CENSIS Review 2013-2016

CENSIS Review
2013 – 2016
www.censis.org.uk

Bob Downes
CENSIS Chairman
“A great deal has been
accomplished and this
review showcases the
many ways in which we are
helping businesses with
their sensor and imaging
systems challenges.”
Bob Downes
CENSIS Chairman
Welcome
I am pleased to introduce this overview of some
of the activities that have taken place at CENSIS
since the Innovation Centre was founded in 2013
with the support of the Scottish Funding Council,
Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands
Enterprise. A great deal has been accomplished
and this review showcases the many ways in
which we are helping businesses with their
sensor and imaging systems challenges.
Mirage, our largest strategic research project to date is a £6M private-public
sector investment in the development of compound semiconductor platform
technologies that will see key skilled jobs and technologies being created
in Scotland. Other highlights include the IoT Centre, formed in response to
industry requests to support the rapid development of end-to-end sensor
systems solutions using IoT technologies. You will also read about our latest
large-scale initiative, the LoRa IoT network, developed in conjunction with
industry partners and public sector organisations across Scotland to help
generate even wider business growth.
This review features highlights of innovative projects that have been
generated with the support and knowhow of the CENSIS team. The projects
are extremely diverse, covering everything from environmental risk
monitoring and management to rail track maintenance; and from subsea
systems to pharmaceuticals. However, the common element they all share
is that CENSIS is helping to overcome the significant practical challenges
involved in taking innovation to the marketplace. One of our key strengths
is our ability to deliver Technology Readiness Level (TRL) uplift with our
collaborative projects and we work very hard to help companies and their
academic partners tackle the ‘valley of death technology gap’. At CENSIS,
I am very proud to say that the majority of projects we support bridge this
gap, with most starting at TRL 3 and finishing at TRL 6.
As an industry-led innovation hub for intelligent sensor systems, CENSIS
has at its heart the values, expertise and experience needed to support
business growth and strengthen economic development in Scotland. Our
knowledge of the technical and research landscape continues to grow
and our developing strengths have helped us to break new ground and
strengthen existing Scottish supply chains.
I want to especially thank all of our stakeholders and partners for their
support and I look forward to bringing you all further updates on our
progress in the years to come.
Page 2

CENSIS Review 2013 – 2016
“It is fantastic to see how
CENSIS is succeeding
in gaining mindshare in
Scotland. Your ventures
into IoT are an exciting
area of collaboration and
I look forward to this
continuing and building
on the relationships that
we’ve developed with the
CENSIS team to date.”
Douglas McGarrie
CTO IBM Scotland
Contents
Sensing Opportunities for Scotland ......................... 4
Project and Activity Highlights ................................. 8
Making an Impact ................................................... 14
Page 3

IoT Centre
“We had great help from
the IoT Centre team with
selecting the technology
and providing proof of
concept code. Being able
to hot desk for one or two
days a week in CENSIS
is very useful to allow
development work to be
carried out away from dayto-day
interruptions. We
believe that there could
be significant gains to be
had with get-togethers
with other like-minded
companies – using CENSIS
as a hub to promote
knowledge transfer and to
encourage innovation.”
John Ashley
Technical Services Manager,
FUELlink Systems
Sensing Opportunities
for Scotland
Fast-tracking IoT solutions: the IoT Centre
The IoT Centre is a facility within CENSIS to help businesses overcome many of the
challenges they face in product development around the Internet of Things (IoT) and
is designed to help businesses – normally SMEs – take an IoT product from concept to
prototype in a fraction of the time normally required.
There are different levels of engagement
available depending on the individual need:
n Access to a complete suite of
development devices and software from
world-leading vendors; everything from
hardware to cloud storage
n Stress testing and validation of ideas
n Hot desk space
n Mentoring and support from a skilled
industry-experienced team of hardware,
IoT Centre ‘graduates’ already include:
software and firmware engineers with
50+ years’ collective experience
n The Urban Farming Company
n Connection to CENSIS’ professional
n OBrand Communications
networks
n FUELlink Systems
n A professional, high spec demonstration n Sensor-Works
area to showcase products to potential
n Sansible Wearables
investors.
Mirage
“This project is an
excellent example
of how collaborative
working can support
the development of
advanced manufacturing
technologies, boosting
productivity and driving
growth. Innovation
Centres have a unique role
to play in engaging with
businesses to identify new
solutions and we would
like to see more of these
types of projects develop
in the future.”
John Swinney MSP
Deputy First Minister
of Scotland
Page 4
Mirage: Enhancing Scotland’s global
sensor capabilities
This groundbreaking project will place
Scotland at the forefront of the £7 billion
global sensors and imaging systems market,
deliver significant economic growth and
onshore 41 highly skilled research and
manufacturing jobs from Asia. The project is
expected to deliver £56 million to the Scottish
economy over the next 10 years and will give
the companies involved a critical competitive
edge in the global mid-IR sensors market.
The project, backed by Scottish Enterprise
and CENSIS, will provide the organisations
involved with unique access to III-V
semiconductors, allowing them to create
cutting-edge, quality mid-IR sensors in high
volumes with greater sensitivity, lower cost,
reduced energy use and a longer lifespan than
existing products. These can be employed
in a wealth of applications including: thermal
imagers, building management, vehicle safety
(CO 2
) and pollution expertise.
Bringing significant production capability
back to the UK allows us to innovate much
more quickly. Access to these materials and
the technology used to produce them will
develop Scotland’s technical skills in advanced
sensors and imaging systems. Further
innovation and engineering breakthroughs
are expected via continuing collaborative
research and sharing of expertise.

