City University (BCU) and Nottingham Trent University (NTU) got involved. nottinghamshire.gov.uk

11

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

“Gooii and ISPB are local smalland medium-sized enterprises from Nottinghamshire and they became our partners. We knew that we had some really innovative academic institutions in the region, too, in Birmingham City University and Nottingham Trent University – they just understood the role they could play,” Clulow says, creating a picture of the partner ecosystem underpinning the project. “Parkwood Leisure, which manages Rufford Abbey Country Park, was involved from the very start, in early discussions.

They're one of our largest businesses, managing the Abbey and grounds for Nottinghamshire County Council.”

Although she successfully managed to pull together a skilled team and identify key elements to focus on, the road ahead wasn’t a smooth one – but for reasons no-one could have anticipated.

“Two weeks after this project launched, we went through a pandemic that impacted the world. Not everyone could stay on the project. All of the partners I mentioned, though, stayed on the project throughout, they delivered it. They continued working on the project plan because they really wanted to see that result,” Clulow says.

Despite the setback and obvious difficulties wrought by the pandemic, the team carried on working together to make their shared vision a reality – and the fruits of their labour are more than Story cont. evident today. on page 34 12

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

PARNERSHIPS IN FOCUS

B

efore we continue our footsteps on the path to rural 5G connectivity in Nottinghamshire, we're going to take an in-depth look at all the influential partners inspired by Ceren Clulow's vision, without whom the project simply would have fallen flat.

Each partner company had a significant impact on the overall direction of the project,

leading areas related to entertainment, education, conservation, careers, mental health and wellness, and robotics.

A project of such ambitious magnitude takes a proverbial army to set in motion; luckily, everyone involved was dedicated to the cause, even in spite of a global pandemic shutting everywhere down!

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

13

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

UTILISING BCU ADVANCED NETWORKS AND AI TECH FOR CONSERVATION

Birmingham City University’s Assoc Prof Taufiq Asyhari & Dr Moad Idrissi discuss the revolutionary technology transforming forest management for the future

S

ituated slap-bang in the Midlands, Birmingham City University benefits from the easily accessible, central position of the third most populous city in the UK. It’s perhaps why Nottinghamshire County Council’s Ceren Clulow partnered up with BCU’s Associate Professor Taufiq Asyhari and Dr Moad Idrissi when looking at different use cases for her 5G Connected Forest project – envisioning ways that the technology being designed and developed could benefit Sherwood Forest and beyond.

Dr Asyhari, an Associate Professor of Networks and Communications, explains how he came to be involved in the project: “My journey into this project started in March 2020, when I was asked by the Head of School for Computing and Digital Technology to lead this big profile project. We reviewed the scope of the project and, as a university

14

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

with primary tasks focused on environmental management, we decided to leverage our ground robots and aerial robots to conduct forest monitoring.”

“Since then, we have been engaging quite closely with our lead partner, Nottinghamshire County Council, in terms of getting these targets and deliverables done,” he adds. “From the beginning, we looked at how we could put technical specifications on the robots and drones to help us achieve our objective. Then we looked at the design of the robot and drone functionalities, incorporating state-of-the-art elements of digital technology, such as artificial intelligence and 5G connectivity, to see how we could harness their power in an area where it’s had limited use before – which is, in this case, environmental management.”

With these pieces of technology, the BCU team managed to meet objectives,

PARNERSHIPS IN FOCUS

“equipping the robots and drones with advanced functionalities” to enable the capturing of vital data about the forest setting both above and below the tree canopy.

For Dr Idrissi, who has a PhD in Aerial Robotics and is an ardent fan of anything related to electronics, robotics, and automation, the experience has been one to remember. “My particular role was to focus on the control aspect of the robot, which involves formulating and programming the system to achieve a degree of autonomy.

Another part of my role also involves robot navigation and monitoring, which are particularly about deploying the robot to move around the forest, analyse its health, and then come back to the station from which it was sent.”

“Robots are, again, devices that involve mechanical aspects, as well as electronics.

The fact is, by bringing these things together, along with LIDAR sensors and depth cameras, I have had the opportunity to develop such a smart system. And I'm very proud of what has been achieved so far,” he adds.

