Skip to main content

Smart cities pilot projects use people as ‘sensors’

The Spanish cities of Malaga, Zaragoza and Santander are the first cities to join CIUDAD 2020, the R&D&I (research, development and innovation) smart cities reference project, led by Indra in partnership with Ferrovial Agroman, Atos, Fagor Electrónica, GFI Informática, Fractalia, Daedalus, Tekia and iSOCO. One of the most novel aspects of the project, which has is aimed at developing a new, efficient and sustainable smart city model in which citizens play a central and active role. People generate a lar
October 3, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
The Spanish cities of Malaga, Zaragoza and Santander are the first cities to join CIUDAD 2020, the R&D&I (research, development and innovation) smart cities reference project, led by 509 Indra in partnership with 4419 Ferrovial Agroman, Atos, Fagor Electrónica, GFI Informática, Fractalia, Daedalus, Tekia and iSOCO.

One of the most novel aspects of the project, which has is aimed at developing a new, efficient and sustainable smart city model in which citizens play a central and active role.  People generate a large amount of data through their use of urban infrastructures, such as public transportation and car parks, mobile applications which allow citizens to register incidents in a global platform and social networks that can be used to share user locations and multimedia content such as messages or photos.

Tests are being carried out in Malaga and Zaragoza to locate the areas of each city with the most social activity and points of interest in which to improve management processes using the information provided by social networks. Other tests are being carried out on the creation of new services based on how residents use Twitter. By using the geo-positioning of messages and data mining algorithms, it is possible to identify the most active areas and by analysing them, together with the most common hashtags, routes, etc., the city's behaviour can be modelled.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New solutions to old problems set to cut emergency response times
    April 30, 2015
    David Crawford looks at the latest developments in emergency response. Ensuring speedier reactions to transport and travel crises is becoming increasingly important. US statistics suggest that as many as 1,000 ‘saveable’ lives can be lost each year in major cities because of operational defects in their SOS operations.
  • Xerox and University of Michigan partner on urban mobility
    May 8, 2014
    Xerox is to form a three-year partnership with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) to help shape the future of urban mobility across the country. The ultimate goal is to demonstrate how emerging automotive information-based systems and communications capabilities enable improved transaction-based business processes.
  • Masks and AI: the new mobility reality
    June 26, 2020
    French authorities are using artificial intelligence to track face covering compliance
  • Imperatives to shape extended mobility ecosystems of tomorrow
    April 10, 2014
    New survey shows cities ill prepared to meet the increasing demand for urban mobility. Most of the world’s cities are ill-equipped to cope with the predicted increase in demands on urban travel – that is the stark finding of the second ‘Future of Urban Mobility’ study carried out by global management consultancy Arthur D. Little. Compiled in association with the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), the survey examines and rates urban mobility in 84 cities worldwide against an extended set o