The 5th generation of mobile communications promises a lot: highest data rates, low latency, high reliability, high availability and at the same time high energy efficiency. The Research Studio iSPACE researches in two use cases, which and how the strengths of 5G technology can be used in the future by science and companies for geoinformation.

The project “5G Exploration Space Salzburg”  aims at innovations in Salzburg’s starch fields using 5G and the investigation of what added value 5G offers for which applications. For this purpose, the new possibilities at 5G locations in Salzburg are being examined in the context of various use cases, with a focus on different applications in Salzburg, in order to find out to what extent the promised features of 5G technology will offer added value in practice.

Research Studio iSPACE is working with project partners from the University of Salzburg on two of these use cases: 5D Smart Campus and Collaborative Design of Urban Space.

  • 5D Smart Campus: Creation of a ‘smart’ 5D system (space, time & context) that enables ‘smart services’ for employees and students of the University of Salzburg and facility management at Science City Itzling through a combination of 3D data, fixed-position sensors and mobile devices.
  • Collaborative Interior Design: Development of an application for an augmented reality to enable collaborative urban design at Science City Itzling. Users will be able to interact with each other in real time and jointly design the area. The latency, the quality of the visualization and the user experience of the interactions will be tested by experiments in the application in a collaborative scenario.

5G technology has many attractive features, but it is also not an “all-encompassing” network, as the systems available on the market are not yet capable of fulfilling all these characteristics. Therefore, the operation as well as the actual configuration of a 5G network must be adapted to the specific requirements of the application. In the 5G Exploration Space Salzburg the following use cases are prepared and tested for this purpose:

  1. The potential of the 5G network for collaborative urban planning is demonstrated in a real-time context,
  2. The ‘smart’ integration of IoT live data – building, energy and mobility data with existing geoinformation bases to support building management and users is being researched
  3. the possibility of real-time behavior of machines and robots in local private 5G networks is considered
  4. a solution for real-time feedback to athletes is developed

The Research Studio iSPACE of the RSA FG sees the project as an opportunity to gain first experiences in the field of 5G and to contribute the collected knowledge on information harmonization and integration of outdoor environmental information, indoor data and (live) sensor technology. The project will also test to what extent the possibilities correspond to the expectations of 5G in reality.

5G Exploration Space Salzburg explicitly creates a regional test environment for 5G applications. This will benefit local stakeholders who will be involved in the project. Furthermore, the potential of 5G is to be demonstrated, which is also important for follow-up projects and the economy in general. A further benefit is also the strengthening of Science City Itzling through increased dissemination and cooperation between the stakeholders.

5G Exploration Space Salzburg

In the 5G Exploration Space Salzburg, important Salzburg research institutions are combining their expertise:

  • Salzburg Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH (Project Management)
  • Research Studio iSPACE of the Research Studios Austria Forschungsgesellschaft mbH
  • Center for Human-Computer Interaction and Interfaculty Department of Geoinformatics (Z_GIS) at the University of Salzburg
  • University of Applied Sciences Salzburg

The 5G Exploration Space Salzburg is funded as part of the WISS2025 strategy of the state of Salzburg. The necessary equipment and frequencies for the operation of the 5G network are provided by Salzburg AG. The Science City Itzling and the Campus Urstein serve as test sites.