Experimentation of the first intelligent boulevard in Nice. A unique service that no city in the world has yet tested. This “connected boulevard” was made possible through a public/private partnership between the city and the company Cisco.
What exactly does this urban technological project consist of? Several sensors are placed throughout the city with the goal of collecting, processing, and distributing data related to four public services. Mobility, public lighting, cleanliness, and the environment are the first sectors being tested. For mobility, the system will allow road users to find available parking spaces in the city more easily. Via a smartphone or tablet application, users can access the number of available spaces and can also pay remotely at the parking meter.
However, the application is also intended to inform city services. With the help of smart cameras, municipal agents can monitor the occupancy of delivery zones and adjust them to time slots to ease traffic. Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, speaks of “systems connected to servers and then to humans.” Public lighting is also affected. Sensors can detect the presence of users, traffic near streetlights. Engineers detect pedestrians’ mobile phones to estimate the crowd size. The brightness of the lampposts can thus be adjusted based on this data, contributing to energy and cost savings.
Urban cleanliness is also at the heart of the project. Waste management is expected to be optimized as a result. Sensors will provide real-time data on the fill level of waste containers. At a certain level, municipal employees will promptly intervene to empty the containers. This is a way to optimize waste collection rounds and save money. Environmental management is obviously taken into account in the application. Air quality, noise levels, humidity, and temperature will be transmitted live to the relevant specialists who will take direct action.
The method of addressing such issues remains somewhat unclear, however. Christian Estrosi is enthusiastic about the launch of this innovation: “we are aiming for 25,000 job creations in 8 years. To date, 2,800 jobs are recorded. With this project, I wanted to bring to my city what I had seen as the most innovative elsewhere. Moreover, it will not cost a single cent to the community, as it is a public/private partnership.” For now, the project is being experimented for a year on Boulevard Victor Hugo. 200 sensors have been installed there, all connected via WiFi, through the Nice city Pass application or a multimedia and multifunctional touch terminal.
