BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov.26
By Sadraddin Aghjayev - Trend:
The task of determining if the ‘Smart City’ pilot project feasibility was approved by the Azerbaijani presidential decree No. 1859 dated February 27, 2020, in accordance with subparagraph 4.11 of the National Action Plan for 2020-2022, the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and High Technologies told Trend.
The ministry stressed that it’s planned to conduct studies on the application of the ‘smart city’ concept. The work was also entrusted to the State Agency for the Provision of Services to Citizens and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan and the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture.
"Within this project, a RACI matrix was developed reflecting an implementation plan and commitments for the implementation of the Smart City project, and the implementation stages were identified. At the second stage, there was prepared an assessment report was prepared for the first phase and a comparative report on smart cities selected for the Smart City practice," said the ministry.
According to the ministry, given that the main indicators of the Smart City's efficiency relate to many industries, the relevant state structures were involved in the project in the format of a working group. Currently, work is underway to develop a Smart City strategy for the final, third phase of the project. The project has already brought certain benefits.
"The first samples of Smart City components have been installed in Baku - bus stops smart benches and lighting poles developed by RD SMART LLC, a resident of the Pirallahi High Technologies Park, subordinated to the Innovation Agency. According to the assessment of urban services in the country, Baku is an exemplary city in terms of the development level of smart city services (stage of maturity)," the ministry noted.
The ministry also pointed out that in the Ismayilli district smart bus stops have been installed. A solar-powered smart bus stop protects passengers, waiting at the bus stop, from contracting the virus by spraying BIOSANIS disinfectant solution, free of alcohol, chlorine, and harmful substances, created by Azerbaijani scientists, into the air for 10 seconds every 10 minutes.
"Besides, a hand sanitizer was installed at the stop. The stop is also equipped with free Wi-Fi, 4 outlets for charging mobile devices, a USB port, 2 security cameras, and a water vending machine,” added the ministry. “For the convenience of passengers, the bus schedule will be displayed on a special information panel. The smart bus stop is powered by solar panels. Two more types of solar-powered smart benches located in the park are equipped with free Wi-Fi, charging for mobile devices, and a USB port.”
In addition to the above, in 2020, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, as part of its work to improve urban services in other cities of the country, introduced a new payment technology in passenger transportation in Shamakhi city. As a pilot project in the city, a new payment technology was introduced for non-cash payments in passenger transportation, a new system was installed on several buses that support contactless technology, which allows payments from bank cards and mobile devices. The broad system includes features such as NFC technology, QR code payments, special discounts on social networks, and real-time payment control.
On May 15, 2020, a videoconference was held between the leadership of CISCO and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, during which the ‘Smart City’ project, stages of its implementation, and prospects for cooperation with Quantelo on the project were discussed.
For the implementation of the pilot project, currently cooperation is carried out with all the world's leading companies operating in the field of information and communication technologies.
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