perugia smart city
the innovative digital transformation project of the Umbrian city
The city of Perugia, the capital and economic, social and cultural centre of the Region of Umbria, has a population of around 165,000 inhabitants, a vast territory that requires efficient and timely services and a continuous construction of communication channels between the public administration and citizens.
The municipality of Perugia needs, in the perspective of creating governance oriented to the needs of citizens and the efficiency of the PA, to find a technological system that guarantees an efficient collection and management of the city’s data with the integration of IoT services and technologies, a decision support system and tools to promote the active participation of citizens. It is a digital infrastructure capable of integrating the technologies already implemented in the municipality: the city is already equipped with a wide range of devices and sensors, but the benefits of all these technologies are so far marginal, as they produce a huge amount of unrelated data that is too complicated to process and results in a significant waste of time, money and resources.
At the end of the Urban Agenda project consultations, the choice of the city of Perugia fell on WiseTown and its smart city enabling infrastructure, based on FIWARE technology and capable of responding to new infrastructure needs.
technological innovation for the city
For the city of Perugia, WiseTown integrates its software infrastructure within existing systems in order to manage large amounts of data from different sources such as geographic information systems, satellite imagery, IoT sensors, Open Data and other existing services giving access to a single intelligent system for data management and analysis.
The use of WiseTown within the municipality’s control and data management systems aligns Perugia with the technological tools available in European capitals. This standardization enables information management and the integration of new applications, triggering virtuous collaborations between cities, universities and research centers.
building the Smart City
The smart city enabling infrastructure developed by WiseTown and declined for the Umbrian capital collects data from different sources: the Geographical Information System used by the municipality, IoT sensors, monitoring systems installed in the city, Open Data, historical data and those derived from applications in use in PA and by external parties.
Among the interaction components, WiseTown Geoanalytics, is the one dedicated to PA decision support. The component is in fact dedicated to spatially-based data analysis. WiseTown Situation Room, on the other hand, allows monitoring a specific geographic area in a given time interval, such as in the case of important city events, while WiseTown Situation Room optimizes the collection and management of reports that reach the PA from citizens. These are just some of the components that complete the WiseTown offer for the Municipality of Perugia, which, through a structured path of specific training, is accompanied by the process of appropriation of data processing tools.
the benefits: Smart City and Smart Community
WiseTown is the solution to the structural technological criticalities of Perugia, a city that receives a large amount of data from multiple departments of the administration, but which is poorly shared due to the lack of common standards. The city of Perugia is thus equipped with a range of solutions already approved at European level, with standardization that leads to optimization of costs and resources, harmonization of technologies, and achievement of service quality levels in line with the policies of large European cities.
In the relationship between the community and the administration, WiseTown brings considerable benefits, allowing the adoption of useful tools to respond effectively and efficiently to the needs of citizens and to stimulate forms of active participation in the social and political life of the city. Among the many services offered, there is also the development of an App for reporting critical issues, thanks to which the citizen becomes the spokesperson for the city’s problems, generating an “issue” that is automatically converted into a “task” and assigned to the right department of the administration. A process that certainly strengthens the relationship of trust between decision-makers and citizens.
Project realised for the Municipality of Perugia
Perugia is the capital city of the Umbria Region, famous worldwide for its cultural, historical and artistic wealth; it has a population of around 165,000 inhabitants and is one of the first Italian municipalities in terms of territorial extension. On the occasion of the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona in 2021, it presented its transformation path into a Smart City, launched with the support of WiseTown.
Fiware, the European Smart City technology giant, presented the WiseTown project for Perugia among its Impact Stories.
Contribution to sustainable urban development
The project aims to contribute to the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, defined and promoted by the United Nations:
SDG 9. Building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and fostering innovation
Investment in sustainable infrastructure and scientific and technological research increases economic growth, creates jobs and promotes prosperity. Objective 9 therefore aims to build resilient infrastructure, promote industrialisation and foster innovation. Increased resource efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally friendly technologies and industrial processes are needed to make infrastructure and industries sustainable by 2030.
The use of innovative technologies in cities makes it possible to formulate infrastructural and digital services that monitor people’s movements in order to respond promptly to critical situations and ensure safety, security and efficiency for the population. In addition, the involvement of inhabitants in the organisational dynamics of cities and in the construction of efficient infrastructures and services enables all-round social inclusion that makes citizens responsible for their own well-being and stimulates a dynamic and participatory dialogue with institutions.
CONTRIBUTES TO THE FOLLOWING SUB-OBJECTIVES
9.1: Develop the quality of infrastructure by making it reliable, sustainable and resilient, including regional and cross-border infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on equitable access for all
9.4: By 2030, upgrading infrastructure industries and making them sustainable, with greater efficiency of resources to be used and increased adoption of clean and environmentally friendly technologies and industrial processes, in accordance with countries’ respective capabilities
9.5: Improving scientific research, enhancing the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, particularly developing countries, by 2030, encouraging innovation and significantly increasing the number of R&D workers.
SDG 11. Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, durable and sustainable
New technologies make it possible to build a network to monitor mobility and people flows, to ensure safe and integrated coordination of cities during times of conviviality and cohesion. The benefits are numerous: they affect the economic apparatus of the territory, helping to provide access to safe, accessible transport systems; they achieve integrated and sustainable urbanisation, providing universal access to safe public spaces; they enhance understanding of cultural heritage.
CONTRIBUTES TO THE FOLLOWING SUB-GOALS:
11.2: By 2030, provide access to safe, accessible, and sustainable transport systems for all, improve road safety, in particular by expanding public transport, with particular attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and the elderly
11.3: By 2030, improve inclusive and sustainable urbanisation and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries
11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible green and public spaces, particularly for women and children, older people and people with disabilities
11.4: Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage
SDG 13. Promoting action at all levels to combat climate change
Smart and coordinated city management enables the public sector to facilitate widespread environmental awareness and education, building institutional capacity over time for sustainable climate change mitigation, impact reduction, early warning and efficient response strategies and planning.
CONTRIBUTES TO THE FOLLOWING SUB-OBJECTIVES
13.1: strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related risks and natural disasters in all countries
13.2: integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
13.3: improve education, awareness and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
SDG 16. Promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions
Innovative technologies help institutions and organising bodies to support citizens in their many moments of conviviality and social life, making their work transparent and thus ensuring inclusiveness and peace of mind. Involving the inhabitants of a city horizontally in decisions and in the organisation of convivial moments reduces distortions in information and develops participatory governance.
CONTRIBUTES TO THE FOLLOWING SUB-GOALS:
16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
16.8: Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in global governance institutions
16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.
smart city tools
Customizable modules that support administrators in developing a sustainable, safe, inclusive and participatory urban ecosystem.
