Select4Cities (https://www.select4cities.eu/ ) has been a competition implemented as a PCP (Pre Commercial Procurment) of the EC (European Commission) built around the premise that cities across the world are seeking new methods, technology and tools to foster open innovation to solve challenges, create value for their citizens and business, and to become ‘smart cities’. Internet of Everything (IoE) is one of the dominant drivers transforming the way people manage and live in urban environments. This new connected approach involves physical spaces as well as objects and provides a massive opportunity for the creation of new smart services and businesses especially in the areas of logistics, transport, environment, security and wellbeing. IoE progresses have been slow due to a number of barriers such as the lack of common standards, a fragmented marketplace, and lack of ways to systematically test and introduce new solutions in the cities. To combat these problems, and accelerate innovation, the Select4Cities team lays forth a competition open to all European companies to develop an open, standardized, data-driven, service-oriented and user-centric platform that enables large-scale co-creation, testing and validation of urban IoE applications and servicesò as described in these specific pages:
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So that, many platforms submitted their proposals at the calll of the first phase showing how to cover the requirements and fullfill the challenge; only the best 5 of them passed the first Phase: https://www.select4cities.eu/phase including: Bosonit, INDRA solution, Enginering City Enabler, Martel Ubiware OrchestraCity, and Snap4City. The phase two has been developed and runned in the 2018, and those 5 solutions competed to create actual best solutions to pass at phase 3 for experimenting in actual conditions the platform and assessing them: https://www.select4cities.eu/phase-2-winners .
Then, only three platforms have been admitted over the above 5 to perform Phase 3 namely: City/Digital Enabler of Engineering, OneSait SOFIA4Cities of Indra MinSait, and Snap4City. Phase 3 started at the end of 2018, and has been completed in September 2019.
Phase 3 has seen the remaining 3 platforms competing on setting up and validating an operative solution in Antwerp and Helsinki (connecting data, creating and testing a coworking environment with Hackathonists, developing actual applications and testing with final users), according to the challenge identified at the beginning and the requirements actualized. Thus covering several scenarios including: smart city solution, IOT, dashboards, living lab support, data analytics, engaging developers, engaging final users, creating actual applications for city users, creating IOT Devices and solutions, for city officer, ICT operators, citizens, tourists, etc. Thus all the platforms completed the activities, while Snap4City resulted the best solution taking the 1st Place Award of the competition for its great capabilities in data aggregation, data analytics, dashboard, complete interoperability, and flexibility, also permitting the installation in less than one hour.
The 1st price has been awarded to Snap4City the 19th of November 2019 by Select4Cities consortium during a dedicated Cerimony in the context of the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcellona (#SCEWC19), Spain, at the presence of SG CNECT Delegate, Select4Cities partners, platform finalists representatives, etc. see also https://www.select4cities.eu/phase-3-winners
In granting the award, Katrien Lenaert of Digipolis Antwerp stated: "1st place has been awarded to Florence (snap4city)........the competition was really hard.... frequent changes from our parts..", ".. about Florence (snap4city) strong points as always, excellent analytics, excellent data aggregation, very strong point was the utilities on which to work and also the fact that you (snap4city) turn the criticisms in opportunities to improve the tool that made your platform better all the times. It is something that we really appreciated, ... 100% open source, ... and the fact that you (snap4city) commercialize the solution already, ..... very good feature... than again".
Paolo Nesi received the price, and thanks the Snap4City team for its strong competence and effort, and the precision of Select4Cities team that step by step tested the plantform and provided comments that actually allowed us to improve a lot the solution to make it really usable for the cities. And also invited all of you to visit Snap4City Stand A118 in the Expo #SCEWC19! to see the solution in place and active with the data of the cities..
some images, click on them to see larger
Page produced by Snap4City. Paolo Nesi: thanks to the Snap4City team members and to those that have trusted to us, it has been a great stimulating challenge, and the journey is just started ....
see also the web page about Snap4City at Barcelona Smart City Expo World Congress 2019. https://www.snap4city.org/509