Playing a part in the digital transformation of cities. This is the approach Idrica applies in the management of the Smart City of Valencia’s (Spain) Technical Office, deploying its know-how and experience of digital transformation.
Idrica, an international company based in Valencia (Spain), with extensive experience of digital transformation processes in smart cities, manages the Smart City of Valencia’s recently re-organized Technical Office.
Specifically, Idrica adds its organizational know-how and experience in international projects in the field of smart cities, infrastructure management, technical offices and Big Data platforms, as well as in the management of large volumes of data. In this regard, Joan Ribó, the Mayor of Valencia, said that a large part of this data “is not only useful for internal management, but also for analysis and research in various fields, and is available to citizens and research staff in an accessible and processable format.”
The project’s aim is to ensure that the Office is run efficiently, providing it with the necessary resources, and participating in the transformation and integration of municipal services in this benchmark Smart City. Speaking about this, the Councilor for the Digital Agenda and Electronic Administration, Pere Fuset, stated that data “is the basis for swift, efficient decision-making. Previously, we had to make assumptions and go on our perceptions, but now we work with real-time data so we can constantly keep our finger on the pulse of the city”. However, Fuset pointed out that the digital transformation of Valencia has to be “affordable and accessible to everyone, reducing the digital divide that still exists today”, thus placing the focus on citizens as an active part of the project.
Areas of work
Idrica works in several areas of the project: the consultancy area helping out with strategic planning, project management, the analysis of city indicators and municipal services, the definition of dashboards, as well as a range of communication initiatives. It also collaborates with the Office’s Technical Integration Department, which deals with the operation of the city’s platform, data integration and modeling, functional analysis of integrations, deployments, and the technical development of dashboards.
It also fosters the exchange of knowledge between the Office and Idrica teams, whose know-how in new technologies is based on comprehensive experience gained in international projects. However, Idrica, through Global Omnium, has a long track record of deploying operational intelligence solutions in the city of Valencia (Spain), focusing on the entire water cycle and the implementation of a digital twin. This solution can simulate the system’s response to any request, thus facilitating decision-making and network management in Valencia and its metropolitan area.
The project, which is scheduled to run for up to five years and was awarded by public tender, embodies the company’s track record. “Thanks to our experience in the world of water, we are well aware of the importance of managing large volumes of data and, above all, how to make practical use of them to improve the lives of citizens,” says Idrica’s CEO, Jaime Barba. “This is why,” Barba assures, “the prestige of the Smart City of Valencia is the best scenario to deploy our knowledge and digital solutions.”
The Smart City of Valencia
Over half of the world’s population lives in cities, and by 2030 this figure is expected to reach five billion people. This is a major challenge. Digital innovation will help to make the management of urban resources and services more efficient, as well as enhance people’s quality of life. In addition, it will respond to the needs of present and future generations on economic, social, environmental and cultural levels.
In recent years, Valencia has been engaged in an ambitious project to become a leading Smart City. The Smart City Office was created in February 2018 as a municipal service. It aims to contribute to the digital transformation of the city and to provide the human, material and intangible resources required for the support, analysis, design, development, implementation, integration, and maintenance of centralized decision-making systems and smart solutions for the Valencia City Council.
The Council also belongs to the international initiative United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC), promoted by 16 UN agencies, where it leads the City Platforms thematic group.
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