• The objective is to improve management through cost reduction, more efficient service delivery and positive impact on the environment through IT implementation
• Through technology it is possible to predict, measure and control the energy consumption of industries, offices, homes, administrations and all agents that are part of a SmartCity
• Smart cities are synonymous with sustainable cities: more efficient, greener, more supportive, more aware of the shared use of resources

According to the study “Behind Smart Cities Worldwide”, conducted by the Autonomous University of Madrid, more than 9400 cities will be created in the world by 2050 and it is estimated that 70% of the population will live in cities. A key reason for society to adapt to the challenges of this growth, and to adopt new, more efficient city models at all levels, according to Vector ITC Group.

“Smart cities are synonymous with sustainable cities. One of the main challenges of a SmartCity is to achieve efficiency in the use of all its available resources and make this control of resources possible from any smart device. In order to ensure that a city has technological mobility at all levels, in addition to having the necessary technological infrastructures, citizens must have access to smart devices with which to interact and contribute to the use efficient resources. Vector thinks that to achieve this, collective intelligence is needed to work together towards a sustainable city. The commitment of institutions and citizens is fundamental“, concludes Javier de las Heras, Head of the Technology Area of Vector ITC Group

Smart mobile phones in Spain already account for 87% of the total mobile phones, which places our country in the top position at European level, according to the 2016 Ditendria report. It is reaching a point where every citizen in a short space of time will possess one of them. In a SmartCity it is essential to be able to carry out any daily task or administrative management from a smart device.

Vector ITC Group develops multisectoral mobile applications (banking applications, digital signature, digital health card…) that allow you to easily carry out a multitude of managements with maximum guaranteed security . Applications used by millions of people, to make usual arrangements such as transfers, bill payments, loan request, mobile top-up, banking, ordering a taxi, paying in a trade, making an appointment at the doctor, etc.

Management 2.0 is a key part of the entire SmartCity. The primary objective of Vector ITC Group has been to develop solutions that facilitate and strengthen the relations between the public administration and the citizen, thus building technological applications that speed up the work of public employees and that increase citizen participation (paying for parking, consultation of fines, income declaration, etc.). All this connects with more sustainable and technological growth.

For Vector ITC Group technology must provide the citizen with the possibility to quickly and comfortably access all the services that a city offers, improve the user experience and save on the resources that such management would entail with respect to the method Traditional.

Social media is a clear example of the new SmartCity model. With the integration of technologies into socio-economic, political and environmental-related plans, collaboration between cities and administrations is promoted. Therefore, using social networks to encourage public participation means opening up management to the participation of the citizen, enhanced by information and telecommunications technologies and thereby generating other opportunities, such as cultural and business, which are increasing interest in it by governments and public administrations.

Energy efficiency and sustainable development

More and more cities and municipalities need to monitor a large number of variables to optimize resources and provide a good service to citizens. The target? Becoming a SmartCity by improving management through cost reduction, providing more efficient services and having a positive impact on the environment, as well as other areas of intervention: mobility, lighting, control of air pollution and acoustics, or smart buildings.

In this way, technology has become a fundamental tool. Thanks to it, it is possible to predict, measure and control the energy consumption of industries, offices, homes, administrations and all the agents that are part of a smartcity.

“At Vector ITC Group we have developed technologically innovative tools that contribute to the improvement of energy efficiency, evaluating it in certain industrial processes, such as those of power supply quality, production, distribution and use of steam and/or cold.” Javier de las Heras, Head of the Technology Area of Vector ITC Group, says.

These technological solutions make it possible to optimize energy consumption. Through a sensorization network we obtain the necessary information to perform simulations that calculate the optimal consumption at all times in an industrial process. This information knows the current situation and by means of predictive patterns the forecast of demand in the future, which allows to adapt consumption and save energy.

This model could be scalable to other areas outside the industry, allowing improvements in terms of consumption and costs, which would increase the energy efficiency of the different facilities where it was deployed.