CENSIS Review 2013 – 2016
LoRa: Paving the way for the Internet of Things
boston
networks
By 2020, it is estimated that there will be 20Bn
connected devices in the world requiring IoT
networks. The major growth sector in the
IoT solutions market - valued in the trillions
of dollars - will be small, autonomous devices
servicing new business and information
models and covering every area of our lives
– from smart cities and smart homes (think
street lights to refuse collection to home
appliances), to precision agriculture and food
production, industrial automation, asset
tracking and wearable devices.
LoRa is an embedded wireless networking
standard to support IoT. The technology
addresses the demands presented by ever
increasing numbers of connected devices
by offering long-range connectivity and
low power operation, with a low cost that
avoids the need for complex installations
and supports high volume deployment.
This combination will be transformative in
enabling IoT connectivity to new types of
devices and applications as well as enabling
and delivering new business solutions.
CENSIS is a member of the LoRa Alliance,
a non-profit organisation focused on
standardising LoRa and creating a strong
ecosystem to scale the technology, and
began a roll out of LoRa projects across
Scotland in the summer of 2016 that include:
Glasgow: across City Centre,
Merchant City, West End
CENSIS, Stream Technologies,
Semtech, Boston Networks
In conjunction with the University of Glasgow,
University of Strathclyde and Glasgow
Caledonian University, the network enables
the development and use of devices such as
building and indoor environmental monitors,
pollution sensors, tags for tracking valuable
assets and social care devices designed to
support independent living.
Features of the Glasgow city network are:
n Ubiquitous connection within the city
n 5-year battery life potential
n Location determination without
power drain
In addition to its attractiveness for use
case development, Glasgow was selected
as the development location for LoRa
technology because of its similarities to
many major metropolitan areas worldwide.
Glasgow includes a grid system like major
US conurbations, older historic spaces and a
mix of urban and extra-urban environments
– all of which are ideal for testing lowpower
radio network performance.
Inverness: An Lòchran campus
CENSIS, Stream Technologies,
SPICA Technologies
The partners have installed 50 LoRa
connected sensors as part of An Lòchran,
a new £13-million business hub shared
by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the
University of the Highlands and Islands, and
Scotland’s Rural University College.
The devices will monitor temperature,
humidity, noise, CO 2
and light with the aim
of delivering greater efficiencies and energy
savings in the building and optimise the
working environment. By generating a new
innovation flow in the Highlands, LoRa will
also give businesses access to emerging IoT
technologies and can support companies
in developing new products and services.
Additionally, the system shows the art of
the possible and acts as a bridgehead for
CENSIS support and is part of our future
geographical inclusion model.
LoRa
“This has the potential
to be as disruptive to
businesses as the internet
has been already to daily
life – and Scotland is at
the forefront of making
that happen.”
Dr Mark Begbie
Business Development
Director, CENSIS
Page 5

