– What is the smart city ranking in Brazil?
In Brazil's 'Connected Smart Cities 2021' ranking, São Paulo was ranked 1st, Florianopolis 2nd and Curitiba 3rd. Brasilia, Vitoria, São Caentea do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, Campinas, Niteroi and Salvador also made it to the top. Urban Systems evaluates Necta and the smart city services provided by each city in Brazil annually, and 5 cities with more than 677 people are evaluated.
The main evaluation indicators consist of 11 central axes of urban mobility, urbanization, environment, technology (innovation), economic level, education, health care, security, entrepreneurship, governance model, and energy, with 75 detailed indicators. The number one city by sector is Curitiba for Urbanization, São Paulo for Mobility/Accessibility, Balneario Camborio for Environment, Curitiba for Entrepreneurship, Barueri for Economic Level, Rio de Janeiro for Technology Innovation, and Bello for Health Care. Lizonchi, Victoria for Education, Sao Catea do Sul for Security, and Niteroi for Governance.
Every year, the conditions of the survey indicators are becoming more precise, and detailed services actually used by citizens are included as evaluation factors. In 2021, 'digitization of real estate information', 'utilization of digital geographic information', 'whether it is possible to reserve public health services online', and 'existence of a security central control center' were included in the indicators. São Paulo received good marks in mobility, and citizens can use e-tickets when boarding public transport and purchase tickets through the real-time payment system (PIX). The number of intelligent traffic lights increased and the proportion of low-carbon vehicles increased from 0.06% to 0.1%. Curitiba has a good water management system such as smart sewage treatment, and Florianopolis has introduced a public transport electronic token system and installed a lot of intelligent traffic lights. The length of bicycle paths per capita is also relatively long.
Niteroi City received a good score in governance, and many areas in the city can be monitored through CCTV, etc. City Hall received the know-how for smart city construction from the Korean government through the Economic Development Experience Sharing Project (KSP) from 2020 to 2021 and is building a Smart City Central Control Center (CCO). In cooperation with the Federal University of Fluminensis (UFF), the Geographic Information Management System (SiGeo) and the Application Project Development Program (PDPA) are being promoted. As such, many city governments in Brazil are competitively introducing many smart services for city operation efficiency and residential environment establishment.
Smart City Promotion Strategy of City Government
Brazilian city governments are making cities intelligent through enactment of sandbox laws, attracting private investment, and cooperation with other government agencies. Korea promotes many projects with a smart city in mind from the urban planning stage, such as Songdo New City and Busan's Eco Delta City. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia also want to build new cities with smart technologies such as Masdar City and Neom City. However, Brazil is still moving towards adding smart functions to existing cities through an add-on method rather than building a smart city on a new site.
Curitiba, Parana Province, is pursuing several projects to digitize the city through the 'Vale do Pinhão' project. City Hall enacted the Sandbox Act to commercialize smart city technology. In addition, a budget of Rs 350 million is set aside to provide financial incentives to companies that develop and invest in smart city technology, and to educate citizens on entrepreneurship and digitalization. Porto Alegre in the Rio Grande do Sul province has formed an innovation fund worth Rs 2000 million to fund startups that develop 'urban digital solutions'.
Velorizonchi of Minas Gerais is also working to provide many of the city hall services digitally. In 2016, 160 services were already provided as smartphone applications, and the number of services increased significantly to 2021 by 700. After the spread of COVID-19, the city government wants to provide services non-face-to-face, and the public has become more familiar with digital services. The city of São Paulo is creating an infrastructure for the public to access Wi-Fi for free through a program called 'Wifi Livre SP'. .
Niteroisi also raised a fund of Rs 2020 million in 2500, and in cooperation with the Federal University of Fluminenci, discovers and invests in projects that solve the city's problems. Thanks to this, the city of Niteroi was able to attract many ICT companies within the city. The city of Niteroi introduced the '15-minute system' to create infrastructure so that citizens can use all necessary city services within a 15-minute walk.
Rio de Janeiro operates the Central Monitoring Center (Centro de Operações), which responds to various conditions in the city. They run communities across the city to teach English and computers.
