Xuan
Zhang.
City Brain:
Interactive Large-Screen & PC System Design for Smart City Operations
Project Overview
The City Brain project is an AI-powered urban management and emergency response system, designed to improve situational awareness, real-time decision-making, and cross-department coordination. It consists of:
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Large-Screen Data Visualization: A high-level dashboard for government officials and visitors to monitor citywide operations in a data command center.
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PC System for Operational Management – A detailed interactive platform for frontline personnel to analyze incidents, manage resources, and coordinate emergency responses.
My Role
As an Interaction Designer, I was responsible for:
✅ Designing interactive large-screen visualizations for real-time urban monitoring.
✅ Developing the PC system interface for data analysis, event handling, and emergency dispatch.
✅ Ensuring seamless integration between the large-screen and PC system, enabling multi-source data fusion.
Large-Screen Design: Data Visualization for Command Centers
The large-screen interface was designed to provide a high-level overview of urban operations, enabling officials and decision-makers to track key metrics, trends, and emergencies in real-time.
Key Features & Design Approach
Real-Time Data Aggregation
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Integrated multi-source city data (traffic, public safety, environmental monitoring, emergency incidents) into a unified visual dashboard.
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Used GIS-based interactive maps to provide a real-time situational overview of key urban zones.
High-Impact Visualizations
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Designed customized interactive charts and graphs to display live statistics and historical trends.
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Developed event-driven animations to highlight emergencies, high-risk areas, and system alerts.
Public Safety & Emergency Monitoring
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Displayed city-wide alerts, police dispatch data, and AI-predicted risks in an easily digestible format.
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Integrated live camera feeds and IoT sensor data, enabling real-time monitoring.
Seamless Multi-Department Collaboration
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Provided a high-level summary of government operations, ensuring that different agencies had immediate visibility into urgent matters.
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Enabled data-driven decision-making by aggregating cross-agency reports and insights.
Impact
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Enabled real-time tracking of 390,000+ emergency cases, improving incident visibility for city leaders.
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Designed scalable data dashboards used by 109 departments & 341 systems for macro-level governance.
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Optimized large-scale city monitoring, providing officials with instant, actionable insights.
PC System Design: Operational Dashboard for Field Personnel
Unlike the large-screen display, the PC system was designed as a functional, hands-on tool for government personnel to analyze data, handle emergency cases, and manage urban traffic efficiently.
The system is structured around four key modules: the Live City Dashboard, which provides an overview of city-wide traffic conditions; the Live Traffic Dashboard, which offers in-depth insights into congestion, vehicle flow, and accident hotspots; the Traffic Control module, designed to facilitate signal adjustments, rerouting, and infrastructure management; and the Emergency Response system, which ensures rapid intervention for accidents, roadblocks, and crisis situations.
The Live City Dashboard serves as the central hub for real-time traffic monitoring, providing a high-level view of vehicle movement, congestion patterns, and road conditions. Through GIS-based mapping and integrated live camera feeds, traffic operators can instantly assess key intersections and high-risk areas, enabling proactive decision-making.
The Live Traffic Dashboard focuses on data-driven insights, offering a detailed breakdown of traffic volumes, peak-hour trends, and congestion forecasts. By leveraging AI-powered analytics, the system predicts potential bottlenecks and helps planners develop long-term strategies for improving road capacity and traffic flow.
The Traffic Control module allows operators to make real-time adjustments to traffic light timing, implement dynamic rerouting, and oversee lane closures or roadwork. This module is crucial for mitigating congestion and ensuring smooth traffic operations, particularly during rush hours or major city events.
The Emergency Response module plays a vital role in handling traffic-related incidents. It provides automated alerts for accidents, breakdowns, and road blockages, while also facilitating police dispatch and emergency coordination. Operators can track incidents in real-time, monitor response progress, and prioritize critical cases for faster resolution.
Impact & Outcome
By integrating these four modules into a unified system, the PC platform significantly enhances traffic management efficiency. The dynamic control of traffic signals and rerouting strategies has contributed to a notable reduction in congestion-related delays. The real-time incident response system has shortened emergency handling times by 30%, improving road safety and urban mobility. The system also provides long-term analytical insights that help city planners optimize transportation infrastructure.
This project demonstrates the power of interaction design in bridging data visualization, AI-driven decision-making, and operational efficiency. By creating a user-centered system, I contributed to a more responsive, intelligent, and effective urban traffic management solution.