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How To Develop - Create Smart Applications exploiting Snap4City platform and tools

Snap4City is a comprehensive, open-source platform designed to facilitate the development of smart applications across various domains, including urban planning, mobility, energy, environment, and industry. Developed by the DISIT Lab at the University of Florence, Snap4City integrates a wide array of tools and services to support data-driven decision-making and enhance the quality of life in smart cities.

Key Capabilities

1. Data Integration Interoperability, standards

Snap4City excels in aggregating and harmonizing data from diverse sources such as IoT devices, GIS systems, open data portals, and social media. Utilizing the Km4City ontology, it ensures semantic interoperability, enabling seamless integration and analysis of heterogeneous data streams. It also Supports real-time data collection and historical data storage. Most of the data interoperability is due to the Node-RED from which any kind of protocols and data can be ingested and produced. Snap4City on that processes can be customized by using the Node-RED visual programming environment and its more than 190 microservices / nodes developed and provided to be installed on any platform; to run on edge and cloud, on mobile and TV cameras, etc.

2. Advanced Analytics and AI Integration

The platform supports the development and deployment of advanced analytics, including machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms. These capabilities allow for real-time data processing, predictive analytics, anomaly detection, and simulation-based what-if analyses, aiding in proactive urban management. A large set of AI tools is available in various domains. The developers can easily create their own AI tools on platform and put them in execution on clusters of CPU/GPU, the solution also support MLOps modalities.

3. Dashboard and Visualization Tools, custom graphics

Snap4City offers robust tools for creating interactive, smart tools including dashboards and visualizations for business intelligence, etc. These tools enable stakeholders to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), visualize data trends, and gain insights into various aspects of city operations, facilitating informed decision-making, controlling operation, making plan, developing management applications as smart parking, global digital twin with 3D rendering, synoptics for control room, tools for situation room, tools for waste management and optimization, mobile applications, etc.

Applications based on Snap4City dashboard builder can exploit the CSBL tecnology for making smarter the applications and controlling all widgets, maps, trends, buttons, charts, etc. 

The developers can easily develop new theme to customozie the GUI of Dashboards and Views. A number of different themes are provided and you dress your tools as you like using them or with your custom ideas.

Using the provided Widgets (called External Content) you can create your custom widgets using HTML, CSS, JavaScript also interacting with standard widgets using CSBL.
In addition, you can use and/or develop your Synoptic templates to create graphic widgets (interactive and bidirectional real time) with animations exploting HTML, SVG, etc.  The same solution can be used to custom PIN on maps.

The Snap4City view can easily integrate other applications and view based on web, may be also be integrated in other in third party web pages.

4. Digital Twin Support

The platform supports the creation of digital twins—virtual replicas of physical entities—allowing for real-time monitoring and simulation of urban environments. This feature aids in understanding the impact of infrastructural changes and policy decisions before implementation.

5. Scalability and Modularity, cloud usage

Designed with scalability in mind, Snap4City can be deployed in various configurations, from small-scale installations to large, multi-tenant environments. Its modular architecture allows for the integration of additional services and tools as needed. Small scale solutions are easily based on the so called MicroX installations. From MicroX version it is possible to scale up to large and very large solution active-active adding components, transforming single tools in clusters, adding cache, and balancing as already performed by Snap4City team. Snap4City can be installed on public cloud based on VM or container / Kubernetes as well.

6. Compliance and Security

Snap4City adheres to GDPR standards and has passed penetration testing, ensuring data privacy and security. Its compliance with over 100 communication protocols facilitates integration with existing systems and devices. Snap4City provide support for interoperability at level of authentication and authorization being based on OAuth, SSO, etc. it is also compatible with Active Directory, European ID, EU Login, etc.

7. Real-World Applications, use cases

Snap4City has been implemented in various cities across Europe, including Florence, Antwerp, and Pisa, supporting initiatives in smart mobility, environmental monitoring, energy management, and public safety. Its versatility and comprehensive toolset make it a valuable asset for municipalities aiming to enhance their smart city infrastructure. Snap4City has been adopted to develop a large range of applications and scenario as described in the scenario page and in the domain pages.

8. Applications development

You can develop Snap4City powered by applications exploiting the Snap4City back-office and viewers as widgets. Exploiting for example the data ingestion and interoperability and accessing to the data according to GDPR, etc., by using the so called ASCAPI. Your applications would be capable to exploit the whole Snap4City back office including AI development, data interoperability, flexible and scalable storage, etc. You can also exploit event driven data stream in Web Sockets and broker support for receiving data and events, for distributing data and events in push to other applications and servers.

Applications based on Snap4City dashboard builder can exploit the CSBL tecnology for making smarter the applications and controlling all widgets, maps, trends, buttons, charts, etc. 

For more detailed information and resources, you can visit the official Snap4City website: https://www.snap4city.org.

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