Regulated Information Sharing and Pattern Recognition for Smart Cities

This paper describes applications of BOBBIN, a multi-agent system based on a blackboard architecture, to supporting smart cities through regulated information sharing and pattern recognition. The first application uses the knowledge-based pro-cessing provided by a blackboard system to ensure that personal information is made available to all and only those who are entitled to see it, thus overcoming the objections raised by the UK Supreme Court to a recently proposed information sharing scheme. The second application extends the first to enable pattern recognition over appropriately regulated information about individuals, with the goal of identifying criminal offences and other patterns of behaviour. The final application extends the second to deal with heterogeneous agents, public and private. Each application is illustrated with a scenario.

These three approaches can provide benefits in supporting the growth of intelligent public services and appropriate information sharing within a smart city.