A smart city online exhibition has been launched by Iran’s Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology, highlighting capabilities and potentials of Iran’s technology ecosystem.
The exhibition, which can be visited on the presidential office’s website since Nov. 29, aims to introduce latest technologies in the field of smart cities and provides local tech firms and startups with an opportunity to showcase their products and services, the office’s website Isti.ir reported.
Boosting the quality of urban and rural life, developing smart city market, introducing new concepts about construction business and designing a smart city, strengthening the bond between academia and businesses, optimizing energy and water consumption, and providing smart solutions for urban development are other issues highlighted by the exhibition.
The event’s organizer also said the expo provides an opportunity for exchanging experiences and technologies between the exhibitors, bolstering their knowledge and perspective on the topic.
The vice presidential office has invited tech firms and startups to join the gathering of exhibitors through the website Ictc.isti.ir.
The online expo is supported by the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, Iran National Innovation Fund and other relevant organizations, unions and communities.
The current event is the second edition of its kind, which is held online to prevent health hazards posed by the coronavirus pandemic. The first edition was held in January 2019.
Tehran Pioneering the Move
The application of smart solutions and the internet of things technology in urban management has been pioneered by the officials of the capital city of Tehran.
Since then, projects entailing the application of smart technologies have been implemented in Iran, including the replacement of old electricity meters with smart grids to increase the accuracy of monitoring consumption.
Smart power meters digitally send meter readings to energy suppliers via the internet to undertake more accurate billing.
Currently, TM and Tehran Traffic Police are using automated smart surveillance systems to identify old and dilapidated cars that are the main source of air pollution in the metropolis.
The installation of online air quality monitoring systems across the capital is one of the technologies used widely since past many years.
Smart parking meters have been installed and activated in Tehran's District 2 in the north-central part of the city. It enables drivers to reserve roadside parking spots and pay online via a smartphone application.
TM's ICT Organization ran a pilot project in Sorkheh Hesar National Park on the eastern flank of the capital in January 2019 to convert it into the country's first smart park.
The initiative envisaged equipping the park with smart security cameras, smart parking lots and a smart watering system that, unlike traditional irrigation controllers operating on a preset schedule and timer, monitors weather, soil conditions and humidity to automatically adjust the watering schedule to adapt to the environmental conditions.
TM has welcomed collaboration with companies and individuals whose products and services can help alleviate problems such as air pollution and traffic congestion.
Nationwide Push
Speaking of cutting-edge technologies, Tehran is not the only megacity taking steps to become a smart city.
Urban experts in Shiraz, the provincial center of Fars, are making efforts to utilize smart technologies in different fields such as security, economy, energy consumption, transportation and emergency mitigation.
According to Leila Doudman, a member of Shiraz City Council, the Information Technology Organization of Iran has agreed to help Shiraz Municipality establish a comprehensive urban data center.
"A data center is a major prerequisite for developing other smart urban services," she earlier told reporters.
Officials in the holy city of Mashhad in Khorasan Razavi Province have focused on promoting transparency and anti-corruption trends in bureaucratic processes and believe that the use of high-tech equipment and smart management strategies can improve the conventional way of doing things.
Mashhad Municipality's ICT Organization is also focused on the need for devising smart solutions in urban waste management and treatment.
Mehdi Rajaian, the head of the organization, invited startups and tech firms to submit their innovative ideas in urban management fields.
As a commercial transit hub in southern Iran, Bushehr Province also has the potential to employ tech-based solutions.
According to Bushehr Governor General Abdolkarim Garavand, the development of tech infrastructures in the region can help reduce road transit costs and increase driving safety.
Experts in different fields believe harnessing smart solutions and IoT technology can help resolve chronic problems facing metropolises, particularly air pollution, traffic congestion and public transportation, which can make life more convenient for residents.