While the project itself has the propensity to hugely uplevel the type of environmental management and sustainability initiatives in place to benefit forests and woodlands, it was also an opportunity to work with some of the most advanced tech currently in existence.

“The beautiful thing about this project is that I have had the privilege to work on some of the state-of-the-art sensors, as well as working with one of the best drones on the market. Some of the latest cameras developed by Intel are particularly focused on creating technology that can enable the

user to capture images and get information from those images in order to do certain tasks. So with this kind of technology, we have managed to collect very, very important information, such as forest health indicators,” outlines Dr Idrissi enthusiastically, which Dr Asyhari echoes.

“For me, academia is one of the most ideal places to work because we have freedom to do our job. We have the capability to choose whichever research area we want to work on,” says Dr Asyhari. “One of the biggest things I can take from this project is that it allowed us not just to do something interesting technically, but also to do something that potentially can lead to real societal impact.”

Now, the future of this technology is all about expanding the use cases to explore it from a more commercialised point of view, so that it can benefit different areas of society.

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

15

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

TAUFIQ ASYHARI TITLE: ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

DR MOAD IDRISSI

INDUSTRY: EDUCATION & RESEARCH

TITLE: RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

LOCATION: BIRMINGHAM, UK

COMPANY: BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY: EDUCATION & RESEARCH

EXECUTIVE BIO

LOCATION: BIRMINGHAM, UK

16

Dr Moad Idrissi is a Research Associate in the field of Smart Computing and Robotics. He is the primary robotic expert for the multimillion pound 5G Connected Forest.

In May 2021, his PhD in Aerial Robotics from Birmingham City University was successfully completed in addition to the MSc in Embedded Systems gained from The University of Birmingham.

Moad has published multiple papers in peer-reviewed IEEE conferences and Q1 rated Journals with contributions to securing international funding.

With over 5 years of teaching and research experience, his primary interests are now focused on vision-based autonomous robots using AI and HumanRobot interaction.

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

Associate Professor Taufiq Asyhari currently leads the Future Information Networks (FINET) Research Cluster at Birmingham City University. As an award-winning researcher, he was trained as an information theorist with a PhD from Cambridge University and has served as the Academic Principal Investigator for the multi-million pound 5G Connected Forest funded by the UK DCMS. Taufiq has accumulated a wealth of research leadership experience in advanced networking, information processing and machine learning with applications in environmental management, renewable energy, digital healthcare, and smart city.

He has published more than 60 peerreviewed research articles in the leading international academic journals and conferences.

EXECUTIVE BIO

COMPANY: BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY

EXECUTIVE BIO

PARNERSHIPS IN FOCUS

PHIL HASTED TITLE: DIRECTOR COMPANY: GOOII LTD INDUSTRY: APP DEVELOPMENT & WEBSITE DESIGN LOCATION: NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, UK Phil Hasted is a Director at Gooii Ltd. and is responsible for designing and overseeing the development of the company’s interactive and mobile applications.

He’s an expert in all the steps required to produce high quality projects and is an emerging technologies enthusiast.

At Gooii’s heart is Phil’s push for the use of advanced technologies, often using these in new and innovative ways. Phil is also trying close the gap between cinema and augmented reality, via the use of mixed reality headsets and holograms. Other skills include the creation and writing of the stories and concepts that inform these innovative developments.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

W

e're a company who act as designers and developersfor-hire. We come up with great projects and great ideas, then we leverage the latest technologies such as the Microsoft HoloLens to develop the content.”

Phillip Hasted is every bit the unconventional business director. Stylewise, he’s akin to a rockstar turning up for a casual magazine interview – albeit one equipped with a bottle of water and some mind-blowingly expensive headsets over the usual suspects. But it’s exactly this unconventionality that sets the augmented and virtual reality development agency, Gooii Ltd, apart from others.

18

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

“Myself and some of the other directors used to work together, and we had a vision to begin a far more ambitious and creative company than the one we used to work for, so we left to start Gooii,” Hasted says proudly.

To be truly innovative, especially in a society increasingly led by the evolution of technology, a certain amount of risk and outof-the-box thinking is needed. Luckily, Gooii is more than capable of this, its partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council being the perfect example.

