Three-quarters of the world’s energy production is consumed in cities, even though they make up only 2 percent of the earth’s surface area. New technical developments are helping to drastically reduce energy consumption in cities and lower operating costs. Making a city smart can also help fulfill urban dwellers’ high expectations of safety, energy efficiency, and convenience. Cities become smart when software and sensors combine to provide intelligent connectivity between vehicles, buildings, and devices. At the Smart City Expo World Congress 2018 in Barcelona (November 13–15), Bosch is presenting solutions and projects that will make the lives of people in such cities better and healthier.
Seville: smart crowd management
Since 2018, Bosch has been operating an intelligent crowd management system in Seville, the capital of Spain’s Andalusia region, to increase safety in this city of some 700,000 people. Using the video analysis functions of Bosch cameras as smart sensors, the system gathers real-time information on data flow and crowds and it detects fast-moving objects or large vehicles in pedestrian zones. The system comprises an intelligent lighting system, a highly precise function for counting people and vehicles, and mechanisms for crowd control that will provide greater control and safety – in particular at large events in the city’s historic center.
Kelsterbach: battery storage system for decentralized energy supply
A new microgrid including battery storage for 180 townhouses is being tested in Kelsterbach, in the German state of Hesse. In the future, local solutions based around the integration of a PV system, a cogeneration plant, and a central storage solution will guarantee power supplies to residential areas. At the same time, automated evaluation and real-time optimization of storage control will ensure that operation is efficient and steadily improves over time. For the area and the people living there, this system will offer a decentralized power supply, increase consumption of locally generated power, and reduce load peaks.
Helsingborg: smart solutions for everyone
In the Swedish port city of Helsingborg, Bosch is collaborating with two seniors organizations, KPR (Kommunala Pensionärs Rådet) and Seniornet, and with the local city authority. The aim of their joint project is to include older people in digitalization and make sure all people benefit from digital solutions for a smart and safe city. Seniors can use Bosch’s Vivatar app to connect more easily and effectively with family members and people within their own neighborhood. The smart app is designed to help people whenever they are out and about, both in harmless situations and in emergencies. This increases users’ sense of security and means they can go about their lives for longer without outside help. Following a pilot phase, the solution will soon be launched more widely on the market.
Development of a citizens’ account as a smart city cloud solution
One cloud for a whole city. A pipe dream? Not for Bosch. In Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart, people’s lives are set to become more connected over the coming years, and simpler and better as a result. Up to now, getting access to much of what the city offers has been a time-consuming process. Now those offers will be digitalized, making them easier to use. This includes such municipal services as web-based document retrieval, online access to childcare and other city service providers, and information about public events. With their own password, residents will be able to access these online from their own citizens’ account.
Solutions for mobility, energy, buildings, safety, and e-governance
Demand for safety, security, energy efficiency, and convenience in cities is growing. These are just a few of the challenges that are resulting from growing urbanization. The key to overcoming them is cities that are intelligent and connected – cities that are “smart,” in other words. In many places, such cities are already a reality: Bosch has a range of solutions that are helping to make cities smarter and increase quality of life for their inhabitants. For smart cities, Bosch offers solutions in the areas of mobility, energy, buildings, safety, and e-governance (i.e. digital city administration). In the area of mobility, this means environmental monitoring, connected parking, fleet management, e-mobility, and multimodal transportation. The company’s energy solutions include virtual power stations, energy-efficient heating, hot-water, and cooling systems, and energy storage. Under the heading of safety, Bosch offers systems for fire safety, access control, and video surveillance. Bosch’s smart hospitalsolutions relieve the technical and administrative burden on hospital operators and staff. For residential buildings, the company offers smart home technology and connected appliances.
On November 13, Bosch experts will be making presentations about the Living Lab Ludwigsburg – a collaborative approach (Andrea Braeuning, 1:45 p.m.) and on Rethink the City, Livable. Sustainable. Resilient, How IoT can change the life in a city (Paulo Ferreira, 5:15 p.m.).
SOURCE: BOSCH
