Not just clever, but smart: this is how Lisbon works
Using data intelligently, improving services and safeguarding trust: Vasco Anjos, Deputy Mayor of Lisbon, outlines the four stages of his smart city at SCCON.
Photo: Messe Berlin
Four stages, a wealth of data and a city on its way to becoming a smart city: Lisbon’s Deputy Mayor, Vasco Anjos, takes the audience at the Smart Country Convention (SCCON) on a hero’s journey through Portugal’s capital. In doing so, he demonstrates how Lisbon uses data to improve public services, collaboration and cyber security.
Data for better services
The first stop is the PGIL Urban Intelligence Platform. “Our PGIL Urban Intelligence Platform collects information from all areas of our city – from transport and climate to waste collection and technology,” explains Anjos. This data can be used to identify what people in the city need and how public services and administration can be improved.
Round-the-clock collaboration
The second stage leads to the Operations Centre. Here, real-time analyses and information from all areas of the city are collated and displayed around the clock. “Everyone is integrated here, from the police and fire service to building management. This enables better collaboration – in day-to-day operations, for preventative measures, but also in crisis situations,” says Anjos. This means that specific areas can be quickly cordoned off or evacuated if necessary.
Open data and collaborative innovation
The third stop is a data hub that provides reliable data for urban analysis and the responsible use of AI. And because heroes rarely act alone, ‘Lisboa Aberta’ makes data transparent and accessible to citizens, businesses and researchers. The ‘LxDataLab’ invites start-ups, universities and students to experiment together and find new models and solutions.
Cyber security also safeguards trust
The fourth and final stage is the most challenging: “Cyber security is, of course, very important. A smart city is only as strong as its weakest link,” says Anjos. Interoperability plays a major role here. Lisbon interacts directly with 16 cities, for example in the areas of mobility, energy and water supply. A cyber security framework is therefore essential. After all: “A secure digital city protects its services, data and the trust of its citizens.”
So that the hero’s journey also has a happy ending.