“Ceren contacted us and asked us to be part of the project,” says Hasted. “Our aim is to deliver 5G connectivity to rural areas.

And, specifically from our perspective, we wanted to bring Robin Hood to life. So our

PARNERSHIPS IN FOCUS

GOOII LTD’S ROLE IN GROUNDBREAKING 5G CONNECTED FOREST One of Gooii’s Directors, Phillip Hasted, explains how the virtual and augmented reality development agency lent a hand to NCC to bring Robin Hood to life

big, ambitious idea was to bring Augmented Reality content to the forest, via the interactive holographic movie, ‘Robin Hood: An Arrow Through Time’.”

“Now, we're in the position of trialling everything. The 5G technology has been installed in the forest, we've developed the content, and now we're running the experience to see how it works with the network,” explains Hasted. “We're also trying it out with visitors so they can provide us with real world feedback, which we can then use to improve the holographic experience.”

So, with the trials almost over and launch just around the corner, what’s next for Gooii?

“The aim of Gooii as a company is to try and deliver innovative content that's using

the latest technologies,” says Hasted. “So we've got future collaborations after this project as well, where we’re going to be working with NTU. We're also planning on working with Netmore on more projects, too.

“As well as working with the council, we're all going to continue this ecosystem outside of these two projects and hopefully collaborate more going forward.”

Hasted concludes: “As a company, we're trying to deliver excellence wherever we can.

So we're all for our employees and working with our clients – we just really want to push the boundaries of what's possible and deliver the best projects we can, using technology to blur the lines between AR & VR, cinema, theatre and live events.”

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

19

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

DEVELOPING 5G INFRASTRUCTURE FOR CONNECTIVITY Netmore’s Stefan Stanislawski and Andrew Fisher highlight the challenges, successes and use cases of 5G infrastructure

W

hen leading multinetwork IoT operators Netmore first heard about Ceren Clulow and Nottinghamshire County Council’s plan to bring 5G connectivity to rural areas such as Sherwood Forest and Rufford Abbey

20

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

Country Park, Non-Executive Director Stefan Stanislawski remembers thinking, “Good luck with that!”.

You see, enabling 5G connectivity – and, realistically, even 4G connectivity – in a forest setting had yet to be done, predominantly due to the slew of difficulties such a project would entail. Although Stanislawski was initially sceptical, he soon warmed to the idea, persuaded by Clulow’s infectious enthusiasm and can-do attitude, and began building his own team to get everything into action.

So, what exactly were some of the biggest difficulties that Netmore encountered?

According to Andrew Fisher, who became Head of Projects for the Swedish company not long after the pandemic kicked off, the biggest setback predominantly surrounded “obtaining the equipment”: “Because it’s new technology, there's a shortage of equipment, as well as because of the pandemic-related silicon

PARNERSHIPS IN FOCUS

shortage, which means you don't get the chips that you need. So you end up with delays.”

The project has also been beleaguered with companies “developing systems and devices that they say will do what it says on the tin, but in actuality, when you receive it, you struggle to make it work”. Fisher has worked closely with engineers because of this.

“I was working with Sergey, who's our chief architect and also who's very hands-on with all the equipment, making it work. I was trying to pick up what he was doing so that I could help pass information back to the directors,” he explains, before adding with a chuckle, “I've often considered myself to be the geek-tohuman interface.”

Getting the infrastructure to the trialling stage has required a huge amount of learning and adjusting along the way, but this has been beneficial for the project overall, helping it to be delivered successfully on

time. “If you fail quickly, you make progress quickly, and the guys have just been phenomenal with their attitude and making this work through all the stresses and strains of life that we've all been through.”

Now the infrastructure is in place, Fisher says: “We're in a situation where, commercially, we could probably do something straight after these trials.”

Stanislawski is excited about the possibilities open before the company, acknowledging further use cases for more visitor attractions at Rufford, as well as the ways in which IoT devices can aid water management at a minute level. In short, the possibilities are endless.

“It's not all about profit and business. It's about giving back to people as well, because they're going to enjoy the process of it,” says Fisher, highlighting the true purpose of the 5G Connected Forest.

