Smart Cities: Industry and Evolution

Episode 20: From Santander to Cartagena: How smart cities (and Libelium) have evolved over the last decade

In just ten years, the smart city concept has evolved significantly. From our first steps with the Smart Santander project in 2013 to the recent implementation of the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in Cartagena in 2023, we have seen a remarkable transformation in the needs and solutions for modern cities.

In parallel, Libelium has evolved from a developer of hardware devices to a full IoT service provider, integrating AI into its services and adapting to the changing demands of smart cities.

🏙️ Smart Santander: The Foundations of the Smart Cities

In 2013, Libelium participated in one of the pioneering smart city projects: Smart Santander. This project, led by Telefónica I+D+i and the University of Cantabria ( Universidad de Cantabria ), focused on deploying a massive infrastructure of sensors to monitor environmental parameters in the city.

1125 Waspmotes devices were installed, including temperature, luminosity, carbon monoxide (CO) and noise sensors, and Smart Parking nodes to manage parking spaces.

Smart Santander was a proof of concept (PoC) that laid the groundwork for the future. The objective was clear: to generate data and digitise the city. The data obtained made it possible to create pollution maps and monitor environmental conditions in real-time, providing citizens with valuable information and facilitating global research in sensor networks.

🚗 Cartagena's ZBE: Innovation and sustainability

Ten years later, Libelium has evolved along with smart cities. In Cartagena, we have implemented envair360, an advanced solution for Low Emission Zone (LEZ) design and management. This AI-powered software integrates large volumes of data on air quality, noise and weather conditions, using algorithmic models such as Munich, Street Canyon, CHIMERE and WRF to provide hyper-local knowledge of the environment.

Cartagena, as a city of more than 50,000 inhabitants, was obliged to design and implement its Low Emission Zone.

This urban planning tool seeks to improve air quality at the points where pollution is most concentrated in cities. Some cities are intuitively designing these LEZs, causing inconvenience to neighbours and workers in the affected areas without the certainty that it is the best option. Cartagena is not one of them.

With envair360, they were able to design and simulate different scenarios for the LEZ, identifying areas of high pollution and enabling the implementation of fairer and more effective measures. So when they implemented their EPZ, they knew that with the data in hand, it was the most effective option.

📊 From data to action

The project in Cartagena focused not only on mitigating existing problems but also on preventing future environmental challenges.

Using a network of strategically placed IoT devices, data was collected on gases, particulate matter, noise levels, temperature, humidity and pedestrian flows. This data was integrated into the Smart City platform through FIWARE, allowing for advanced analysis and detailed simulations.

Thanks to these efforts, Cartagena has implemented a less restrictive and more effective BEZ, benefiting its citizens and the environment. The "datacratic" approach adopted, where decisions are based on in-depth data analysis, has allowed for more efficient and adaptive urban management, establishing a replicable model for other cities.

We had barely glimpsed it with the Smart Santander project; today, it is already a reality.

✏️ Conclusion

Libelium's evolution and approach to complete IoT solutions have been crucial in responding to the emerging needs of smart cities.

From the foundations laid in Smart Santander to the innovative ZBE in Cartagena, we have demonstrated how technology and data can transform urban management. A commitment to innovation and sustainability continues to drive our projects, always seeking to deliver healthier and more liveable environments for citizens.

Collaboration between citizens, technologists and city managers is essential to address today's environmental and social challenges, using innovation for a greener and more equitable future. With projects like the Cartagena ZBE, we are creating more sustainable, resilient cities oriented towards the well-being of their inhabitants.

We look forward to seeing what cities will look like in another decade.

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