Big Smart Istanbul (Istanbul - Turkey)
Big Smart Istanbul is the project of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) and ISBAK to conceptualize and implement their smart city vision. Started in May 2016, the project will start the implementation phase of the roadmap in 2018 within a five-year timeline, but some projects were already launched.
The smart city journey was developed in 5 phases. The 1st phase was dedicated to Literature Review, which comprised a global research review and an analysis of the best 10 smart cities. Phase 2 focused on the Current State Analysis of Istanbul, including a stakeholder management plan, stakeholder analysis (online surveys, face-to-face interviews, and workshops), current state report (Istanbul Smart City Index Study, and SWOT analysis) and gap analysis. In the 3rd phase the Vision and Strategy for the project were defined, through a stakeholder survey with 203 executives, social media analysis and persona study with 450 citizens, a vision workshop with 54 participants from several sectors (municipalities, ministries, NGOs, private companies), a vision assessment conference (“Mars Group workshop” with 11 participants and special experts previously selected), and definition of focus area strategies. This phase originated the Istanbul Smart City Manifesto and Strategy Report, Big Smart Istanbul’s vision, strategic goals, and key performance indicators were determined, and the roadmap was designed. Phase 4 determined the Architecture of the Smart City System, comprising key stakeholder workshops, conceptual design, high level technical architecture, physical architecture, and logical architecture, originating the Istanbul Smart City Architecture Report. Finally, the 5th phase is dedicated to the Roadmap, involving a governance and PR plan, capacity building training, smart city application projects, and definition of the project schedule in the short-medium-long term. The Istanbul Smart City Roadmap is the main output of this phase.
All the initiatives of Big Smart Istanbul will be organized under 11 pillars, which divide into 8 functional areas and 3 enablers. The 8 functional areas are Smart Economy, Smart People, Smart Living, Smart Governance, Smart Security and Safety, Smart Mobility, Smart Energy, and Smart Environment. The 3 enablers, which are horizontal for these 8 functional areas, are Smart Financing, Smart Organisation and HR, and ICT. In this strategy roadmap, the technology platform that will integrate all the data coming from different sources is being designed. It will be an open data platform, like a data lake. The vision consists of having one platform where all the city's applications and solutions are integrated. The platform will include public services (like the waste management system, the water management system, the mobility system), and corporate solutions that require non-IoT data.
The municipality hired Cisco to design the smart city platform infrastructure. After the design process, there will be a procurement and documentation phase to find the most suitable IoT platform, open data platform, and API integration platform, among others. The solution that Cisco is designing is neutral in terms of technological solutions that can be adopted, and it is tailored to Istanbul’s specific needs and structure.
The project is funded by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, but some of the new projects in each domain will be funded by the government and maybe the European Investment Bank.
Sources:
- Interview with local government officials (ISBAK) at the Smart City Expo World Congress Barcelona 2017;
- Government brochures from the Smart City Expo World Congress Barcelona 2017 on Big Smart Istanbul planning and initiatives.
Improved e-Governance and citizen services;
Improved solid waste management;
Improved Bio-Waste management;
Improved Energy management;
Improved Intelligent Transport Systems;
Improved Health for Citizens;
Improved supports for business.
Description of the specific objectives (as stated in the Manifesto of Smart City Istanbul):
- Protect and improve the city’s identity and spirit, prepare for the future, and oversee the rights of past and future generations by recognizing the city’s own potential and by reproducing with inspiration from the city;
- Contributing to the improvement of the quality of life as a smart city by 2030.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality; ISBAK – Istanbul IT; Smart City Technologies Inc.
- Achieve a complete and solid implementation of the projects in the key domains;
- Ensure transparency in the procurement of smart city solutions from different companies.
IoT sensors; Open Data; Blockchain (applied in a bike sharing solution: isbike); mobile applications; living labs; free Wi-Fi; data centre; solar power plants.
Smart Environment:
- The city has a smart waste collection and management system. From the collection to the disposal or recycling phase, the city can track waste management by GPS, so that they know where the trucks are, where they collect the waste, and where they dispose of it. This is tracked at the Environment Control Centre.
Smart Energy:
- One of the biggest lakes in Istanbul, Buyukcekmece, is home to a Floating Solar Power Plant of 250kWp power, and it will provide domestic electricity for 230 dwellings. This project will also help prevent water loss over the lake in summer time.
Smart Economy:
- The Technology Development Centres are designed to support national R&D works and appeal to high-tech investments. There are 6 technoparks in Istanbul, hosting more than 850 technology companies, and 17,000 researchers and engineers.
- Istanbul International Finance Centre (IIFC) aims to be one of the biggest financial centres of the world and to turn the city into a financial centre. It is planned to be completed in stages by 2020.
Smart People:
- The Maker Studios have been launched in early 2010 to raise skilful and talented generations. There are almost 80 different places and different concepts all over the city.
Smart Mobility:
- Istanbul has implemented an online taxi management platform called iTAKSi, which is already implemented in around 17,000 of the city’s taxis. The system offers a safe driving experience, with internal and external cameras, and a panic button. Passengers also benefit from different payment options, including the city’s public transportation card, IstanbulCard. iTAKSi vehicles are also used as IoT devices, collecting information all over the city with its noise and environmental sensors.
- MOBIETT provides instant public transportation travel planning service, and suggests the fastest and most suitable alternative routes for bus drive, tramway, subway, metrobus, and seaway means. The app supports 12 different languages.
- A new smart airport is in construction and it will be the biggest airport in the world, with capacity for 150 million passengers per year. It will serve as a gateway to the city with rail, subway, and bus links.
Smart Governance:
- Istanbul Living Lab Experience Centre will be carried out including an Experience Laboratory, a Maker Workshop, and an Incubation Centre for entrepreneurs, that will be started in the beginning of 2018.
- IMM 153 – White Desk is a municipal unit to which citizens report their complaints, requests, and opinions via telephone, information offices, and a mobile app.
ICT:
- Free Wi-Fi – metropolitan services continue to be provided in all public service areas belonging to the IMM, such as squares and streets, which are centres of intensive human circulation.
- With a 3,400 sqm installation area, the city’s data centre will be used by all connected metropolitan institutions. The centre’s design and installation, which meets Tier III standards, was completed in 2017.
- The main expected benefits resulting of the whole Big Smart Istanbul project are: an e-governance system, enhanced coordination between the public and private sectors, and open data, so that the city’s ecosystem can develop solutions and solve city problems using the open data platform;
- The floating solar power plant prevents the release of 180 ton of CO2 emissions per year;
- The isbike bicycle sharing system has 300 stations with 3,000 bicycles available, which are expected to be hired more than 1 million times per year;
- In 2018 there will be several living labs and science centres operating in Istanbul: Şişhane Living Lab, Levent Living Lab, Kabataş Living Lab, and Haliç Science Centre;
- In the scope of the pilot project “Smart Container”, which aims at improving awareness in recycling, 100 containers were installed with a smart card integration, image processing smart sensors, and IoT functions;
The free Wi-Fi system is accessed 750,000 times a month, with a daily average of 17,500 singular and 25,000 multiple users.