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

21

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

STEFAN STANISLAWSKI TITLE: NON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMPANY: NETMORE IOT SOLUTIONS LTD INDUSTRY: IOT/TELECOM

EXECUTIVE BIO

LOCATION: LONDON, UK

22

Stefan has had a long career in telecom finance and strategy across over 70 countries.

For some years I have followed the growth of Netmore in Sweden and its impressive range of activities in wireless and property focused communications. I first became aware of the company in 2006 when I became involved with the forerunner team building what was then a highly innovative new type of long-range mobile phone and data network which achieved national coverage in the difficult terrains of Sweden and Norway.

In 2019, I reconnected with Netmore in Sweden which now also had IoT & property

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

(building focussed) networking as well as private mobile networks. The combination of these wireless technologies - particularly with LoRaWAN long battery life IoT - opens up many exciting possibilities. Inspired, we agreed to bring the innovative Nordic experience to the UK and adapt the business model as needed to UK customer needs.

Shortly after setting up Netmore in the UK, I came across Ceren Clulow of Notts CC and the 5G Connected Forest project.

Together we decided to invest in and build a groundbreaking private 5G network using radio spectrum newly liberalised by the UK telecom regulator, Ofcom. This was - and still is - all very new; new technology, new radio frequencies, the novel idea of private 5G which in turn needs new devices. Covid of course caused many, many problems but in the end, we delivered three different 5G networks in four locations thanks to much hard work by the team (and a little bit of luck!).

EXECUTIVE BIO

PARNERSHIPS IN FOCUS

ANDREW FISHER TITLE: HEAD OF PROJECT DELIVERY COMPANY: NETMORE INDUSTRY: IOT/TELECOM LOCATION: NOTTINGHAM, UK 25 years in Telco and ICT Project Delivery. Previously an optic specialist REME MOD Civilian. After my 12 years at MOD I decided to get a degree in Computing Systems. When you add Optics to Computers you get telecoms networks. I have been delivering associated projects as a project manager since 1998.

I have been described as a safe pair of hands and the geek to human interface.I love all types of technology, and have been involved in the delivery of many different types.

Key Roles I have enjoyed: 5G Connected Forest – Robin Hood.

E2E Delivery of a standalone 5G network “yes in a forest.”

Various VoIP Telephony projects – 59,000 users for Zurich Finanz, 16,000 users for Scottish Widows, 54,000 users for adidas (54 Countries).

Fibre networks as Scandinavian Transmission Network Manager, 18,000KM Pan European fibre network.

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

23

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

24

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

PARNERSHIPS IN FOCUS

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

25

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

PREPARING FUTURE GENERATIONS FOR A TECH-ENABLED WORLD

ISPB’s Nick Mellors explains how the 5G Connected Forest inspired the UK’s first 5G careers programme to expand the horizons of the next generations

NICK MELLORS TITLE: DIRECTOR COMPANY: ISPB INDUSTRY: BUSINESS CONSULTANCY

EXECUTIVE BIO

LOCATION: NOTTINGHAM, UK

26

Nick is the Director of ISPB and Innovation Nottinghamshire, a not-for-profit company created to promote innovation, business and career opportunities in Nottinghamshire, the East Midlands and across the UK. He is also the business, skills and collaboration lead for the county’s 5G Connected Forest and Digital Innovation Centre projects; with a remit to support local students and young people broaden their life and career horizons through an understanding of the opportunities available through 5G and its related technologies (such as AR/VR, robotics, autonomous vehicles, and the Internet of Things).

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

PARNERSHIPS IN FOCUS

N

ottingham is a big, bustling, trendy city. Despite this, though, the county it sits within contains areas with some of the poorest social mobility opportunities in the country. In other words, while it may not be as deprived as other areas in the country, up-and-coming generations in some parts of the county face major challenges accessing work and career opportunities.

To counteract this, founder of ISPB Nick Mellors performs an integral, endlessly valuable role across higher education institutions (as well as among other settings, such as the NHS, the private sector, and local and central government). As such, with over 30 years’ experience in public sector commercial services, Mellors is in a position to provide independent advice and widen the horizons of students who feel that their options are limited.

