New Zealand projects have been named as finalists in six of the 14 categories at the annual awards.
IDC Asia Pacific has released the finalists in this year’s Smart City Asia Pacific Awards (SCAPA), and reported New Zealand projects have been named as finalists in six of the 14 categories.
The six categories are: Transportation, Public Works, Smart Grid, Smart Water, Connected Health and, Tourism, Arts, Libraries, Culture, Open Spaces.
The finalists were shortlisted from over 150 submissions.
They will compete with other outstanding projects through public voting, IDC internal evaluation and judging from an International Advisory Council. The public voting is open till June 30.
These projects are leading the way in their respective categories and with six local finalists, the calibre of Smart Cities initiatives in NZ is evident, says Jefferson King, associate market analyst at IDC New Zealand.
"These successful cases show that smart city solutions are no longer just in the concept phase in New Zealand,” he says, in a statement.
“Real innovation is taking place, with clear benefits for the economy.”
Information is now a key driver of innovation and the finalists showcase New Zealand's growing strength in this area
The Kiwi finalists and categories are as follows:
· Auckland Transport (AT) in the Transportation category. AT analyses a livestream of information flowing from its 3,000 buses, including ticket sales, routes, schedules, and more for the up to 2 million residents and tourists that use the system every year. This allows AT to plan bus routes, and experiment with new ideas like dynamic pricing as well as provide an app with live bus times for riders.
· NEC in the Public Works category. In collaboration with the Wellington City Council, NEC developed the KITE flexible sensing platform for Wellington. The platform gathers information on air quality, water quality, pedestrian mobility, waste management, parking, street lighting, solvent detection, and graffiti detection. This information provides actionable insights that facilitate improved economic and environmental benefits for the city.
· Unison Networks in the Smart Grid category. Unison Networks has a long term Smart Grid strategy which includes using a range of sensors to improve decision making and efficiency throughout the Unison Network.
· Qrious in the Tourism, Arts, Libraries, Culture, Open Spaces category. Qrious developed the Voyager portal which uses big data and analytics solutions to analyse anonymous mobile location data. The portal provides tourism and events operators with insights into tourist activity.
· Waikato District Health Board in the Connected Health Category. The DHB's SmartHealth solution utilises a smartphone app that patients can use to have consultations and schedule appointments with their GP.
· Waitaki District Council in the Smart Water category. The council have upgraded the existing Oamaru Water Treatment Plant with better water filtration technology and analytics based solutions to track water treatment efforts in real-time.
NZ's total is bested only by China (nine finalists) showcasing the quality of the local projects and the ability to compete on a regional stage.
"Information is now a key driver of innovation and the finalists showcase New Zealand's growing strength in this area," says King. "If you look at the breadth of industries that these projects are influencing, it illustrates how data and analytics are being used to drive the New Zealand economy.
"There are clear external benefits to these applications; ranging from more efficient use of public resources to attracting foreign direct investment and skilled employees to New Zealand."
The 14 award categories are Transportation; Public Works; Smart Buildings; Smart Grid; Smart Water; Administration; Economic Development; Land Use and Environmental Management; Permitting, Licensing, Inspection and Zoning; Public Safety; Education; Tourism, Arts, Libraries, Culture, Open Spaces; Connected Health; and Social Services.
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