Virtuocity - a centre for future city simulation, will bring together industrial expertise and academic excellence in a shared collaborative space. State-of-the-art virtual simulation facilities that incorporate strong behavioural research means we can better understand how people and technology interact.

1. irtuocityA centre for future city simulation

2. irtuocityA centre for future city simulation
By layering complementary, but currently
separate, information streams together
we can reveal the bigger picture.
A shared collaborative space
Virtuocity – a centre for future city
simulation, will bring together industrial
expertise and academic excellence in a
shared collaborative space.
Behavioural
A key aspect of the centre
will be to explore how people
interact with technologies
and how behaviours
must be understood and
accommodated as well as
how they might be influenced.
Virtual
A number of virtual
environments will be housed in
the centre This will be a centre
for virtual links to centres of
expertise and other resources
across the Univerity , the
wider world and in simulated
alternative futures.
Physical
The Virtuocity building provides
a physical space for technical
facilitites, people-interaction
and showcasing.
Design - testing

3. irtuocityA centre for future city simulation
By considering these together, within a new
simulation centre, we can better understand
complex interactions and plan solutions in a more
integrated way.
Traditional expertise and understanding tends to be
based on specialisms and silos. Virtuocity will bring
these separate strands of expertise together to
reinforce our capability and share insight.
Cross-disciplinary knowledge
Transport, energy, wellbeing,
health and the environment are
just a few of the array of issues
facing our future cities.
Virtuocity will translate data between specialist
domains and enable the creation of shared and
cross-disciplinary knowledge.
It will bring together the best expertise and facilities
within a collaborative environment that stimulates
ideas and helps develop a better understanding for the
design of our future cities, and will shape policies by
a better understanding of the impact of technological
development, and their effect on user needs.

4. irtuocityA centre for future city simulation
Ensuring the free movement of people and goods will
be essential to keep our cities functioning efficiently
as they become larger and increasingly complex in
both infrastructure and technology.
Virtuocity will explore how to optimise the mix of
movements in an urban environment by combining
simulations of multiple modes.
Intelligent mobility
Changing demands for transport and mobility
are a major issue facing our future cities.
Mobility will therefore be a key strand of
innovation activity within Virtuocity.
It will assist in the design of intelligent mobility
solutions to enhance journeys, and enable a
better use of space and resources.

5. irtuocityA centre for future city simulation
People centred research
New, increasingly autonomous transport, will enable
more efficient use of the infrastructure but will
require major innovation programmes and rigorous
testing to be accepted and successfully adopted.
Undertaking research and testing solutions in a
real-world environment can be prohibitively complex,
expensive and risky.
Understanding user behaviour and
investigating when and how people wish to
move in future cities, as they have access to
new and advanced modes of transport.
Therefore, a new-generation driving simulator
will be a centre-piece facility within Virtuocity –
working within a rich environment of intelligence
fed from other simulations to enable the flexible,
responsive and risk-free testing of interactions
and future scenarios.

6. irtuocityA centre for future city simulation
Virtuocity will provide both real and virtual
environments for collaboration. It will create a
proving-ground for innovation and continuous
improvement.
This new simulation environment will provide
industry partners with a competitive edge
through the use of leading-edge facilities not
currently available anywhere else in the UK.
Real and virtual collaboration
State-of-the-art virtual simulation facilities
that incorporate strong behavioural research
means we can better understand how people
and technology interact.
At the same time, it will create a strategic
opportunity to increase the impact of academic
research, and to work in partnership to develop
and exploit our joint capabilities and showcase
these to the world.

7. With world-class universities and
cutting edge companies like Jaguar
Land Rover, the UK is well placed
to be at the forefront of driving
innovation and developing new
technology.
Vince Cable, Secretary of State
for Business Innovation and Skills
As one of the largest research-intensive universities in the UK, Leeds
engages in world-class research across an exceptionally diverse range
of disciplines. This breadth of knowledge and expertise underpins
our commitment to work with partners from all sectors, ensuring our
research has direct economic and societal benefit.
Professor David Hogg, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research & Innovation
Managing urban areas has become one of the most important
development challenges of the 21st century. Our success or
failure in building sustainable cities will be a major factor in the
success of the post-2015 UN development agenda.
John Wilmoth, United Nations
Virtuocity will provide the
visualisation and simulation
capacity to integrate multiple
programmes and maximise
our shared understanding.
Erik Thomasson, Transport
Systems Hub, University of Leeds

8. Built Environment
Water
Energy
Mobility
Economy
Health
For further information please contact:
University of Leeds
Professor Richard Romano
Chair in Driving Simulation Safety and Technology Group
Tel: +44 113 343 8466
Email: R.Romano@leeds.ac.uk
Natasha Merat, PhD MBPsS
Associate Professor, Leader, Safety and Technology Group
Tel: +44 113 343 6614
Email: n.merat@its.leeds.ac.uk
Erik Thomasson, PhD
Research and Innovation Manager
Mob: +44 7910647626
Email: e.n.thomasson@leeds.ac.uk
www.its.leeds.ac.uk