The smart city at INTERGEO – discover the urban future

The urban era has only just started. According to the latest figures from the United Nations, around three-quarters of the world’s population will be living in cities by the year 2050. This trend is even further advanced in Germany. According to a study published on the “Statista” statistics portal, some 78.6 percent of the country’s population will be living in cities by 2030. An entire generation of urban planners and developers, traffic and environmental experts, local politicians and municipal energy providers are therefore joining research institutions and EU projects in addressing the question of how to prepare cities for this additional population pressure.

What will the smart city of the future look like?

To ensure cities become attractive and adaptable living spaces in the future, cutting-edge IT is being used on a widespread basis to turn them into smart cities. But what exactly does that mean? What aspects of urban life are affected? And how are city dwellers reacting to this digitalisation of their living environment? There is no definitive answer to any of these questions because every city is unique and has its own requirements and challenges. The starting point for every smart city is therefore to analyse local features and the goals of local authorities and the people living there. A wide range of data needs to be collected and analysed along with existing information, and the basic function of geodata is deemed extremely important in this regard.

Basis for healthy urban growth

INTERGEO sees the smart city as a basis for healthy urban growth and is presenting itself as a platform for this dynamic sector of the economy. The topic is a focal point during all three days of the INTERGEO Conference. The “Local authorities and digitalisation”, “Smart city” and “Lighthouse city Germany” programme blocks follow the steps involved in cities becoming smart and underline the importance of geoinformation throughout this process.

Networking providers and cities at SCS

SMART CITY SOLUTIONS is a meeting point for international providers of smart city tools and the people responsible for urban development, mobility and the environment in cities and communities. Thomas Müller and Bart Gorynski from the “bee smart city” internet platform, an exhibitor and panel organiser at SMART CITY SOLUTIONS, define a smart city as an ecosystem of solutions and have the following to say: “We’re delighted to actively support SCS precisely because its fundamental objective is to highlight the many different facets of the smart city and bring together providers and the cities themselves.” Mitsubishi Electric is also exhibiting at INTERGEO. The Japanese company sees its mobile mapping system and automated mapping technologies as the basis for driverless vehicles, efficient infrastructure management and disaster protection. It regards INTERGEO as an ideal opportunity to meet partners for the future who are keen to pave the way for new, innovative business models and markets.

All this is exactly what SMART CITY SOLUTIONS is aiming for, providing a platform for providers to network and meet city representatives, and also for cities to enter into dialogue and compare their solutions.

Smart city solution providers, urban developers and planners, environmental and traffic experts, economic development specialists, urban consultants and local authorities can discover the urban future – in Frankfurt from 16 to 18 October at INTERGEO, the accompanying conference and the special part of the trade fair devoted to SMART CITY SOLUTIONS.