Dublin City Council, in partnership with Water Security Ireland and the Division for Rural and Group Improvement, this week launched an modern ‘Smart Ring Buoys’ project aimed at saving lives in Ireland’s waters. The Good Dublin initiative labored with know-how partners Civic Built-in Solutions Ltd, mSEMICON Teoranta and ZiggyTec Ltd to develop the low-cost lifesaving expertise, which will present actual-time alerts when life rings are stolen or tampered with. Anti-social misuse of life buoys is an issue for councils across Eire, and greater than 600 sensors will now be put in in eight local authorities including Fingal County Council, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, South Dublin County Council, Dublin Metropolis Council, Laois County Council, Meath County Council, Sligo County Council and Limerick Metropolis & County. The Smart Ring Buoy know-how works by way of low-price sensors paired with a cellular, sleep stage tracking map-primarily based platform with actual-time monitoring. It'll alert water safety officers when ring buoys are tampered with or go lacking and ensure their well timed alternative.

This is a necessary and lifesaving action as a stolen ring buoy may mean a stolen life. Minister for Herz P1 Smart Ring Rural and Group Improvement, Heather Humphreys mentioned: "In 2021 alone, we tragically misplaced 80 lives by drowning. Such incidents have devastating and lengthy-lasting effects on households and communities. "Safety instruments like ring-buoys are in place to save lots of lives and protect individuals when they are near water. Sadly, the theft or vandalism of this life saving equipment is still commonplace in both our rural and city communities. Dublin Metropolis Council is each unique and important. With the help of funding from my department’s Digital Innovation Programme, we will roll out this sensor expertise in 8 totally different local authorities. "This project is a leading example of how the public sector is tacking community challenges with progressive approaches. The venture began again in 2018 as part of a workshop to establish challenges in Dublin’s Sensible Docklands area.

Members of the group highlighted that ring buoys had been often being stolen or tampered with, with a delay to alternative devices being installed. At present, around 15 ring buoys go lacking or are stolen every week from Dublin Metropolis Council alone costing over €20,000 per annum for alternative. Dublin Metropolis Council says it realised that this was a problem not simply in Dublin however across Eire and set out to seek out a solution by way of its Smart Dublin innovation programme. Across Eire there are roughly 5,000 life buoys installed. The mission has taken what’s described as a "unique" method to procurement in an Irish context, led by Dublin City Council, where the Dublin native authorities have been capable of pilot quite a lot of revolutionary solutions initially after which purchase the best solutions as part of a wider framework with 23 native authorities. As well as, the project was shortlisted for an Innovation management award from the European Innovation Council, recognising the efforts executed by the public sector to advertise and implement innovation procurement across Europe.

Speaking about the brand new scheme, Dublin Metropolis Council chief government Owen Keegan mentioned: "This is a good example of collaboration throughout the Irish native authorities and Water Safety Eire through our Sensible Dublin programme. Additionally it is the first time we have now used a procurement strategy like this to pilot an innovative know-how solution earlier than we purchase. Roger Sweeney, performing CEO of Water Security Eire said: "Every yr, ring buoys are used by the general public to avoid wasting lives from drowning nonetheless many ring buoys are recurrently stolen or vandalised. A stolen ring buoy can mean a stolen life. Ring buoys play a vital function in drowning prevention but to do in order that they should all the time be out there and in place. "These smart ring buoys will detect when this essential public rescue equipment is interfered with or stolen. They are going to save on the time that's presently wanted to observe and exchange them and they will provide this data 24 hours a day.