Japan to help India’s rural and urban areas by implementing smart city solutions
Smart cities came about with the new generation of technologies that allow for the collection, analysis and visualization of data from numerous sources in real-time, using Internet of Things (IoT) devices, 5G networks, AI and many other features to create a sustainable, efficient living environment.
Countries are aspiring to the smart-city vision; hoping to improve services and invigorate the private sector. India is one such example. The country plans to accelerate development in rural/urban areas in order for citizens to attain a better quality of life.
Japan’s NEC Technologies said it has collaborated with Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC), a joint venture of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, to develop and deliver intelligent mobility solutions that will supply its offerings to urban and rural India.
Planning and development, funding assistance, procurement of fleets, implementation of Intelligent Transportation Management Systems (TIMS) for state road transport corporations and other public transport operators, are all end-to-end solutions included in the collaboration between the two companies.
The road transport of India is divided into 5 categories: national highways, state highways, major district roads, other district roads and village roads. India has 55 national highways.
“I am confident that this partnership will help the state road transport corporations and other public transport operators across India and upcoming Smart City projects in streamlining their public transportations operations by efficiently using their assets & resources,” said Pankaj Bhatiya, General Manager and Business Unit Head, Transportation Business, NEC India.
In addition, Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC) runs 300,000 Common Services Centers or access points across the country to offer public utility services and social welfare benefits, as well as healthcare, financial, educational and agricultural services, according to NEC.
The Japanese multinational information technology and electronics company also noted, “It will provide ICT solutions such as Software as a Service (SaaS), Mobility as a Service (MaaS), and Data as a Service (DaaS), to allow an end-to-end multi-modal travel experience for both inter- and intra-city commuters in India.”
So how does the project for smart city work? Problems in rural areas will be identified through innovative solutions leveraging AI to provide areas with sustainable and efficient digital tools.
One of the key characteristics of a smart city is collecting real-time data from around the urban/rural landscape through various sensors, then analyzing the information in order to help the high-density population. Thus, the information will be shared with each municipality to provide better services to their residents, which will advance each community’s potential and create change for the better.
NEC already instigated its ICT-based smart city solutions for the Hubballi Dharwad Smart City project and is currently providing a range of smart city solutions including intelligent traffic management systems that will make use of AI-based video analytics.