CARS that communicate with "smart" roads and street lights which measure footfall and air quality might sound like science fiction, but as we report today they are not so far-fetched after all.

Cities like Oxford are on the cusp of a new digital revolution, where the huge amounts of data we collect can be used to make life better for everyone.

While much of these things might sound like technobabble to many, as ever it will be the real-world benefits that they will be interested in.

Traffic, parking, air quality and shopping. These are all things everybody cares about.

One of the main purposes of new technology has always been making everyday tasks easier.

So it is common sense that we should now look to our mobiles, sat navs and cars, and how they could be linked together.

You may be thrilled by these ideas, or worried that we are sleepwalking into a world like that in George Orwell’s famous novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, where everything is monitored by Big Brother.

There is no doubt that so-called ‘smart cities’ will raise many important questions about privacy and civil liberties.

But we cannot properly have these debates in Oxford unless we seize the initiative and lead the way in exploring what this technology has to offer.

We hope Oxford is successful in its bid to win cash from the government for this work, so we can continue to prove this is a world-class place to live that is at the forefront of science and research.