Digital UrbanData, Cities, The Metaverse, IoT, VR, AR and Making 'Data Devices'2026-11-11T13:30:00Zhttps://digitalurban.org/Professor Andrew Hudson-SmithThe Urban Canvas: Spatial Computing in Planning, Analysing, and Representing the Cityscape2026-11-11T13:30:00Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2026/11/11/the-urban-canvas-spatial-computing-in-planning-analysing-and-representing-the-cityscape/The full special issue is now out in Urban Planning, open access. The Urban Canvas brings together eight articles on spatial computing in planning, from situated visualisation in the Royal Docks to coastal flood games in Morecambe, audio walks in Tokyo and LLM-generated road networks...TIME2: An Open Source 3D Printed Clock with Key Winding and a Bell2026-11-11T12:00:00Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2026/11/11/time2-an-open-source-3d-printed-clock-with-key-winding-and-a-bell/A year on from TIME, our open source 3D printed clock gets a sequel: wound through the dial with a key, set while it runs, and with an hourly bell you can tune to the minute.Open Gauges: A Stepper Motor Wind Direction Gauge2026-11-04T12:00:00Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2026/11/04/open-gauges-a-stepper-motor-wind-direction-gauge/The latest addition to Open Gauges is a 205 mm wall-mounted wind direction dial. It swaps the servo for a stepper motor and a hall sensor, giving a full 360 degrees, a much finer step and a smooth, eased movement as the wind shifts.Longmarsh: Mapping a Solar Farm and Data Centre for the Villages it Surrounds2026-10-29T16:30:00Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2026/10/29/longmarsh-mapping-a-solar-farm-and-data-centre-for-the-villages-it-surrounds/Longmarsh Green Energy proposes solar panels, battery storage, new overhead lines and a 1 GW data centre campus across 1,980 hectares of west Norfolk farmland, wrapping around a string of villages. We have built an open, map-based viewer so residents can see what is proposed, how close it comes, and how to respond.The Papers: The 2nd Album2026-09-24T08:00:00Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2026/09/24/the-papers-an-album-based-on-the-papers/Our second album, The Papers, was released on the 24th of September across all streaming platforms. Eight tracks, each one taken from a paper, lyrics by Hudson-Smith (2026). Listen to the track, read the academic paper.Spatial Computing and the Phygital City: Towards Digital Habitation2026-09-09T16:10:00Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2026/09/09/spatial-computing-and-the-phygital-city-towards-digital-habitation/Our latest paper is out in Urban Planning, open access and free to download. Spatial Computing and the Phygital City argues that there is a stage between the smart city and full digital habitation, one we are increasingly living in...Color Weather: A Data Watch Face for the Pebble Time 22026-09-09T11:15:00Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2026/09/09/color-weather-a-data-watch-face-for-the-pebble-time-2/Last October I made Just Weather, a black and white data face for the 144x168 screen of the Pebble 2 Duo. It did the job, but the Pebble Time 2, with its 200x228 screen and 64 colours was perfect for perhaps the next step…Fenland: A weeWX Dashboard with forecast verification, ensemble models, climate records back to 1940 and finally, that tween...2026-08-04T10:21:59Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2026/08/04/fenland-a-weewx-dashboard-that-scores-its-own-forecasts-ensemble-spread-climate-records-back-to-1940-nightly-forecast-verificationand-finally-that-tween/In a previous post I wrote at length in Chasing the Tween: My 25-Year Obsession with Weather Data . The chase, for a real-time dashboard with a physics-based tween, climate context and a proper view…City Clock: A City where the People Tell the Time2026-05-06T09:00:00Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2026/05/06/city-clock-vibe-coding-boids-people-tell-time/How an experiment in agent-based simulation went on to make a living breathing city.Aqua Clock: Multi-Model Vibe Coding, Boids, and the Fish That Tell the Time2026-03-20T09:00:00Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2026/03/20/aqua-clock-vibe-coding-boids-fish-tell-time/How an experiment in agent-based fish simulation, vibe coded with Claude and Gemini AI Studio, became a clock — and ended up on the Apple App Store.The Album: Place and Space2025-12-01T16:34:27Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2025/12/01/the-album-place-and-space/We are pleased to announce that the Album - Place and Space is now available across all streaming formats or to purchase via Apple Music / Amazon . Simply search for Digital Urban or Place and Space…Stepper Motor Linear Data Gauge2025-11-13T12:01:34Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2025/11/13/stepper-motor-linear-data-gauge/The latest upload to the Open Gauges Github is a Linear Gauge, using a timing belt to provide Linear Stepper Motor Gauge a full 1 metre range for the data visualisation. It uses a stepper motor for…Ships Lamp Wind Speed Gauge2025-11-12T11:39:29Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2025/11/12/ships-lamp-wind-speed-gauge/Our MicroPython project turns a strip of NeoPixel LEDs into a “ship's lamp" style wind speed gauge. It connects to an MQTT broker to receive real-time wind speed data and translates it into a…Will AI Push the Human Planner to the Point of Irrelevance?2025-11-06T11:52:28Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2025/11/06/will-ai-push-the-human-planner-to-the-point-of-irrelevance/ The title is, of course, controversial. The question, however, comes from the closing section of a 2020 paper by Parker et al (2020), and arguably, it's looking like the answer is Yes, and…Just Weather for The Pebble Watch: Making a Data Watch