PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--One of the greatest challenges in the years to come will be to turn city centres into smart, connected, secure places. Today, 250 of the world's cities are testing out innovative projects that are optimising their urban services and improving their inhabitants' or users' living conditions. Barcelona, New York, London, Singapore and Nice, France were some of the smartest cities in 20151. They have been pioneers, implementing a new rationalised environmental design concept that is turning out beneficial to all.
1. Technology, Serving Cities
The "Smart Cities" concept is riding high. In it, technologies are put to work for a specific purpose: to turn city centres into connected, smart places, which in turn foster better quality of living, for individuals and for communities at large. "Smart Cities" have set a new standard, providing for consistency between all of the modes that connect citizens up with the rest of the municipal environment and the public authorities.
The massive penetration of new technologies in our everyday lives (Internet, Smartphones, notebooks, computers, mobile applications, NCF - Near Field Communication - or the spread of "contactless" payment) has sparked the public authorities to re-think all of their services to citizens. In this new environment, protecting the security and privacy of citizens remains no less a priority.
1.1 Telecommunications: Building Social Bonds
The mobile telephone sector is also in the throes of expansion: as of late-2014, there were 7.1 billion SIM registered card connections across the world, as well as 243 million machine-to-machine connections (M2M)2. It is expected that there will be another one billion subscribers by 2020, raising the global penetration rate to approximately 60%.
This level of world-wide coverage offers a number of benefits to society: those living in isolation will enjoy better access to services and mobility, from which they were previously cut off. If, in 2050, 75% of the population will indeed be living in urban areas, the rural areas will be even more reliant on such technologies to bring them out of their isolation.
Receiving care via telemedicine, sharing individual health data or being monitored remotely by a healthcare provider -- all of this is now possible via cell phone, thanks to mobile health, or mHealth.
The INNOVATION PLAYGROUND at CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS will allow you to test:
Connected Temperature Sensor
In the field of healthcare, one of the major challenges in sensitive product transport remains the transfer of liability between players at each stage of the logistics chain. Connected temperature sensors offer proof of product temperature, at any time and in a glance, thanks to ongoing communication between sensor and Smartphone.
Key advantages:
- Guaranteed liability transfer at each stage of the delivery process
- Real-time history, even on sealed packages
- Checks for thermal, physical or other impacts
- No equipment cost to the user
M2M communications (machine-to-machine) and the Internet of Things are further mega-trends. In 2015, Smart Cities will use 1.1 billion connected objects; by 2020, that figure will reach 9.7 billion3. Smart Homes and Smart Office Buildings will account for 45% of connected objects in 2015. Boosted by investments and service potential, the rate is expected to reach 81% in 2020.
Accounting for 42% of connections world-wide, Asia is now the largest market in terms of M2M systems, followed by Europe (28%), North America (18%), Latin America (8%), Africa (4%) and Oceania (1%).
The INNOVATION PLAYGROUND at CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS will allow you to test:
Connected Screens
Think&Go is revolutionising screens, making them fully "ready to communicate" with all connected objects (telephones, cards, watches, etc.), and creating new customer pathways for 100% of the consumer population, including paywalls. Each pixel on the screen interacts with the connected objects, and as data move in both directions, this enables a tailored experience and consumer engagement in under one second.
Examples of applications:
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Drive-to-store: consumers use their Smartphone or contactless card to download discount coupons
Other business sectors using this system include: transport, tourism, banking, fast food, advertising, etc.
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Come see some of the industry's |
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- Gemalto |
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- Infineon |
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- Morpho |
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- Oasys |
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- Oberthur Technologies |
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- Orange |
1.2 Smart electricity grids: managing electricity use more intelligently
Smart electricity grids, a major advance for industry, enable use that is better-suited to electrical resources, all the while trimming expenditure and improving infrastructure efficiency. Homes and public buildings will be both interconnected and smart-"enabled", thanks to their integrated services environment, and will be able to deliver better-tailored services.