JunGI City opened a program called 'Infovia digital' to integrate all information and services provided by the city online, and provides services such as public transportation and health through applications. The city is providing free Wi-Fi to citizens at 90 posts in the city center and is investing in smart streetlights, smart water management systems, and solar power plants. By attaching an atmospheric sensor to a smart street lamp, it monitors carbon dioxide emissions in real time and aims to reduce emissions through various solutions.
Smart City Certification System
1) Sangjo Cedus Campus
São Cedos Campos Science and Technology Park (Pqtec) collaborated with Sao Cedos Campos City Hall, the Brazilian Technical Regulation Association (ABNT), the Brazilian Industrial Development Authority (ABDI), and the National Quality Standards Administration (INMETRO) to achieve 'National Smart City Certification' is developing Pqtec identifies factors that improve the lives of citizens and develops relevant standards, from the provision of information and services over the Internet to the construction of bike paths. To develop a technical standard that meets the global standard, the Science and Technology Park also referred to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)'s '37.120', '37.122', and '37.123' regulations and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through this project, 280 indicators required for smart cityization of Brazilian cities were defined. This standard makes it easy for cities in Brazil to identify which solutions to use to solve specific social problems.
São Cedus Campos City Hall has created a sandbox bill, which allows startups to present a project or solution to the city hall and, if approved, test it in the city center. Companies that have passed the project screening can receive benefits such as exemption from technical screening when bidding for public procurement at the city hall.
City Hall has been operating the Integrated Security Management Center (CSI) from 2020 and has installed 1000 cameras capable of facial recognition in the city center. Intelligent software installed on the camera can read license plates and identify vehicles parked in prohibited areas or stolen vehicles. Intelligent traffic lights are also installed to reduce traffic congestion during commuting hours. The intelligent traffic light installed on 'Avenida dos Astronautas' uses Google's solution and minimizes vehicle stop time by linking vehicle location information with a smartphone and traffic lights.
Like other cities in Brazil, São Cedos Camsus operates a parking management system called Zona Azul, where drivers park on the roadside and pay for parking through an application. The city transmits an empty parking space to the driver by installing a sensor on the floor of the parking space. The city control center can also see in real time whether the driver has parked and paid. City officials use Visiona's technology to monitor the city with satellites, which use photos taken every 72 hours to monitor for illegally installed buildings, illegal timber harvesting and possible landslides.
2) Iguazu
The Itaipu Technology Park (PTI) in Iguazu has established an Infrastructure Research Center (Laboratório de Infraestrutura da Qualidade) and is developing smart city standards through exchanges with companies and organizations that develop smart city infrastructure. The purpose of establishing the research institute is to improve the quality of smart city products and solutions developed in Brazil. The institute is working with the Brazilian Association for Technical Regulations (ABNT), the Brazilian Conformity Assessment Association (ABRAC), and the National Institute of Quality Standards (INMETRO) to raise the technology level and prepare standards for evaluating the degree of smart cities.
Iguazu City Hall is operating a smart city pilot complex called Vila A in the city together with Itaipu Technology Complex, and is conducting a solution demonstration study. As the Villaa area is subject to the sandbox law enacted by the city, companies are free to research smart technologies such as security, urban mobility, and environment. Itaipu Technology Park has selected six smart city startups, and these companies are providing 'facilities that provide hot and cold water to people/pets in public places', 'real-time electricity usage monitoring', and 'smart guidance system at bus stops'. technology was demonstrated. The Brazilian Association of Technology Regulations (ABNT) is the only Brazilian agency of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
City government's public lighting business and smart technology application
City governments are implementing public lighting projects as a public-private joint project (PPP) to improve city security and make it smart. Companies install LED lights in cities and run them for decades. The city government pays operating expenses to private businesses using the public lighting use tax (COSIP), which is included in the electricity cost. France's Engie Soluções operates around 200 million public lighting lamps worldwide, with 40 installed in Brazil. The company is conducting a public-private joint project for public lighting in Uberlândia in Minas Gerais and Petrolina in Pernambuco.
