Amsterdam's IoT Living Lab is one of Europe's most extensive and densely deployed urban sensor networks, comprising over 12,000 internet-of-things devices distributed across the city for real-time monitoring of a wide range of urban parameters. The network captures data on air quality (including PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone levels), noise pollution, traffic and crowd flows, water levels and quality in Amsterdam's iconic canal system, and the structural condition of bridges and other critical infrastructure.
A significant portion of the network is built on The Things Network, a community-driven LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) infrastructure that originated in Amsterdam and has since expanded to hundreds of cities worldwide. This open, decentralised connectivity model allows both public agencies and private innovators to deploy IoT solutions at low cost, without reliance on expensive cellular data plans. The result is a vibrant ecosystem of sensor-based applications spanning waste management, environmental protection, mobility planning, and infrastructure maintenance.
The data generated by the IoT Living Lab feeds into Amsterdam's broader smart city data platform, where it is combined with other municipal datasets to produce actionable insights for city officials, urban planners, and researchers. Real-time dashboards enable rapid response to environmental incidents, while historical data supports long-term trend analysis and evidence-based policy development.
The Living Lab also functions as a testing ground for emerging IoT technologies and standards, attracting international companies and research institutions eager to pilot new sensor hardware, communication protocols, and analytics tools in a real urban environment. By combining dense sensor coverage with open infrastructure and a collaborative governance model, Amsterdam's IoT Living Lab demonstrates how cities can harness the internet of things to improve quality of life, operational efficiency, and environmental sustainability.