About
URBSENSE 2026 is an international workshop on urban intelligence and adaptive systems,
in conjunction with the 23rd IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications
(PerCom 2026), Pisa, Italy, 16–20 March 2026.
PerCom is recognized as a CORE2023 A* ranked international conference in pervasive computing and communications.
URBSENSE is part of the NOUS EU Project, exploring cutting-edge solutions for safer, smarter, and more sustainable cities through digital twins, edge computing, AI, and IoT.
Scope and Motivation
URBSENSE investigates challenges in building intelligent, adaptive, and resilient urban environments. Topics include edge AI, federated learning, digital twins, optimization, and system-level co-design. The workshop bridges foundational technologies and real-world deployments to foster sustainable, smart, and responsive cities.
Key Technical Topics
- Edge AI architectures and adaptive middleware for low-latency sensing and decision support
- Federated and privacy-preserving learning on multi-source heterogeneous urban data
- Mathematical optimization for energy-aware mobility, resource scheduling, and resilient infrastructure
- Secure, interoperable data exchange via blockchain and urban data spaces
- Digital twin integration for predictive modeling and incident response
- System-level co-design for transportation, logistics, emergency services, and sustainability
KeyNote Speech
Dr. Chiara Boldrini (IIT-CNR, Italy) - senior researcher at IIT-CNR (Ubiquitous Internet group). Her current work spans four main areas: (1) decentralized, social-aware learning beyond federated approaches; (2) cognitive and behavioral models for online social networks, including Dunbar’s circles; (3) causal learning in pervasive systems; (4) the evolution of social structures in the Metaverse. Her past research includes smart transportation and electric car sharing optimization, opportunistic networks (HiBOp, ContentPlace), human mobility modeling (HCMM), and edge computing concepts later adopted in 5G and D2D systems.Organizers
- Dr. Natalia Selini Hadjidimitriou (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy)
Program Co-Chair
Researcher in Computer Science at the Department of Engineering Sciences and Methods (DISMI), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Her research focuses on data-driven approaches and computational models for smart cities, urban mobility, and intelligent energy systems. - Dr. Marcello Pietri (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy)
Program Co-Chair
Researcher in ICT at the Department of Engineering Sciences and Methods (DISMI), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. His work addresses networked systems, edge/cloud computing, and IoT platforms with applications to intelligent mobility, urban safety, and 5G-enabled services for VRUs. - Dr. Angelo Furno (ENTPE-Université Gustave Eiffel, France)
Technical Program Chair
HDR Researcher at LICIT-ECO7. His research includes machine learning and big data for transportation and urban mobility. He coordinates the ANR JCJC PROMENADE project on data-centric mobility analytics. - Prof. Thorsten Koch (TU Berlin and ZIB, Germany)
General Chair
Full Professor of Mathematics and Optimization. He leads research at TU Berlin and the Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) on discrete optimization, infrastructure planning, and algorithmic intelligence. He is the creator of the SCIP solver and PI of several national and European projects.
Supporting Roles
- Dr. Panagiotis Dimitrakis (Institute of Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, NCSR “Demokritos”, Greece)
Publicity Chair
Senior researcher with expertise in data engineering, edge intelligence, and federated learning for smart environments. He coordinates national and EU projects on trustworthy AI and urban data ecosystems.
Technical Program Committee
- Dr. Panagiotis Moraitis – Netcompany-Intrasoft
- Dr. Rosaria Rossini – Eclipse Foundation Europe GmbH
- Prof. Hervé Rivano, INRIA, INSA-Lyon
- Prof. Marco Mamei - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
- Dr. Razvan Stanica, INRIA, INSA-Lyon
- Prof. Francesco VITI, Univesity of Luxembourg
- Prof. Marco Picone - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
- Dr. Stefania Rubrichi - Researcher - Orange Labs
- Dr. Diletta Chiaro - Latitudo 40
- Dr. Nour-Eddin El Faouzi - University Gustave Eiffel
- Dr. Vinay Venkatesh - Google
- Dr. Vinoth Punniyamoorthy - JPMorgan Chase
- Dr. Enrico Rossini - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
- Dr. Gaurav Pokharkar - ASU
- Dr. Sivakumar Balu - Mercedes-Benz
- Dr. Safa Ridha Albo Abdullah - University of Babylon
- Dr. Pradnya Desai - Salesforce
Important Dates
Paper submission deadline:Paper notification deadline: January
Camera-ready submission deadline: February 02, 2026 (firm)
Workshop: 20 March, 2026 - full day
Call for Papers
The URBSENSE workshop aims at fostering the development and circulation of new ideas and research directions on building intelligent, adaptive, and resilient urban environments. Topics include edge AI, federated learning, digital twins, optimization, and system-level co-design. The workshop bridges foundational technologies and real-world deployments to foster sustainable, smart, and responsive cities. The URBSENSE workshop solicits contributions on, but not limited to, the following topics:- Edge AI architectures and adaptive middleware for low-latency sensing and decision support
- Federated and privacy-preserving learning on multi-source heterogeneous urban data
- Mathematical optimization for energy-aware mobility, resource scheduling, and resilient infrastructure
- Secure, interoperable data exchange via blockchain and urban data spaces
- Digital twin integration for predictive modeling and incident response
- System-level co-design for transportation, logistics, emergency services, and sustainability
Submission and Format
URBSENSE 2026 submissions will follow IEEE PerCom guidelines.
All papers must be: at most 6 pages (+1 extra page for purchase only - after acceptance) of technical content, typeset in double-column IEEE format using 10pt fonts on US letter paper, with all fonts embedded.
In URBSENSE the peer-review process will be single-blind.
Submissions must be made here via EDAS. The IEEE LaTeX and Microsoft Word templates, as well as related information, can be found on the IEEE Computer Society website.
URBSENSE will be held in conjunction with IEEE PerCom 2026. All accepted papers will be included in the Percom workshops proceedings and included and indexed in the IEEEXplore digital library. At least one author will be required to have a full registration at the PerCom conference and present the paper during the workshop (note: remote presentations are not allowed).
Program
Date: Friday, March 20
| Time | Program |
|---|---|
| Opening | |
| 09:00–09:10 |
Welcome & housekeeping Workshop co-chair: Marcello Pietri (UniMoRe) |
| Keynote | |
| 09:10–10:00 |
Rethinking AI Through Full Decentralisation Dr. Chiara Boldrini (IIT-CNR, Italy) - Abstract and Bio |
|
Session 1 – AI for Urban Mobility: Forecasting, Simulation & Re-planning Chair: Marco Picone | 11:00–12:30 |
|
| 11:00–11:25 |
Bridging AI and Traffic Simulation: A Robust and Comprehensive Framework for LLM-Based AI Replanning Ashraf Uz Zaman Patwary |
| 11:25–11:50 |
Multi-Source Context Integration for Forecasting Urban Mobility Flows Romain Rochas |
| 11:50–12:15 |
Beyond Data Scarcity: A Physics-Integrated Landslide Prediction for Urban Disaster Resilience Ren Ozeki |
| 12:15–12:30 | Joint Q&A (all speakers) |
|
Session 2 – Architectures & Edge-to-Cloud for Smart Cities Chair: Marcello Pietri | 14:00–15:30 |
|
| 14:00–14:25 |
A Data Mesh Architecture for IoT-Edge-Cloud Continuum Smart City Systems Marco Picone |
| 14:25–14:50 |
Enhancing Intelligent Transportation Systems with Optimal Cloud-to-Things Resource Allocation Vincenzo Barbuto |
| 14:50–15:15 |
Architecture and Algorithms for an Urban Mobility Digital Twin Ivan Piacere |
| 15:15–15:30 | Joint Q&A (all speakers) |
|
Session 3 – Energy Systems Optimization & Learning for Urban Infrastructure Chair: Thorsten Koch | 16:00–17:00 |
|
| 16:00–16:30 |
Optimization Potential for Adapting Symbolic Regression Models Applied to Energy Flow Control Christoph Dalpiaz |
| 16:30–17:00 |
High-Performance Robust Energy System Planning with Storage: A Single-LP Approach Thorsten Koch |
| Closing | |
| 17:00–17:15 |
Wrap-up Key takeaways, next steps, and community updates |
Accepted papers
- #1571224909 – 335 – Optimization Potential for Adapting Symbolic Regression Models Applied to Energy Flow Control
- #1571226956 – 362 – Beyond Data Scarcity: A Physics-Integrated Landslide Prediction for Urban Disaster Resilience
- #1571227387 – 384 – Architecture and algorithms for an urban mobility digital twin
- #1571227462 – 392 – Enhancing Intelligent Transportation Systems with Optimal Cloud-to-Things Resource Allocation
#1571230522 – 537 – Securing Federated Learning with Dual Performance Metrics and Adaptive Aggregation- #1571232532 – 682 – Bridging AI and Traffic Simulation: A Robust and Comprehensive Framework for LLM-Based AI Replanning
- #1571241965 – 748 – Multi-Source Context Integration for Forecasting Urban Mobility Flows
- #1571241985 – 753 – A Data Mesh Architecture for IoT-Edge-Cloud Continuum Smart City Systems
- #1571242001 – 758 – High-Performance Robust Energy System Planning with Storage: A Single-LP Approach
Registration
Each accepted paper requires a full PerCom registration and at least one author attending the workshop to present it (no registration is available for workshops only). Papers without a valid full registration or that are not presented in-person will be excluded from the proceedings.
Journal Extension Opportunity
The best and tematically relevant papers presented at the URBSENSE 2026 workshop, held in conjunction with IEEE PerCom 2026, will be invited to submit extended versions to the DT-CPS Special Issue of Future Generation Computer Systems (FGCS), Elsevier (Q1, IF > 7), subject to standard peer-review.
Contact & Website
E-mail: {selini|marcello}@unimore.it or see Organizers
Website: https://www.urbsense.org - 2026 [@/AT] urbsense [./DOT] org
Also visit: https://nous-project.eu