IoTUK Boost
Feedback from
participants
“Genuinely the last two
days were the most useful
I have had in the last six
months.”
Dane Ralston
Losstek
“Congratulations on a
fabulous IoT UK Boost
event. It was intense...
as they say. A job well
done – please pass on my
thanks to the rest of your
team. Really enjoyed the
networking, the sessions
and yes, even the pitching.
It certainly generated a
great ‘community’ and
supportive atmosphere
and from my side, it was
great to catch up with
some familiar faces, meet
new ones and make some
really useful connections.”
Michael Groves
Topolytics
“I wanted to say that this
particular format is by far
the best, in my opinion.
I think the areas the
speakers covered, and the
Innovation Centres being
present, it adds good
value to starting SMEs.
Thanks for giving us the
opportunity to be part of it.”
Trias Gkikopoulos
Eaglei Systems
Sensing Opportunities
for Scotland
Supporting Scotland’s IoT
innovators
IoTUK Boost Competition
Workshop
CENSIS was selected as one of four regional partners for the IoTUK Boost initiative, a
programme designed to convene and amplify the UK’s IoT industry to help business and
economic growth.
Hosted by CENSIS in conjunction with The Data Lab and Informatics Ventures, 18 SMEs
were selected to attend a workshop in February 2016. At the end of two days, participants
pitched their business plan to a panel of expert judges. Five were selected to progress to
a month’s worth of incubation support and mentoring to help them in the first stages of
bringing their commercial idea to market.
IoTUK Boost winners were:
n Sansible Wearables (also
awarded ‘One to Watch’ award
by IoTUK, allowing the company
to pitch to investors at the
international BLN IoT Forum 2016)
n FUELlink Systems (product
expected in market November 2016)
n OBrand Communications
n Rapport Network
n The WindOP
Page 6

CENSIS Review 2013 – 2016
A quiet revolution in a Scottish forest
TV White Space (TVWS)
boston
networks
According to Ofcom’s latest data, most of the UK still only receives the lowest level of 3G
coverage, and in a country with Scotland’s topography that can be a major challenge –
particularly for tourist destinations which are often in remote locations.
In May 2015, CENSIS carried out a successful pilot project to bring an emerging networking
approach - TV White Space (TVWS) – to the Enduro World Series mountain biking
competition at Glentress in the Scottish Borders, allowing the event organisers to provide
and make use of live video streaming, increased access to data and enhanced automation
for its staff and spectators.
This breakthrough for connectivity gave the project partners a unique opportunity to gain
an early lead with the technology, which is on the cusp of widespread adoption. Significant
progress is now being made on introducing this technology across the world, in both
mature and emerging markets, thanks in part to such demonstrator projects.
Sensing the city
Low-cost mobile sensor network for air quality
Organisations responsible for monitoring urban air quality currently gather most of their data
from fixed monitoring stations. While these are very accurate, they are expensive, costly to
maintain, and do not provide a detailed picture of what is happening across the city, e.g., what
is the air quality like a few streets away from the fixed station? Currently, modelling techniques
have to be used to build the bigger picture.
In partnership with the University of Strathclyde’s Institute for Future Cities, CENSIS has
developed a flexible low cost and low power mobile sensor system designed to supplement –
and complement – these static base stations.
A pilot project in spring 2016 saw the system installed on some of the University of
Strathclyde’s fleet of vans, providing near real-time air quality data from wherever the vehicle
was located. An interactive web-based user dashboard visualised the data, allowing interaction
with the cloud services and supporting the capabiliity to embed data processing and analytics
outputs as these are developed. The system is also capable of gathering data in the volume
and with the rapidity required to support model comparison and to identify trends.
Future plans for the project are to grow coverage, introduce analytics, extend communication
protocols and optimise sensor detection sensitivity. The project is also moving to trial with
Transport Scotland.
Modern farming: the Agricultural Engineering
Precision Innovation (Agri-EPI) Centre
TV White Space
“The results of this quiet
revolution could have
incredible consequences
for many of the country’s
remote tourist attractions
– TV White Space could
connect them with the
rest of the world for the
first time.”
Ian Reid
CEO, CENSIS
Science of
Sensor Systems
Software (S4)
The Universities of Glasgow
and St Andrews, along with
Liverpool University and Imperial
College London, are to share
£4.2M from the Engineering
and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC) to investigate
the delivery of more reliable
sensor-based systems and the
decisions they support, for
example: the development
of water networks, air quality
monitoring, autonomous driving
and advanced manufacturing.
CENSIS, in its support of the
programme, will work with
the universities and the sensor
systems community to identify
challenges, develop collaborative
projects, and provide access to
expertise and resources.
By 2020, precision agriculture is set to be worth £2.3 billion globally. Amidst this revolution,
the Agri-EPI Centre has been established to ensure the UK increases its status as one of the
world leaders in the sector. Initial areas of interest for the Centre include automated vehicles,
unmanned aerial vehicles, instrumentation to monitor operations and performance of cropping
systems, as well as sensing and imaging technologies to monitor crop and livestock production.
As Agri-EPI members, CENSIS will deliver LoRa LPWAN connectivity to a number of farms
initially, with extension to aquaculture sites in the longer term. We will use this to support the
development, deployment and evaluation of new sensing and monitoring approaches. These
will increase yield, support lowered costs and improve husbandry standards.
Page 7

