With a lecture How to reduce costs and increase efficiency in the utilities infrastructure management? held on Friday, February 18, in RiHub, the series of lectures Smart Cities and Municipalities, organized by the company Smart RI Ltd. founded by the City of Rijeka, has been completed. The primary goal of organizing the series of lectures Smart Cities and Municipalities was to present the ideas of implementation of information technologies in raising the citizens’ quality of life and better functioning of the cities, and it was achieved through the project’s activities of the Competence Center for Smart Cities. Through a total of 6 lectures intended for the representatives of local and regional self-government units of Primorsko-Goranska, Istria, Lika-Senj and Karlovac counties, individual products and services were presented which were created within 6 subprojects of the Competence Center for Smart Cities project.
In the presence of Marko Filipović, a mayor of Rijeka , at the lecture How to reduce costs and increase efficiency in the utilities infrastructure management?, the utilities infrastructure was discussed, which has been neglected too often despite being an important element in the development of any space. Almost every intervention within the area is connected with the utilities infrastructure, and in most cases development without it is practically impossible. In addition to representatives of Ericsson Nikola Tesla, University of Rijeka, Alarm Automatika and 3t.Cable, the presentation was also attended by the Rijeka’s utilities representatives (KD Vodovod i Kanalizacija and TD Energo) involved in this project activity. Otherwise, such a comprehensive way of data collecting does not currently exist in the Republic of Croatia, even globally, since currently there are only some parts of the solution for the individual elements covered by the project.
The last lecture of the Smart Cities and Municipalities series was followed live or via live streaming by numerous representatives of local governments of Rab, Poreč, Pazin, Krk, Punat, Jelenje, Ozalj, Kastav, Viškovo, Pula, Plitvice Lakes, Cres, Lovran, Senj, Crikvenica, Novalja, Fužine, Bakar, numerous Rijeka’s trade and utility companies, but also representatives of regional self-government units and regional development agencies.
MATERIALS AND ALL RECORDED LECTURES WITHIN THE SMART CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES SERIES
Pametni turizam za otporniju i održiviju destinaciju Smart tourism for a more resilient and sustainable destination
Dražen Jurković (iOLAP), Davor Pasarić (The Creative Department) and Dražen Črnjar (Alarm Automatika) presented services with tourism potential which are developed through the project, such as Smart Destination Management, e-tinerary products, Personal Assistants before and during their stay at destination, and the Security Barometer. Otherwise, the goal of the Living subproject, whose part of services and products were presented in the first lecture of the series, is to connect with citizens and life in the city and the movement of residents and visitors.
More information on the topic and content, as well as the presentations and a complete recording of the event can be found here.
Sustainable and smart mobility through a smart transport system
Speakers Krešimir Vidović (Ericsson Nikola Tesla), Dražen Keresteny (Alarm Automatika), Ana Tomljanović (Rijeka Promet-Rijeka Plus) and Tomislav Krljan (Faculty of Maritime Studies, University of Rijeka) presented products and services developed through the CEKOM subproject Connected Traffic, focusing in particular on the advanced information and communication system that will serve as a decision support, as well as in the management of urban mobility and traffic safety aspects. The innovativeness of this subproject is an integral part of a completely new approach to the integration and analysis of big data, and their use in real time for traffic flow management.
More information on the topic and content, as well as the presentations and a complete recording of the event can be found here.
Responsible towards the environment and the budget
Speakers Alen Dabčević (Elektrokovina Plus), Tomislav Sladonja (Hrvatski Telekom) and Veronika Petrović (Apsolon) presented products and services developed through the CEKOM subproject Energy & Environment, through which solutions for improvement of the energy systems and environmental monitoring systems in smart cities are developed. Also presented were a system of smart public lighting Smart Waste, smart waste management system, and the KPI Evaluator, a tool for urban development monitoring and their comparison. All these products and services are meant to make a smart city as energy efficient and sustainable as possible in resource management, while protecting the environment and maintaining quality of life.
More information on the topic and content, as well as the presentations and a complete recording of the event can be found here.
Sustainable and smart mobility aimed at a Greener, carbon-free Europe
Speakers Vedran Kotarski (Hrvatski Telekom), Zvonimir Anić (Smart Sense) and Damir Stojanovski (Exevio) presented products and services developed through the CEKOM subproject Surinmo, which aims to optimize traffic flows and relieve it at standstill, with visible results in traffic quality-from safety to information and in reduced environmental pollution. The efforts of Hrvatski Telekom regarding the electromobility of personal vehicles and public transport were presented, Smart Sense presented eCrossroads, and Exevio, a prototype of their eSign.
More information on the topic and content, as well as the presentations and a complete recording of the event can be found here.
(Open) Data – the 21st Century Oil and an Opportunity for Cooperation
Speakers Zoran Božićević (Combis) and Damir Stojanovski (Exevio) presented products and services developed through the CEKOM subproject Modesty, which develops a Big Data system and a set of advanced analytical models, creating a platform for a mutual cooperation between the city, industry, scientific community, and population. Željko Jurić (Information Technology Department of the City of Rijeka) presented the efforts of the City of Rijeka regarding open data, a service that, among other parameters, contributed to the Rijeka’s title as the digitally readiest city in the Republic of Croatia.
More information on the topic and content, as well as the presentations and a complete recording of the event can be found here.
How to reduce costs and increase efficiency in the utilities infrastructure management?
Speakers Bojan Blažona (Ericsson Nikola Tesla), Zlatan Car (University of Rijeka), Dražen Keresteny (Alarm Automatika) and Tin Juračić (3t.cable) presented products and services developed through the CEKOM subproject 4D Intelligent Infrastructure, while Marin Blečić (Energo) presented the experience of Energo, Rijeka’s company and a domain partner in the project. The goal of the project is efficient recording and management of underground and aboveground utility infrastructure, in order to reduce costs, increase efficiency, attract investments, and provide better service.
More information on the topic and content, as well as the presentations and a complete recording of the event can be found here.
Through each of the 6 lectures, a new EU financial perspective was presented, i.e. potential ways of the projects’ financing that would implement solutions for smart cities, among other things, also those solutions developed within the Competence Center for Smart Cities project. Namely, the new financial perspective brings almost twice the amount than in previous years for Croatia, given that in addition to the structural funds, a new Recovery and Resilience Fund is available to mitigate the effects of the C-19 epidemic on EU countries’ societies and economies through green and digital transition.