By 2019, the annual cost-savings generated by smart grid projects, thanks in particular to lower energy and CO2 emissions will reach $10.7 billion4. Emissions reductions are on par with those generated by annual use, i.e., 130 million barrels of oil5.
The INNOVATION PLAYGROUND at CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS will allow you to test:
Gazpar, the Communicating Gas Metre
Gazpar is GrDF's communicating gas metre, set to equip 11 million natural gas customers, including both individual users and businesses. The concept: customers will be addressed a reading of their gas use levels daily, so that they can save energy.
Not only will this usher in a new era in metering, customers will also be able to take concrete action on their power use using data that is accurate to the day.
Key advantages:
- Monitors and analyses natural gas use daily
- Monthly use data sent out automatically
- Simplifies technical line works
Electricity infrastructure settings
Legrand's electrical energy metres simplify settings, maintenance and diagnostics, before and after power-up Smart data are sent straight to the Smartphone, making adjustments and updates that much simpler. Citizens will enjoy easy access to their everyday use, broken down by type of usage, while technical work will be simplified, making for lower costs overall
Key advantages:
- Settings secured at time of installation
- Optimised installation time
- Lower operating costs
1.3 Payment: The Central Role of Contactless
Payment systems play a major part in smart cities. They make consumers' lives easier by offering them services that can be directly accessed from their mobile devices. Transparent, simple payment methods mean improved quality of living, whether in terms of liveability, practicability and sustainability.
By 2016, over 2 billion US dollars (or 1.7 billion6 d’euros) in e-commerce will have been generated by mobile digital assistants. The engagement of American consumers in the mobile sector is so high that M-commerce revenues are expected to amount to 50% of total digital commerce in the United States by 20177.
The major demand for "contactless" will be heightened by the arrival of new players on the market, such as Apple Pay (in the United States), Samsung Pay, or Android Pay, which use NFC paired up a Magnetic Secure Technology, or Host Card Emulation.
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New Solutions in Ticketing: |
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- Transport for London: in 2014, TfL rolled out its first contactless payment solution, making it possible for its users to pay in pace with their public transport needs. Over 60 million trips were paid for using a contactless card in the system's first six months. TfL recently announced that the Apple Pay system will also work in its network. |
1.4 e-Government
Many of Europe's countries have become pioneers in creating secure identification. Governments have invested millions in building highly-secure, reliable identification systems, both physical and electronic, based on biometrics. According to a report on the e-identification market, by 2018, 127 countries will have rolled out nationwide e-identification systems, delivering over 740 million e-identifications annually, generating over €49.1 billion8 in revenue between 2013 and 20189
The identity-related projects run by governments help them better pinpoint their populations' characteristics in order to provide them with improved services. Secure identification is guaranteed by smart card, which issues electronic certificates, to be used during on-line identification. As a result, citizens can access government services, such as tax payments, document signature or document access; meanwhile, governments can make their services more efficient and better manage their resources.
Digital or electronic identification help narrow the gap between citizens and their government, and are a key component in society's move toward greater environmental friendliness.
The INNOVATION PLAYGROUND at CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS will allow you to test:
Autonomous Access Control
Secure identification remains the cornerstone of access control systems. Smartphones or badges have replaced keys and simplify everyday living. Autonomous access control has major implications for high-security military and industrial sites, airports, and service sector players requiring high levels of security (banks, head offices of major companies, ministries, etc.)
Key advantages:
- Remote administration for access rights
- Secure and autonomous access control
- Door lock and unlock history
- Access rights and authorisation management for regular or one-time visitors
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Few users constraints
A selection of e-identification projects across the world:
< >ESTONIA: e-Identification in Estonia is one of the country's key public infrastructures, making it possible for citizens to use secured services on-line. Estonia has also opened up a mobile ID which uses the same PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) as for the eID card, except that the data are stored on a secure SIM card inside the telephone.EUROPE: The European Union has created eIDAS, which includes electronic identification recognition and covers all trusted electronic services between its 28 Member States.INDIA: The Aadhaar Card, authorised by the UIDAI (The Indian Identification Authority), provides each of the country's residents with a unique identification number. This is a major tool that makes it possible to avoid misappropriation of subsidies and successfully add new financial programmes.UAE: The United Arab Emirates' identification card has become the standard in authenticating transactions that are run via the departments of government websites and different private organisations.2.1 Barcelona, Spain
The orthogonal bus system, a bicycle exchange programme, the contactless "tap-and-go" payment programme based on NFC technology and the new urban sensors all make this city a living, breathing laboratory.
