The Municipality’s primary concern is the usefulness of technological applications for the city’s residents. A 21st-century city must make technological progress available to its residents, changing elements of their everyday lives for the better, including quality of life, ease of transportation, and cost of living.
The Municipality of Trikala was recommended by a group of distinguished companies (of national and international renown) to host a large-scale pilot project that makes available to city residents services that utilise advanced technological achievements.
Τα έργα με οφέλη για πολίτες και επιχειρήσεις του Δήμου:
These are the benefits for the residents and businesses in the Municipality:
A) e-KEP (Automated Citizens Service Centre)
Special, ATM-style machines offer residents the option, at any time of the day or night, to request and print out municipal clearance certificates, civil register certificates, and other related municipal authority documents, quickly, simply and easily.
Residents will be identified via their Resident Card. The goal is for more complex e-services to be activated soon, which will also allow residents to submit and pick up documents that need to be notified to the Municipal Authority. The petitions and related documentation will be communicated directly, through the electronic records, to the appropriate Municipal Directorate. Using the e-KEP, interested parties will be able to print out the relevant official responses to their requests.
Partners: Unixfor SA, Egritos Group, Synergasia SA
B) Mobile Check App
Residents can send their requests directly to the Municipal Authority through the Check app for mobile phones. This comprehensive application is available for free on Google Play and the App Store. Its basic function is the capacity to log and monitor the progress of resident petitions. The application is linked to the “20000″ comprehensive residents’ service platform and it directs petitions straight to the competent Municipal Department. Furthermore, it covers basic information needs, by displaying announcements and events posted on the Municipality’s website. It also functions as a tourist guide, highlighting points of interest on a map and displaying handy information such as useful telephone numbers, pharmacies open late, and gas stations.
Partners: Egritos Group
C) Wireless Internet Access and Municipal Services Online
The entire commercial centre of the city of Trikala is now covered for wireless internet access. The wireless network has increased existing city infrastructure, since it is necessary for the operation of the other applications, and it also offers additional security to users’ internet connections.
Partners: Cisco ,Vodafone,and Space Hellas
D) Smart Lighting System
A Smart Lighting System has been implemented to manage municipal street-lighting; it has achieved energy savings of over 60% compared to conventional lighting systems.
Specifically, existing conventional technology lighting systems have been replaced by new LED lighting systems, along a representative street of the intra-urban street network (Othonos Street). Also, a wireless control system has been installed, which offers the capacity for early malfunction detection, “smart” intervention scheduling, dynamic lighting adjustment when, where and to the extent needed, to achieve maximum energy savings and to improve visibility for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
Partners: Kafkas, Cisco and Space Hellas
E) Smart Parking System
A Smart Parking Management System has been implemented, which allows the identification, imaging and monitoring of designated parking spaces in the city centre.
Use of Sensors: Installation of specialised sensors on the road surface of Othonos and Garibaldi streets, with each sensor corresponding to one discreet, delineated parking spot. The sensor provides feedback to the network’s controllers by sending appropriate signals when the spot is occupied or unoccupied.
Furthermore, residents can be informed in real time about the availability of parking spots in the selected area, both through the parking mobile app for smart phones and through signs that can be installed in central points around the city. Also, traffic control authorities are provided with real-time information about illegal parking instances. The application also offers the option to pay for parking.
Partners: ParkGuru, VivaWallet, Cisco, Space Hellas
F) Environmental Conditions Monitoring System
Using special equipment for environmental readings (such as measuring the concentrations of air pollutants and particulate matter, and noise levels), the quality of the atmosphere can be evaluated and any potential impact on public health can be assessed. Also, the application displays real-time standardised indexes of environmental quality that allow for comparative evaluations (benchmarking), real-time alerts, and the identification of trends that could or should lead to specific measures. The system has been installed in the building of the Regional Unit of Trikala.
Partners: Space Hellas, Cisco
G) Smart+Connected Digital Platform
The Cisco Smart+Connected Digital Platform – CDP has been installed. The CDP is a comprehensive IT system that utilises the advantages of the Internet of Things (IoT) and manages different surveillance and information applications, while also feeding into third-party systems through application programming interfaces (APIs). The platform collects, stores, normalises, and visualises the data produced by the above structures and applications and makes it available for analysis to parties interested in utilising them to benefit the city’s residents and businesses.
Partners: Cisco, Space Hellas
H) “Smart City” Control Centre
A control centre for all “Smart City” services was established on the ground floor of City Hall. Terminals were installed to monitor the following systems:
- The Cisco Smart+Connected Digital Platformis designed to display the data it collects on one admin screen
- GIS displays spatial – urban planning data and points of interest in the Municipality of Trikala
- Traffic light operation monitoring system. It offers online monitoring of malfunctions and blown light bulbs in the city’s intersections that are regulated by traffic lights.
