The Smart Region Lab was founded in 2021 at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (CH) as a cooperation project with the CityScienceLab Hamburg. The research teams use data-based visualisation and interaction methods to support sustainable development in the small to medium-sized urban and alpine regions of Central Switzerland. Central topics of the Lab are mobility, tourism, energy, climate, creative industries, settlement development and infrastructure.

The Smart Region Lab operates on an interdisciplinary basis and brings experts from politics, business, administration, culture and civil society together around one data table. The visualisation and simulation techniques support joint decision-making between informed partners and provide the basis for sustainable and cooperative regional development. An open and ethical approach to data is the prerequisite for successful cooperation.

From a technical point of view, the Smart Region Lab aims to combine interactive data tables (RegionScope & MobileScope) with digital platforms and to integrate augmented and virtual reality applications - in close cooperation with the Immersive Realities Research Lab at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. The visualisations, simulations and the specific use of 3D objects are tested in stakeholder workshops and further developed concerning global challenges and regional issues.

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