After reviewing a range of options, Barcelona chose to invest in a sophisticated tool that remotely controls the street lighting system. It has also rolled out more than 19,500 smart metres. Urban transport was designed to include an orthogonal bus system with "smartquesinas" stops (interconnected and sustainable bus stops, equipped with technologies that improve the user experience).2.2 New York, United States
New York, one of the world's most heavily-populated metropolises, has been a devotee of new technologies for years, making it a city on the cutting edge. One prime example is its interactive "City 24/7" Platform, which includes information about government programmes, local companies and New York citizens. The tool is capable of providing data on anyone, anywhere, any time and on any device. Furthermore, the City is considering building the United States' largest Wi-Fi network, and gradually replacing all of its phone booths with Wi-Fi hotspots.
2.3 London, United Kingdom
The road and passenger transport management system in London is one of the most efficient worldwide. Some of its innovative features include: traffic-based pricing, which uses license plate recognition technologies to calculate how heavily-loaded the roads are, thus lowering the number of vehicles per day in The City by over 70,000 - the smart road system tested during the Olympic Games, the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme (self-service bicycle rental) and Wi-Fi in 150 Underground stations in 2014. The Oyster contactless card in use at TfL (Transport for London), which can be filled up in advance using a credit or debit card, offers users the option of instant payment to travel. It has paved the way for a digital wallet system, which would make for considerably greater efficiency.
London will invest more than £200 million (or €281.2 million) in order to become an even smarter city by 2018.2.4 Nice, France
Working in conjunction with Think Global10, the City of Nice and Cisco have produced the "Connected Boulevard". Boulevard Victor Hugo, in the centre of Nice, is home to the first proof of concept project for the "Internet of Everything", creating a smart city zone, complete with 200 sensors and detection system. The data collected are reviewed and analysed in order to provide the city and its residents with contextual information about: parking, traffic, street lighting, waste treatment and, last but not least, environmental quality, as tested in real time. The first pilot tests, conducted on intelligent parking, showed that automobile density could be cut by at least 30%, making for a drop in air pollution, as well as an increase in parking revenue.
2.5 Singapore
In 2014, Singapore's Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) unveiled the city's new smart platform, the SNP-Smart Nation Platform. Designed around three key capabilities - connection, collection and comprehension - it provides an operational system into which all public agencies can log. The system will activate the key data collected via sensors placed intentionally at the outer edges of the city, so that they can remain anonymous, secure, managed and shared. The data will then be used to foster greater responsiveness and anticipation in services to residents.
Singapore's eCitizen portal offers access to a one-stop shop including 400 governmental e-services, which deliver content gathered by different agencies. Over 100 mobile-only services from government agencies, or non-governmental entities such as hospitals and universities, along with applications co-designed by the private sector, using government data, are available at mGov@SG.1 Juniper Research (2015) – "Global Smart City – 2015".
2 Ibid.
3 "Smart cities will Include 10 Billion Things by 2020" – Smart Insights Report (2015).
4 Exchange rate as at 15 June 2015
5 Juniper Research - “Smart Cities: Strategies, Energy, Emissions & Cost Savings 2014-2019”.
6 Exchange rate as at 15 June 2015
7 Gartner Study 2015 - "Top 10 Strategic Predictions for 2015 and Beyond: Digital Business is driving Big change".
8 Exchange rate as at 25 June 2015
9 Acuity Market Intelligence (2014) – "The Global national eID Industry Report".
10 A collaborative project that has brought together start-ups and major corporations, working together to achieve optimal flexibility and provide smart cities with the urban solutions they need.