Face2025-10-30T12:59:40Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2025/10/30/just-weather-for-the-pebble-watch-making-a-data-watch-face/It's an exciting time to be a Pebble fan. After years of being kept alive by the dedicated Rebble community, the Pebble is officially back. The new Pebble 2 Duo watches (the black-and-white model)…Cities in the Metaverse: Spatial Computing, Digital Twins, Avatars, Economics and Digital Habitation on the New Frontier2025-10-27T11:25:42Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2025/10/27/cities-in-the-metaverse-book/We are pleased to announce the publication of our new book - Cities in the Metaverse: Spatial Computing, Digital Twins, Avatars, Economics and Digital Habitation on the New Frontier and we have 20%…TIME: An Open Source 3D Printed Clock2025-08-05T09:33:43Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2025/08/05/time-an-open-source-3d-printed-clock/We are about to release ‘TIME,’ our fully 3D-printed mechanical clock, on Printables. This post provides insight into both its creation and development.Chasing the Tween: My 25-Year Obsession with Weather Data2025-07-25T13:04:19Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2025/07/25/chasing-the-tween-my-25-year-obsession-with-weather-data/From Adobe Flash through to Vibe Coding and back again to Physical DisplaysVibe Coding: From iOS Apps to an Asteroid Clock and 3D Cities2025-07-16T20:38:17Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2025/07/16/vibe-coding-from-ios-apps-to-an-asteroid-clock-and-3d-cities/Back in 2023, I wrote a blog post over on DigitalUrban.org creating an app called Frame-IT. It turns out I was using 'Vibe Coding' and it's changed the way I view the creation of almost everything...MQTT Frame - Beautifully Framed Live Data2025-03-19T18:03:40Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2025/03/19/mqttframe/Transform your iPhone into a beautifully framed, dynamic data display with MQTT Frame. Stay informed about environmental conditions, breaking news, or custom live data feeds elegantly presented…MQTT Frame Privacy Policy2024-09-19T18:29:59Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2024/09/19/mqtt-frame-privacy-policy/Effective Date: [19th March 2025] Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how MQTTFrame ("we," "our," or "us") handles your information. Information We Collect MQTTFrame does…SHIFT DIGITAL FRONTIERS REPORT2024-07-18T09:30:28Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2024/07/18/shift-digital-frontiers-report-unveiled-during-london-data-week/SHIFT , in collaboration with Arup and the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis , Connected Environments Group at University College London ( UCL ), have released the "SHIFT Digital Frontiers"…Turn Any Device into a Literary Clock with our MQTT Feed2024-07-15T13:40:48Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2024/07/15/turning-any-device-into-a-literary-clock-with-mqtt/The Concept of the Literary Clock A literary clock is a unique fusion of literature and timekeeping. Every minute of the day is represented by a corresponding quote from a literary work, providing…Make a Scrolling Hub75 Matrix Display using a Pimoroni Interstate75W and MQTT2024-07-12T09:30:06Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2024/07/12/creating-an-scrolling-hub75-matrix-display-with-pimoroni-interstate75w-and-mqtt/There are many tutorials online on using an LED Matrix to display data—many of them require wiring up a screen, external power supplies, or flashing boards. We wanted to highlight a slightly more…Enhancing Live Weather Monitoring with MQTT and Chart.js2024-06-27T15:10:06Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2024/06/27/enhancing-live-weather-monitoring-with-mqtt-and-chart-js/Introduction Viewing real-time data from a personal weather station such as a Davis Vantage Pro, a Tempest, or an EcoWhitt device can be complex. However, the majority of systems that process weather…Creating Art Like Weather Forecast Images with DALL·E 3 and API Data2024-04-27T14:12:43Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2024/04/27/creating-art-like-weather-forecast-images-with-dall%c2%b7e-3-and-api-data/Introduction The Met Office, as the national meteorological service for the United Kingdom, provides valuable weather data through its API called DataPoint. This API caters to a wide range of users,…Tellus Mater: An AI That Thinks it's Mother Earth2023-12-05T16:35:37Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2023/12/05/tellus-mater-an-ai-that-thinks-its-mother-earth/Artificial Intelligence is on everyone’s minds, and so is the human-induced environmental decline of our planet Earth. Tellus Mater Installation The Connected Environments team, as part of The…How to Make a Lightsaber Realtime Wind Speed Gauge2023-11-09T09:55:58Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2023/11/09/lightsaber/Imagine wielding the power of the Force, not to fight Sith Lords, but to display real-time data - in our case, wind speed, but the code/build can be adapted to any data feed. Using a NeoPixel strip…Reimaging the Traditional Weather House with Open Data, Laser Cutting and 3D Printing2023-08-18T13:36:46Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2023/08/18/reimaging-the-traditional-weather-house-with-open-data-laser-cutting-and-3d-printing/Traditional German weather houses are small, decorative structures that are popular in Germany and other parts of Europe. They are often made from wood and used to predict the weather. A Traditional…Writing 500 Words a Day - The Pomodoro Technique2023-08-10T14:06:41Zhttps://digitalurban.org/blog/2023/08/10/writing-500-words-a-day-the-pomodoro-technique/Back in 2013, I wrote a blog post on 500 Words a Day, Academic Writing. Noting that its not something many academics admit - but writing is hard, not for all, there are some academics who simply flow…