Urbam is a private company owned by São Cedos Campos City Hall and operates 7 lights, including LEDs, in the city center. Smart Luz won the Rio de Janeiro public lighting project and will invest 5000 billion to install and operate smart LED street lights for 14 years. The company replaced 20, or 40% of the lights installed in Rio de Janeiro with LEDs, and installed about 40 free Wi-Fi in the lights. Smart Rouge monitors all installed lights in real time from the central control center. Smart Rouge invested a portion of its sales to install IoT sensors on some street lights and plans to apply smart city solutions.
Italian company Enel X has signed a public-private joint project contract with Rio de Janeiro Angradus Hayes for public lighting, etc., and plans to invest a certain percentage of its sales in the digitalization of the city. Enel X is also pursuing orders for public lighting projects in São Paulo and Macapa, Amapa. BHIP implemented a project to replace lighting fixtures with LEDs in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, and the city's lighting electricity bill was reduced by 55%.
Since public lighting is installed all over the city, it is an optimal infrastructure for attaching intelligent cameras, intelligent traffic lights, Wi-Fi, and IoT sensors, and applying various smart city solutions. When ordering public lighting projects, city governments expect companies to include smart city projects, such as installing Wi-Fi and IoT sensors in lighting, and reflect these details in contracts. “Public lighting is an optimal platform for applying new smart city technologies,” said Pedro Lacovino, president of the Association of Public Lighting Concessionaires (ABCIP).
<Smart public lighting schematic diagram>
Smart cities built by the private sector
In Brazil, townhouses are popular in which people who receive land in a complex surrounded by walls build houses and live in them. Grupo Planet is a joint venture established by British, Italian and Brazilian companies to create a Smart City complex in São Gonçalo do Amarante, Fortaleza. Susanna Marchionni, chairman of the Brazilian corporation, said that it plans to develop five smart city complexes in Brazil. Grupo Planet's vision is to 'make a better society by using technology and sustainable resources'.
The name of the smart city Grupo Planet is building in Ceara is 'A Smart City Laguna', with a total area of 330 hectares, and 7000 lots for housing and commercial facilities in the city have been sold. The sale price of a 150 square meter lot is about 3 real, and the cost of building a house is 10 to 15 real. Smart water and sewage facilities will be built throughout the city and roads will be paved. Residents can use various services such as electronic device usage and energy usage monitoring through applications provided by Grupo Planet. Residents can watch movies and learn English, computers, entrepreneurship and more at the library in the city center for free. An office space called Smart City Eco Park will also be built within the city.
<Infra of Smart City Laguna>
Three Israeli companies participated in the Smart City Laguna project. Magos installed a security radar, Green IQ installed a smart waterway system that can reduce water use by 3%, and Pixtier installed a system that monitors the urban topography in 50D in cities. Grupo Planet is also working with tech and telecommunications giants such as TIM, Enel, Arup and StarBoost to bring the latest technology to the city. Radars and cameras installed throughout the city collect and analyze images in real time, and send an alarm to the control tower when an unusual situation occurs. Solar energy panels are installed throughout the city, such as street lights and building rooftops, and power is supplied to public facilities such as CCTV. Laguna City currently purchases electricity generated from nearby hydroelectric power plants, but intends to gradually increase the purchase rate of new and renewable energy such as solar power.
In addition to Ceara, similar townhouse-type smart city projects are underway in Granja Marileusa in Minas Gerais and Pedra Branca in Santa Catarina. Grupo Planet plans to promote similar projects to smart city Laguna in Natal in Rio Grande do Norchi and Aquiraz in Ceara.
<Aerial view of Laguna Smart City>
Companies developing smart city technologies and solutions
As Brazil's smart city market grows, many companies have entered the smart city solution and sensor market. Telecommunications company TIM, power companies Enel X and Leonardo have signed contracts with the Rio de Janeiro city government to provide integrated smart city solutions. The three companies will provide technologies to improve Rio de Janeiro's mobility, connectivity (communications), digitization and energy. These companies plan to attach smart sensors throughout the city to determine the climate, pollution level, and security situation, and also install electric vehicle charging systems. Energy efficiency technology is applied to public buildings and electricity generated from distributed solar power plants is supplied.
