January is known as “the planner month”. People make resolutions for this New Year, hoping to let go what has happened in the past.
However, our team doesn’t want to forget what happened during 2018. It was a great year for our project, for a number of reasons. Here are some lessons learned that we definitely want to apply in 2019:
Risk
In 2018 we stepped out of our comfort zone and launched our Open Call Challenge. Porto, Cologne and Trikala were the perfect “labs” to develop smart solutions for everyday life. With more than 1k downloads on mobile devices, the smart cycling app is ready to ride in Cologne. 265 participating users accepted our challenge to test the app developed by our challenge winner Bike Citizens and the feedback is really overwhelming.
In Porto and Trikala, city representatives welcomed the idea of a Smart Parking and a Parking Analytics Solutions, respectively. For Trikala, to have such as solution is a priority, in order to manage touristic and civil traffic. The final product is expected to reach 80k users. For the Portuguese city, the app is also an urgent need. The city is growing exponentially in potential commuters - 350k average per day - which is why smart technology solutions can help manage city traffic and unforeseen events. Meeting these realities gives an actual sense of purpose to our project and meaningful insights in which we can adapt to market needs.
Knowledge
If there’s something granted in the IT sector is that it’s constantly growing. This year our team attended some important events that gave important insights to our work routine. We’d like to highlight the Smart City Expo World Congress, held in Barcelona:
More than networking, it was really impressive to see how the concept of “smart city” is present in many cities around the globe. With panels about Digital Transformation, Urban Environment, Mobility, Governance & Finance and Inclusive & Sharing Cities, we returned with a full notebook of notes and a head brimming with ideas ready to implement on our platform. An important aspect is how technology can be seen as a great ally for human interaction and sustainable city living. Singapore was named the Smart City of 2018, with great examples of traffic management and pollution reduction.
Networking
We attended nearly 20 events the past year, and more than the events themselves, it was the people we met who inspired us to see beyond the horizon. It is important to meet people who have (or have had) the same challenges as you, so that you can better set your path towards the future.
Even in our Open Call Challenge, we met companies, local authorities and even citizens who gave important thoughts on our current and future works.
With our 2018’s baggage full of good moments and challenges, we won’t expect anything less this year! Are you ready to drive sharp with us?