Santander as a model of a smart city
If there is any Spanish city that can be labelled a “Smart City”, it is Santander. The Cantabrian city is already a benchmark among smart cities around the world. We, as specialists in the development of smart parking management systems and location of free parking spaces, have actively collaborated in making it so.
Santander is leading the RECI movement (Spanish Network of Smart Cities). Today, many other Spanish municipalities are trying to follow the same path. To emulate the city of Santander which, among other things, has installed more than 20,000 sensors that measure air quality, traffic conditions, parking spaces and waste management. These sensors, managed by the application “The pulse of the city”, are located in fountains, gardens, taxis, cleaning vehicles, car parks, traffic lights and lampposts. Dinycon also contributes to this city project with its solution for locating free parking spaces in the city centre, a particularly complex area due to its level of saturation; 10 information panels have been deployed at the entrances to the main streets. The information from the sensors is sent via repeaters to gateways that collect it and send it to the SmartSantander platform. It is then sent to panels that show, in the case of DinyPARK, the availability of parking spaces to drivers. Santander also has an augmented reality application with information on the city"s shops, public transport, emblematic buildings and beaches. The fact that Cantabria is a smart city also means that the energy consumption of municipal buildings and public lighting is managed efficiently. To this end, devices have been installed in luminaires and sensors to measure light intensity. Among other things, users also have mobile applications that they can use to inform the city council of any incidents or damage to public roads.
In short, the aim is to manage the city in an increasingly efficient way, to take steps towards achieving an interconnected city. To this end, the Santander Smart City Strategic Plan includes 5 strategic axes:
- External positioning
- Economy
- Culture and Education
- Well-being and citizenship
- Territory and Mobility
The process, funded by the European Union, is not yet complete. The city is still immersed in the Smart City Plan, approved in 2015. In fact, the Santander Strategic Plan runs until 2020. The projects to be followed are in line with environmental, economic and social sustainability. A series of actions aimed at improving the quality of life of the inhabitants.