Connectoway has developed a surveillance camera that automatically recognizes whether vehicle license plates and boundary lines are violated and supplies them to city halls. The cameras installed by Connectoway also monitor major buildings such as government offices and bicycle paths, allowing the police to immediately respond to emergencies. Brascontrol is a company founded in 1981 that manufactures urban mobility and security products. The company has developed a camera and smart traffic light system that recognizes license plates attached to parking enforcement vehicles. The smart traffic lights are supplied to the light rail in Santos City and roads in Florianopolis and Bahia.
'L8 Group' won a contract for procurement of small cameras to be attached to police uniforms in Rio de Janeiro in 2021. The number of cameras supplied is 2 units, and the unit price is 2000 real units. The company also develops cameras that can be attached to public lighting, solar energy management systems, and wireless transmission systems. City halls can monitor traffic conditions, floods and landslides in real time through a wireless transmission system.
Siemens showed great interest in Brazil's smart city business and established a department to develop smart city solutions, and developed a pollutant management system, a gas detection system from waste, and smart public lighting. JunGI City measures air quality in real time through solutions and sensors supplied by Siemens.
Engie was commissioned by the city of Rio de Janeiro in 2021 to develop a system for monitoring crowd density in public facilities. If the city hall judges that there is a high probability of being infected with COVID-19 due to the high density of people, the police are dispatched to disperse the crowd. ENG is also interested in the public lighting project, and recently won a public-private bid for public lighting lighting projects in Minas Gerais Uberlangia and Ferra Nambucu Petrolina. A portion of the proceeds will be invested in the adoption of smart solutions in the city. ENG is planning to install or replace all of the lights with LEDs and attach equipment that allows them to communicate with each other.
According to the 'Distrito Smart Cities Report', about 2020 smart city-related startups were active in Brazil in 166, and an investment of 4940 million real was raised. Urban mobility-related startups had the most, and attracted 32.5% of the investment.
Expert opinion
In an interview with KOTRA São Paulo Trade Office, Eduardo Bortoleto, the head of the startup incubator at Iguazu Itaipu Technology Park (PTI), said, “The Brazilian municipal governments are showing interest in smart city projects to solve various social problems. , Songdo, etc. are well aware of Korean smart cities.” He added, “There are always opportunities for Korean sensor and smart city solution companies to enter Brazil.” In fact, many city government officials such as Iguazu, São Paulo, and Niteroi are aware of the excellence of Korea's smart city infrastructure and would like to introduce Korean technology or solutions if given the opportunity. Meanwhile, KOTRA successfully carried out the Economic Development Experience Sharing Project (KSP), 'Establishment of Strategies for Building a Sustainable Smart City in Niteroi' in response to the demand of Niteroi City from 2020 to 2021.
implication
Brazil's smart city industry is still in its infancy and has infinite potential to develop. The smart city industry is also expected to face a watershed when the 2021G communication network business, which has been auctioned off in November 5, starts in earnest and communication infrastructure is installed throughout Brazil. Korean IoT and solution companies need to find and win smart city projects such as public street lights by contacting the Brazilian state and city governments. City governments and research institutes such as Iguazu and São Cedos Campos are making Brazilian smart city standards, so if we can work with these organizations to apply our technology and solutions to the Brazilian smart city standard, there will be hundreds of Brazilian cities. It can provide a foothold for entry into
When we see private real estate and construction companies such as Grupo Planet applying smart technology to residential townhouses, we will contact these companies to apply our technology or construction method from the project planning stage. can Korea has developed and applied technologies such as smart grid, smart water treatment, remote electronic product control, and waste treatment to actual construction sites, so it has enough competitiveness to enter Brazil. The fact that Brazilian companies think that Korean technology is excellent and that the Hallyu boom is spreading will have a positive effect on the spread of Korean smart city technology in Brazil.
Source: Valor Economico, Gazeta do Povo, Brazilian Times, Connected Smart Cities 2021, Prefeitura Municipal de Porto Alegre, etc. Comprehensive data from KOTRA Sao Paulo Trade Center