So, how did he become a part of the 5G Connected Forest project? “By accident is the simple answer,” Mellors grins.

“At ISPB, we also do business consultancy, and part of that is supporting bid writing for funding. I got a phone call from one of the partners of the project to say, ‘We've got this bid to write, would you be able to help us at all?’ and so I said, ‘Yeah, happy to pop over and take a look now’. By lunchtime I'd become a project partner. Ceren’s to blame for that – she's very persuasive,” he adds with a twinkle in his eye.

Mellors then goes on to explain how, just 10 days into the project, COVID19 hit and caused plans to be reshaped:

“Through a contact at a local school, I was asked to do a talk during lockdown that got such a good response, that other colleges got in touch with me and I realised we had a legitimate programme on our hands. So from talking to students, I realised that there was a great appetite in colleges and schools to understand what this thing called 5G would mean for us, how it could be used, and how it was going to affect every single business sector – and therefore every career – that people entering the world of work are going to be involved in.”

As a result of this, Mellors has worked with over a thousand students across Nottinghamshire, highlighting the different facets of the 5G project, including the other technology 5G is enabling, such as unmanned aerial drones, robotic AI dogs, IoT, and AR/VR headsets.

“Knowing that this stuff is happening on your doorstep is a really powerful message, especially in communities that are often overlooked. When we talk with students about them being the first people in the whole country to take part in this programme and how Nottinghamshire might well have more 5G testbeds than any other county in the country; you can really see their eyes light up,” Mellors concludes.

For a county entrenched in traditional mining and rural communities, where wide-ranging career opportunities can be scarce, the introduction of a programme designed to showcase the role of 5G and other tech within businesses and careers has the potential to be transformational for future generations.

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

27

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

UTILISING 5G CONNECTIVITY FOR PHYSICAL & MENTAL WELLNESS Nottingham Trent University’s Prof Eiman Kanjo explains how 5G connectivity can help revitalise people’s mental and physical health in a post-pandemic world

F

or someone with a wealth of brain power such as Nottingham Trent University’s Prof. Eiman Kanjo, linking pervasive societal problems with targeted, cuttingedge technology to devise solutions is more than just a passion; it’s a vocation. Hence why she has worked consistently for the past two years as an integral partner in Nottinghamshire County Council’s 5G Connected Forest project.

“I'm a professor of Pervasive Computing and Mobile Sensing at NTU, where I lead the Smart Sensing Lab and the basic computing group within the university’s computer sales department,” says Prof. Kanjo. “We build sensing systems where we collect and label data, and then analyse it, with the data coming from devices like wearables or edge devices or IoT devices. Then we try to come up with insights or interventions to support people to change their behaviour or to support a particular community or other sorts of applications.”

Whether mental wellbeing or crime prevention, the idea is that the data

28

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

collected can be manipulated to form discrete interventional solutions to address commonalities. Prof. Kanjo’s years of experience working at prestigious universities on mobile and smartphone technology – as well as other technological and digital foci – makes her an ideal partner for NCC in developing forward-thinking tech with alternative aims and outcomes. As such, she had a crucial role to play in developing the 5G-enabled IoT and AI platform called TagWithMe (www.Tagwithme. com). Central to this is an app developed for Rufford Country Park called ‘Tag in The Park’. But what is this app and how does it work?

“Visitors will be presented with 16 different points of interest across the location, in the form of small images. When they get close to one of these points of interest, the related devices embedded around the park can detect their presence and it triggers one of three types of challenges. These are AI challenges, where visitors have to point their phone – with the camera on – towards part

PARNERSHIPS IN FOCUS of the feature, which could be a sculpture for example,” Prof. Kanjo explains. “Then the phone, using AI technology, will recognise that sculpture and give them some information about it. One of the other IoT challenges is to find and tap a nearby tag. The third challenge is a quiz where users are presented with a question they have to answer, and they are shown three different options to choose from.

She continues: “When they complete that particular challenge, they get a point. The idea is that, when they reach a specific score, they will be rewarded with a coffee or a sweet treat and so on, which can be decided by the venue managers. These points can be carried out for other visits, for example, if this is built into a subscription based kind of system.”

