The initiative, Arloesi, was set up by Cassidian, part of the Airbus Group, and backed by the Welsh Government. It aimed to make the city safer and easier to live in, using information from established sensors.

Speaking at a round table debate on smart cities organised by Insider, Alan Davies, Arloesi development director for open innovation, said: “I want to live in a country that is smart and utilises its knowledge for the delivery of efficient public services and to make us wealthier, stronger and better.

“We intend to elevate what Arloesi have been doing in Newport into a national database, and generate a change of culture to share knowledge and understanding and break down some of those barriers.”

Other participants joined the round table from Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, Wales & West Utilities, the University of South Wales, the Institute of Security and Resilience Studie at University College London; Cardiff Council, Local Government Data Unit Wales; Cardiff University and HPC Wales.