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Cologne-based startup has created what it claims is the world’s first operating system for smart cities. The municipal operating system, ‘urbanOS’, was developed by dataMatters, a spin-off of RWTH Aachen University. It functions similarly to computer or smartphone operating systems, but is optimised for the ‘smartification’ of urban infrastructure, ranging from traffic management and waste disposal to energy supply and public safety. According to the company, this ‘digital town hall’ is highly scalable — capable of meeting the needs of cities, districts and municipalities, from small towns to large metropolitan areas. “The term ‘smart city’ describes a comprehensive concept for a city where data, in the form of smart — ‘intelligent’ — infrastructures, plays a key role. This includes the following areas: buildings, mobility, energy, water, waste management, health care and digital infrastructures,” explained Dr Daniel Trauth, founder and CEO of dataMatters GmbH. “All these areas are covered by urbanOS.”
18 ECD [ELECTRICAL+COMMS+DATA] - JUNE 2025
Planning ahead
The new municipal operating system is based on a multi-layered model: sensors, municipal data space, artificial intelligence (AI), data-driven decision-making, and optimised services for both citizens and local governments. “A wide range of sensors captures what’s happening in the city,” Trauth said. “This information is transferred to a municipal data space, where it is processed using AI. The results are displayed in an urbanCockpit, allowing decision-makers to gain a real-time overview of what’s actually happening in their city, similar to a pilot steering an aircraft.” Thanks to the AI’s predictive capabilities, the urbanCockpit also provides a detailed forecast of future conditions. “This gives municipalities an unprecedented factual basis for urban decision-making,” Trauth said, giving the example of cameras in buses and trains, which “can precisely capture how many seats and standing spots are occupied at different times on various lines”.
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