Following the restrictions of the pandemic, which called for isolation, social distancing and multiple lockdowns, the app is a welcome reprieve for those who have missed in-person connections, fresh air, and beautiful scenery. Now, it is being considered for other applications in the locality, including mental health, physical activities and crime prevention use cases.

“We are looking at ways where we can put a system or test bid for different regions or councils, helping people to be aware of the issues or problems in their local areas, or be offered some kind of information as to who to reach and increasing social prescribing. So, in a way, it could be location proximity-based.

“We also work with end-user organisations who are helping us in terms of how we can customise this for crime prevention. We work with a number of police forces in Nottingham and London to see how this tech could be used to improve crime prevention in those areas.

“I could also imagine it in a school, where the whole lesson is given in an open space in the courtyard, or in the playground, where they have different areas around the playground and the children have to visit each one to learn about specific parts of a topic.

“Right now, though, we are preparing for a test bid with a mental health hospital in Nottingham, because it's very relevant to what they want to achieve in terms of engaging their patients, staff and medical students in the natural environment around them. In the little garden

they have near the hospital, we are embedding our devices to see if we can help in terms of storytelling and motivational messages.”

So, what exactly does Prof. Kanjo envision the future of this technology being?

“We are currently looking at improving the processing power and ability of these devices, and moving towards edge computing, which will enable us to connect these devices collaboratively. So, in a way, they can share intelligence to serve the communities and bridge the gap between the physical and remote.”

We can’t wait to see such a future take shape.

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

29

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

EIMAN KANJO TITLE: PROFESSOR OF PERVASIVE SENSING COMPANY: NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY: EDUCATION LOCATION: NOTTINGHAM, UK Eiman Kanjo is a Professor of Pervasive Sensing at Nottingham Trent Univeristy, where she heads the Smart Sensing lab www.SmartSensingLab.com and recently won the Vice-Chancellor’s Outstanding Researcher Team Award.

Eiman conducts research in Mobile Sensing, and she has written some of the earliest papers on the subject [(NoiseSpy, 2010), (GeoMobSens, 2008), and (MobSens, 2009)]. Eiman is also an expert in developing innovative technologies to transform well-being.

Previously Prof. Kanjo worked at the Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge and at the Computer Science Department, University of Nottingham. She leads the NTU-Turing Data Science network funded by Alan Turing Institute.

30

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

PARNERSHIPS IN FOCUS JUSTIN PALFREY TITLE: ASSISTANT REGIONAL DIRECTOR, NORTH & MIDLANDS COMPANY: PARKWOOD LEISURE INDUSTRY: LEISURE LOCATION:NOTTINGHAM, UK Extensive experience and a passion in the delivery of leisure and sport opportunities for a number of years. I have responsibility for a number of leisure contracts and visitor attractions and this includes ensuring compliance with contract key performance Indicators, maintaining strong partnerships with clients and a strong customer focused approach. Along with this I have a comprehensive understanding of how personal/team contributions impact on the success of the business. Underpinned by: • An MBA from Loughborough University and a passion for sports with involvement in swimming for a number of years and accolades including: Former International Swimmer for Great Britain, Qualified Coach & English Channel solo swim.

• A holistic approach and exposure to a range of work/non work experiences has resulted in all rounded application for overachieving targets and developing quality systems/services during my leisure career.

KIRSTY EDWARDS TITLE: CONTRACT MANAGER COMPANY: RUFFORD ABBEY COUNTRY PARK INDUSTRY: LEISURE LOCATION: NOTTINGHAM, UK Currently responsible for overseeing the day to day commercial operations of the park, and the Mill Weddings and Events venue nestled within the grounds including driving forward the long term business strategy in line with Parkwood Leisure and our client NCC. I am an experienced commercial manager with a demonstrated history of working in the events and leisure industry. Skilled in events management, customer service, business management and development, marketing strategy and customer relationship management.