Project and
Activity Highlights
Aecom
With UK Astronomy Technology Centre
Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) data from satellites is routinely used to monitor oceans and
large bodies of inland water. It is as yet unproven however in the field of shallow and narrow
waterways.
AECOM and UK ATC worked together to lay the basis for the development of next
generation compact and portable HSI imagers and data analytics tailored to monitoring
confined water bodies.
Amethyst Research
With University of Dundee
New uses for infra-red spectroscopy and infra-red cameras were explored in this project, to
identify biological and chemical deposits which otherwise could be difficult to see.
The three month long project demonstrated the significant benefit infra-red imaging technology
could bring within the field of crime scene investigation to identifying relevant evidence.
Biogelx
With University of Strathclyde
This project aims to develop a bio-imaging platform that can perform accurate, live,
intracellular analysis of cells in 3D.
The most prominent market segment where live intracellular imaging is key is stem cell
research, which will impact areas such as tissue engineering and cell therapy.
With a focus on monitoring stem cells, this platform can address the need for both improved
cell-imaging capabilities, whilst ensuring the cells are grown in a tissue-like environment
using sophisticated hydrogel technology.
Page 8

CENSIS Review 2013 – 2016
Cascade Technologies
With University of Glasgow
The aim of this project was to address the high-level challenge of developing, safe, reliable
and cost-effective technologies for the emerging shale gas market.
The team developed and demonstrated a network of open path gas sensing platforms
capable of continuous and remote operation to localise and monitor fugitive emissions of
gases from unconventional extraction sites.
Findlay Irvine
With Heriot-Watt University
This collaboration explored a new sensor system to measure voids under railway sleepers as
trains pass. Deploying wireless accelerometers directly to railway track infrastructure allows
for the real time monitoring of railway track movements during train passage.
Although signal processing challenges have previously prevented the development of
such a commercial product, a new algorithm has the potential to overcome these and be
expanded to measure railway voiding.
Gas Sensing Solutions
With Glasgow Caledonian University
The investigation of intelligent sensor systems with applications for the built environment,
telehealthcare and the oil and gas industries was the challenge for this project. The team
investigated the possibilities of smart Sensors as embedded intelligent self-learning
systems. This would allow sensors to anticipate and respond to changing conditions with
minimal human intervention, helping to provide comfortable living environments, reduce
power consumption and protect the environment.
Gas Sensing Solutions and Wideblue
With the University of the West of Scotland
GSS also collaborated on a project with Wideblue and the University of the West of Scotland
on the feasibility of a portable respiratory device for sports and exercise.
The team aimed to establish measured and modelled performance data and provide a go/
no go decision as to feasibility for using the new Wideblue/GSS medical capnometers in
exercise science and recreational sports applications.
Page 9

Hydrason Solutions
With Heriot-Watt University
This project (WACEMM) investigated how the capabilities of Hydrason’s Wideband Sonar
system (WBS) could be further enhanced to improve its performance.
The WBS system can accurately locate an underwater object and identify its structure and
composition without making any direct contact. This is useful in areas such as subsea or
coastal surveying, asset and integrity management, and flow assurance.
The project aimed to further improve underwater object recognition performance, allowing
even greater environmental, seabed and structural detail.
ICT Innovation for Manufacturing
SMEs (I4MS)
With the Advanced Forming Research Centre, part of the UK’s High
Value Manufacturing Catapult and Scottish Enterprise
This EU initiative aims to build a network of Regional Digital Manufacturing Innovation
(RDMI) hubs; helping companies plan and prepare for the introduction of advanced digital
manufacturing processes (known as Industry 4.0).
The partnership is supporting a six-month feasibility study to examine the business case
for the establishment of a Scottish RDMI hub. CENSIS’s role involves developing the supply
chain of SMEs in the SIS space that can bring expertise to the growing digital manufacturing
ecosystem.
Innovent Technology
With University of Strathclyde and National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
This collaboration investigated the feasibility of a scanning technique to measure the depth
of back fat on live animals. The developed instrument and methodology will enable more
accurate indication for back fat, improving management and nutrition, lowering production
costs and increasing the selection accuracy of animals for slaughter.
The proposed new system could provide an alternative to existing ultrasound livestock back
fat scanners that require direct contact with the skin to produce effective measurements.
Page 10

