City Analytics Lab

A collaborative space where researchers, planners, and communities focus on tools that support sustainable planning and informed decision-making. Our lab supports collaborative research, teaching, and industry engagement to create more liveable and resilient cities.

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About Us

The City Analytics Lab (CAL) was launched on 02 May 2018 by the former Minister of Urban Infrastructure and Cities to support evidence-based decision-making and collaborative planning for the future of our cities.

Established as a multidisciplinary research and innovation facility, CAL provides a platform for exploring and addressing complex urban challenges through data-driven approaches. The Lab supports the vision of creating sustainable, productive, liveable, smart, and resilient cities by bringing together researchers, government, industry, and community partners.

CAL advances interdisciplinary research across areas including big data, open data, smart cities, geodesign, modelling and simulation, and innovative data visualisation. By integrating advanced analytics, emerging technologies, and collaborative research, the Lab enables the development of practical tools and insights that inform urban planning, policy, and decision-making.

Our Facilities

Augmented Reality Sandbox

The interactive Augmented Reality (AR) Sandbox is an immersive visualisation platform that integrates Kinect-based terrain sensing with real-time simulation. Powered by the SensiLab's AR Sandbox, Monash University, the platform offers the following simulations:

Wind simulation
Fire simulation
Water flow simulation
Geological beds simulation

GitHub respository of SensiLab AR Sandbox

Past sandbox software - Augmented Reality Sandbox by UC Davis

Virtual Reality Studio

The VR Studio enables the creation and testing of immersive virtual environments for research and design evaluation.

Hardware

Oculus Rift x 2 set. A set includes:

· 1 x VR Headset

· 1 x Xbox joystick controller

· 2 x hand-held gesture controller

Software

Unreal Engine 5

*any other software can be installed and setup as required, depending on version and licensing.

Main Studio

The Main Studio enables teams to interact with digital data and design tools in a shared environment. The space includes:

An 8-panel media wall of 4K resolution.
6x multi-touch digital tables powered by high-performance workstations.
Integrated hybrid Teams/Zoom capability for seamless virtual collaboration.
Capacity to seat 30 people in the studio
Share contents across the tables and screen by just "flicking"

Eye Tracker Studio

The studio is equipped with Tobii Eye Tracker for high-precision visual attention and behaviour research.

It features:

The Tobii Pro Spectrum (1200Hz) screen-based eye tracker (for indoors)
Tobii Pro Glasses is a wearable tracker for mobile experiments (indoor and outdoor)
The Tobii Pro Lab software suite supports data capture and analysis.
A remote observation room to enable non-intrusive experiment setup and live monitoring.