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

31

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

RECONNECTING RUFFORD WITH ITS REMARKABLE 900-YEAR ROOTS

Parkwood Leisure’s Justin Palfrey and Kirsty Edwards explain how the 5G Connected Forest project help reconnect Rufford Park with its historical roots

32

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

PARNERSHIPS IN FOCUS

E

ver since Parkwood Leisure took over the management of Rufford Abbey Country Park on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council in 2017, improving the offerings of the site to enhance the overall visitor experience has been high up on the agenda. As such, both groups began discussions back in 2019 to discuss the range of possibilities.

Once the possibility of funding a project based around 5G connectivity opened up, Justin Palfrey – Parkwood Leisure Assistant Regional Director for North Midlands – and Contact Manager Kirsty Edwards became more involved in developing an aspect of the project specifically for Rufford Abbey Country Park and Rufford Mill, which isas well as the wedding and events venue situated within the grounds of Rufford Abbey.

“It was quite an exciting project to get involved in – a bit of an unknown, a new challenge for us, as it's very different to some of our core businesses,” states Justin. “We had the kickoff meeting and then sadly, we went into a lockdown. However, we've worked incredibly closely since then building a very strong partnership arrangement with Nottinghamshire County Council, as well as some other 5G Connected Forest regional partners.”

Despite frequent lockdowns and rule changes regarding social distancing, the park has bounced back strongly in terms of recovery from the past few years, with many more visitors coming to enjoy the abundant outdoor space, activities, events and fresh air it offers – which will only be further enhanced by the new Rufford Park app, Android: Rufford Abbey App Google / iOS: Rufford Abbey App

Apple, Abbey Tales interactive experience, and full 5G connectivity.

For Kirsty, who joined the team midway through 2021, the past year has been a busy one full of learning as she worked with other partners to install an interactive historical tour: “Abbey Tales is a really, really exciting project that we've been working on for a really long time, and I’m so proud to be able to launch it.

It's basically been about bringing Rufford Abbey to life through its almost-900-year history.

“In terms of driving it towards people that want to come here and experience the history, it's a really key concept. Visitors can come here and experience the history and immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and even the smells of the past,” Kirsty says.

With its potential for educational applications within primary learning, there’s certainly a lot that the Abbey Tales team can look forward to in future. The same can be said of the stunning park’s wedding packages, which could be substantially expanded and personalised with the capabilities provided by 5G connectivity.

“Another byproduct of 5G is that we've had the infrastructure improved around the park, so we're also able to stream weddings and consider other activities,” says Justin. “Now, we're trying to look at how we develop the wedding part of things, which is already very strong due to our current wedding packages, but it's about how we can further digitalise different elements, going forward.

“We're excited about the future here with the ability to offer alternative services/products at the park, in both the medium- and longterm,” he concludes.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Sherwood Forest: woodland conservation tracing footsteps of Robin Hood Each individual project site had its own core objectives and, as such, its own technology, although both were, of course, given the infrastructure to allow for widespread 5G connectivity.

Three tenets were essential to the Sherwood Forest site and therefore dictated the technology that could be tested and utilised there: conservation and preservation; forest management; and educational entertainment based on local history. Overall, though, the idea was to increase the number of people visiting and benefitting from such a wonderful, natural, local space.

“The inspiration actually came from me not originally being from the UK – I’ve known of Sherwood Forest since I was a child, and I knew Robin Hood was from the county, so I brought my children to walk around. I really wanted to make a change, a difference, for the forest so in the future, I can say, ‘Do you know what? This was my project, I helped to do this’,” Clulow explains, outlining a desire to leave a legacy in a place she has not only made her home, but with which she feels a childhood affiliation.

“Also, climate change is really impacting at the moment and our forest is unfortunately declining – it's getting smaller and smaller, and we want to protect it for future generations. With my role now, it’s about how I can use that initiative to promote environmental sustainability; this is where the passion comes from, because I knew the forest before.”

With full 5G connectivity and other pieces of technology developed by BCU, 34

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

the project trials have demonstrated their effectiveness in monitoring the state of the forest. The robotic dogs are programmed to explore the forest floor using sensors to detect terrain and its overall health, as well as identify the volume of sunlight reaching through the trees. The drones, meanwhile, can fly above the canopy of trees and assess health – from identifying symptoms related to lack of nutrients and poor sunlight to dehydration and disease. With this real-time data, institutes such as the RSPB can act efficiently to preserve and care for the forest.

