Research at the Department Computer Science

Data-Driven, Smart & Secure Systems

The effective and efficient utilization of data is an indispensable and increasingly ubiquitous requirement in all aspects of life within our information society. Data-driven systems play an increasingly central role in the acquisition, management and processing of information.

These approaches support people, organizations and companies through ICT-based, networked, secure and intelligent services in the fulfillment of such important basic needs as health, mobility and living-space design while simultaneously acting as innovation drivers for the economy in Austria.

The ‘Data-Driven, Smart & Secure Systems’ interdisciplinary research focus develops future-oriented concepts, technologies and services in the key areas of ‘eHealth’, ‘Interoperable Systems’, ‘Smart City & Smart Mobility’, ‘Cyber Security’ and ‘Artificial Intelligence in Applications’, and makes them available for embedding in organizational and social ecosystems.

One major challenge is the integration of currently heterogeneous systems using interoperable interfaces that are based on international standards. More innovative measuring instruments and sensors also need to be integrated towards the realization of the ‘Internet of Things’. Mobile devices and applications as well as virtual-/augmented-reality solutions play an essential role as interfaces to users which is why substantial contributions result from ‘human factors’ and usability. The interplay between various sources of information (e.g. in regard to environmental factors) and the use of existing databases (e.g. open data) results in holistic concepts (e.g. smart cities) within the framework of which it is possible to create additional knowledge and smart/intelligent systems through the integration and analysis of data as well as predictive analytics.

The demands on cyber security constitute an essential basis for handling critical and sensitive data in this environment. This does not only affect the key issues of eHealth, smart mobility and smart city, but also the security of critical information infrastructures in general.

The know-how from different competence centers is used in an interdisciplinary way and applied in projects in the work that is being carried out on key issues within the ‘Data-Driven, Smart and Secure Systems’ focus of research.

Overview of the projects within the focus of research

Department Computer Science at a glance