- Municipal vehicle traffic recording system
- Terminal for monitoring the operation of wireless network hubs for free Wi-Fi access
- Solenoid valves monitoring and regulating system – Municipal Water and Sanitation Utility
- Recording and monitoring of the progress of residents’ petitions
- Posting of Municipality of Trikala open data
Partners: Cisco, Space Hellas, ITM Intelligent, e-trikala, Vodafone, Municipal Water and Sanitation Utility, Engis by Enstruct, Egritos Group.
I) Data collection and analysis
from user connections to the Wireless Municipal Network
An application has been implemented that permits fast and easy user connections to the wireless municipal network in different ways, such as through users’ accounts on social media platforms. Data from wireless network use will be utilised by the Municipal Authority that will use the Marera application to inform residents about cultural events and activities in the Municipality and to help them enjoy their time in the city. Furthermore, in association with the local Trade Association or other interested parties, business activity and increased consumer activity are promoted through targeted offers or other promotional activities.
Partners: Sieben, Space Hellas
J) Traffic lights operation monitoring system
Electronic equipment (controllers) are installed at the city’s intersections and constantly monitor the traffic lights’ operation, reports any potential breakdown, provides information about light bulb malfunctions per direction and signage (red – orange – green) and notifies the control centre online or sends a text message to the competent employee.
Partners: ITM Intelligent Traffic Lights management, Lios electronics
K) Comprehensive Geographic Information System (GIS)
The Geographic Information System includes Business Intelligence (BI) with broad capabilities, so as to provide management of every level with tools to facilitate well informed decision-making for the Municipality, as well as easy access to the data by residents. It includes, among other things, apps for Urban Panning data, Urban Planning Archives, Technical Projects, Municipal Property, Signage, Traffic Lights, Street Lighting, and points of interest. Furthermore, as part of a pilot project, waste collection routes will be analysed and optimised.
Partners: Engis
Future Applications
Smart Waste Management
Using sensors, the waste collection centre can be notified in real time about the level of waste in trash cans. The goal is to optimise the routes of waste collection vehicles, especially in the commercial centre.
Traffic Conditions Analysis through CCTV
The CCTV cameras that will be installed to manage parking will also serve to monitor and analyse traffic conditions in the city. In this way, the authorities will be able to effectively manage traffic and react immediately in unforeseen incidents that cause delays in road traffic. This service will be discussed as to the method of implementation, taking into consideration the opinion of the Personal Data Protection Authority. Also to be investigated is the possibility of implementing a system to monitor vehicle access onto roads where access is not permitted (e.g. pedestrian walkways), through license plate recognition.
Tele-Care
For a select number of residents in need. The platform includes the creation of a Health File to provide health and welfare services using contemporary IT and communications technologies. It is based on the development of systems that monitor health indexes. This solution operates complementarily with other support actions for vulnerable social groups, such as “Help At Home”, towards the ultimate goal of providing comprehensive primary healthcare services to vulnerable social groups. Its actions can also be extended through the establishment of Preventive Medicine Centres (which will be open to broader population groups, such as youth, athletes, etc.), and the development of systems that notify specific resident groups about emergencies (e.g. residents with first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation training), etc.
Controlled Parking
Using video analytics technologies, the system monitors parking availability, illegal parking in sensitive areas (e.g. disability parking locations, pedestrian crossings, double-parking), and compliance with any eventual paid parking systems, while ensuring protection of personal data in full compliance with current legislation. The CCTV cameras are installed on the street lighting columns and each camera surveys multiple parking spots.
The structures of the pilot project are implanted within the limits of the Trikala city centre, where the driverless bus was also tested, while smart applications will be available throughout the Municipality. The implementation of this pilot project is expected to achieve the following benefits:
- Provide Smart City services in a fully productive environment
- Inform and educate the local community about the services
- Produce an awareness case study that may be standardised and extended
- Provide residents easy access to a reliable, free wi-fi network within city limits (in conjunction with the existing wireless network)
- Provide easy and useful information (special offers, alert services)
- Test an application that can save lives, in collaboration with the Municipality’s volunteer network
- Local business will gain access to micro-websites and will offer targeted information through the application (e.g. special offers, coupons, rewards, etc.)
- The application will provide a new promotion vehicle for businesses and products
- Residents will be able to obtain on their own their basic certificates (e.g. municipal clearance, family status, etc.)
- Residents and businesses will have access to open and geographical data