“It is circular. We want people to come here, to stay here longer, have a different experience than on the walk around. And, maybe in 20 years’ time, they can come

Pupils from King’s Church of England Primary Academy, Newark

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

35

“ We want that world-class digital infrastructure to be used for different technologies on a larger scale” CEREN CLULOW

DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY MANAGER, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

with their own children and have the same experience or the same kind of forest rather than something that’s declining.”

The other element of the Sherwood site is the augmented reality visitor experience, provided by Gooii Ltd, which also wrote and produced what is possibly the world’s first interactive holographic movie, featuring the likes of Robin Hood. And where better to take in the legend of Robin Hood than the very place it’s set?

36

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Promotional video

Rufford Abbey Country Park: bringing history to life At the project’s second site, there was a more human-centred focus on the capabilities 5G connectivity could open up. From eyeopening careers advice and skills practice with ISPB for local students to working with NTU to develop the Rufford Abbey App. With wider connectivity possibilities due to the new 5G infrastructure, Parkwood Leisure has been able to work with other members of the partner ecosystem to develop and install Abbey Tales at Rufford, offering an interactive journey of discovery to visitors and welcoming them to be immersed in the Abbey’s almost 900-year history. This is on top of the additional capabilities 5G offers for wedding packages, particularly in the postpandemic world of Zoom. nottinghamshire.gov.uk

37

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL Each and every element is designed to work seamlessly with and around the others, aiding people in subtle but incredibly useful ways.

The unique app created in conjunction with NTU has a more social, emotional and physical wellness slant to it. In the wake of the pandemic, many people’s physical and emotional health suffered enormously, so the app is designed to encourage families and individuals to explore the grounds of Rufford Abbey in a bid to increase the amount of exercise and fresh air people experience.

38

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

Looking ahead: the future of 5G, IoT, AI, AR and robotics Immersed in the natural beauty of Sherwood Forest and the ruins of Rufford Abbey – nestled within the grounds of Rufford Country Park – the project’s settings act as magical gateways into history, science and the natural world, supported by groundbreaking digital infrastructure and a dedicated team of professionals, a feat many saw as impossible.

With such an unprecedented success on her hands, Clulow is now considering a whole host of options for how she can continue to take this project further, expanding its remit and impacting local communities well into the future.

“We want world-class digital infrastructure to be used for different technologies on a larger scale so that younger generations stay in the county,” she says. “To be successful in this sector, local authorities need to be aware of their assets. The buildings are what we can utilise, and we need to know our not spots and hotspots.

“With that, I mean we need to know where there’s fixed and mobile broadband coverage in each street so that we can identify projects for areas that actually need support – being able to make good decisions comes from being informed.

“ We’ve secured funding from the local government association for a Digital Pathfinders project.”

CEREN CLULOW

DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY MANAGER, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Clulow reveals that she has already dreamed up new directions that she can take the project in: “We’ve secured funding from the local government association for a Digital Pathfinders project. The idea is to fit a device in our waste recycling vehicles, which travel through each street, to help collect data for us about 4G and 5G coverage. Birmingham City University, our delivery partners, will be putting this information into a map and that will be published on our website.

“That map will not only help us to provide some information about the areas requiring support, but it will also help communities and businesses to access the most accurate information for the area. Unfortunately this kind of information is not shared by Ofcom or mobile network operators with the same accuracy. So we want to help residents if they're buying a house, if they are developing a business, if they're expanding

their business – we want to help them and provide the most accurate information for them to use,” she concludes, her mind clearly still buzzing with possible projects to work on.

It’s this imaginative problem solving underpinning the entire project – as well as the unwavering dedication from everyone involved – that really helped the full scope to materialise, in spite of the pandemic and every other obstacle.

Now, as the final tests and trials take place, ready for launch, the team can breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the realisation of what was thought by many to be impossible: a 5G Connected Forest. And there’s no one more to thank for that than Ceren Clulow; a 5G trailblazer, indeed.

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

39

nottinghamshire.gov.uk

Company Name

POWERED BY:

Address line Address line Address line Address line T 01234 5678910 companyname.com POWERED BY: