SMU, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) and Japanese information and communication technology company Fujitsu have signed a five-year partnership to set up the S$54 million Urban Computing and Engineering Centre of Excellence. The centre, which was launched on Wednesday, will study the flow of traffic, both human and vehicular, and model simulations to test how Singapore can ensure smooth traffic flow in crowded areas. A key area of research, for instance, focuses on large urban areas where many people gather in a short time for activities such as sporting events or concerts. "The idea is to provide visitors to such events with intelligent and timely information through their mobile devices to help in decision making," said Deputy Director of the Living Analytics Research Centre at SMU and Professor of Information Systems Lau Hoong Chuin.