1.2.3 Barcelona: a smart city

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As the world continues to urbanise, with 180,000 people a day moving into cities, the competition between cities will continue to grow economically, environmentally, and even socially. The cities that embrace technology will surface as the winners.

Think about it. Only 1% of what can be connected is connected today. Imagine the possibilities. The Internet of Everything has arrived and is ready to change the world. : Cisco is extremely excited about Barcelona, because the city is utilising the Internet of Everything. By connecting its people and things to a city Wi-Fi, Barcelona is creating new services, richer experiences, and unprecedented economic opportunity for its people, for its businesses, and for its partners.

Barcelona is a social dream. And technology is able to make this social dream possible.

We face, in Barcelona, the very same problems that every city in the world faces. So we want to tackle those problems with technology.

What we are trying to put in place is a common solution for all the cities of the world.

It is estimated that 40% of traffic in city centres is caused by cars trying to find a parking space. Now, in-ground parking sensors communicate with devices in cars to help vehicle owners quickly find an available spot.

Putting sensors in parking spots allow us to get less cars, less traffic, people happy, so that the city becomes a more livable place.

We have to make it possible for people to understand that the internet might be changing their daily life to improve it.

We transformed the experience of wasting your time waiting for the bus into a contact, a full contact with the city. People can find information on routes for the bus, plus information on the area-- business, commerce, shows.

Barcelona’s citizens not only enjoy the smart bus stop experience but are also able to maintain their Wi-Fi connectivity while on the bus or underground train. This allows citizens to get the same sensation of connectivity as they get at home. Understanding that much of a city’s energy waste comes from less-than-optimal use of lighting, Barcelona is installing highly-efficient streetlights which are dynamically managed to save energy, optimise maintenance, and provide a safe environment for citizens. A city-wide network of sensors provides city officials with concrete information, so that they can make decisions based on real-time data.

Getting information on the flow of citizens, on noise, on pollution, on traffic, on weather conditions, allows cities to streamline the city operations, reduce costs, and also improve overall sustainability-- economic sustainability, social sustainability, and environmental sustainability.

Barcelona can generate a blueprint of what cities can become. And this is what gives sens, full sense, to what we’re doing in Barcelona right now.

Technology is for people. Technology is for using it. And technology is for improving citizens’ lives. We are sure that the Barcelona of the future will be even much better than it is now.

Smart cities represent places where people will want to live. By connecting the unconnected, cities will be completely transformed. These are the cities that will harness the power of the Internet of Everything.

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