CENSIS Review 2013 – 2016
Optos
With University of Glasgow
Optos has carried out two CENSIS projects. The first explored the correction of optical
aberrations for improved image quality in Optos scanning laser ophthalmoscopes.
An additional project aimed to enhance the Optos QA process through the development
and implementation of an automated image artefact detection scheme that will flag
potential faults during the manufacturing process.
Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult
This collaborative project with CENSIS delivered a review of the state-of-the-art sensors
and imaging systems for detecting the presence of marine mammals in the vicinity of tidal
turbines.
The review identified current practice in tidal turbine collision risk technologies and
explored where existing systems could be improved and further optimised.
Renishaw
With Heriot-Watt University
Using Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC) technology, this project aimed to design,
manufacture and test a cutting edge yet robust magnetic transducer system.
Today’s magnetic transducers of this type are largely based on planar 2D sensing coils. This
project investigated the development of a 3D transducer using low-cost LTCC technology.
SMS Oilfield
With Robert Gordon University
Many of the world’s oil and gas reserves are contained in sandstone reservoirs. Sand’s
abrasive impact can erode flow lines and lead to clogged production equipment.
By exploring improved data analytics and algorithms for sand monitoring, this activity is
looking at ways in which to enable real-time intelligent management of sand in production
flow, with the aim of improving safety and overall equipment effectiveness, improving the
productivity of onshore and offshore operations and reducing intervention costs.
Page 11

Scottish Water
With University of Strathclyde
Scottish Water holds and gathers vast data sets relating to water and wastewater pumping
stations and their related operating environments. Pumps are often deployed in remote
and demanding environments, where failure can impact quality of service and repairs
can be costly and time consuming. By investigating techniques to identify key signatures
within large volumes of sensor-derived data, the project aimed to allow the organisation to
optimise the performance of its equipment in the field.
Thales UK Glasgow
With University of the West of Scotland
The challenge of this collaboration was to develop an algorithm that can process lowresolution
infrared imagery to recognise vehicles and humans, and identify the vehicle’s
type in real time with limited processing hardware. The developed algorithm contains two
key elements: (i) advanced image restoration and (ii) automatic detection and recognition.
Topolytics
With University of St Andrews
TM
This is a collaborative pilot project with Topolytics, the University of St Andrews, CalaChem,
Air Monitors Ltd and the Scottish Government.
Incorporating the university’s statistical models into Topolytics software will help identify
and eliminate many of the false positives that can crop up. This will enhance decisionmaking
by allowing users to better understand and have more confidence in data produced
by environmental sensors.
Page 12

CENSIS Review 2013 – 2016
A review of CENSIS activity
2013-2016
Project portfolio: maturing TRLs
No. of projects
16
14
Project Start TRL
Project Finish TRL
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
0
-2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
TRL Level
Current project portfolio
£12.5m
Current GVA up to
£82m
Project sectors
Industrial and
Manufacturing
Natural and Built
Environment
Subsea, Offshore
and Marine
Health, Wellbeing
and Life Sciences
Defence
CBNRE
CENSIS assets
IoT Centre
LoRa
Digital Subsea
/Offshore
CENSIS international reach
CENSIS community
Germany
Spain
China
Japan
Berlin
Munich
Barcelona
Madrid
Zaragoza
Chongqing
Shanghai
Tokyo
1350+
We have over
1350 followers
on Twitter
@CENSIS121
3500+
There are over
3500 companies,
universities
and research groups
in our database.
1250+
Events attended
or organised by
CENSIS staff.
Page 13

Making an Impact
The Innovation Centres in Scotland
As part of 2016’s Year of Innovation Architecture and Design, Scotland’s
eight Innovation Centres came together to celebrate Scottish innovation.
Activity centred around a showcase event in June, TEDxGlasgow. Exploring the theme of ‘A
disruptive world’ and attracting over 1000 delegates, TEDxGlasgow was one of a worldwide
group of conferences in the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) family that offers
‘Ideas worth spreading’.
On the day, delegates were introduced to ‘Innovation Avenue’, the ICs’ tailor made
interactive exhibition
that explored a range of
technologies associated
with the different Centres.
This was supplemented
by exploratory workshops
around the subject of the
future of Scottish innovation.
TEDx also saw the launch of the
Centres’ joint website
www.innovationcentres.scot
featuring the new IC video.
Page 14

CENSIS Review 2013 – 2016
Meeting future innovators
As well as our annual Technology Summit and Conference which has taken
place in both Edinburgh and Glasgow, the CENSIS team organises events,
attends exhibitions and also speaks at relevant seminars throughout Scotland.
Page 15

Contact details:
CENSIS
The Inovo Building
121 George Street
Glasgow
G1 1RD
Tel: 0141 330 3876
Email: info@censis.org.uk
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