14/01/24

Brazil’s Permanent “Green” Carnival

Author MIC Team

When we hear the word “Brazil” the first image that comes to mind is a carnival full of colors, with people dancing and rejoicing in fancy costumes decorated with feathers. But what if we tell you that there is a city in Brazil that is a carnival of green all year round? A city worth learning from, even if you don’t dance all day, and carnival colors are replaced by shades of green?
Welcome to Curitiba, the green city of Brazil. It is located in the southeast of the happiest country in the world and within a span of less than three decades, has managed to transform from a remote city into a modern metropolis with one of the highest levels of quality of life in the country. How? All it takes is listening to the needs of the residents, expanding the city’s green lungs, and placing the main emphasis on public transportation.
Okay, so maybe it’s not that simple. Urban engineers have moved mountains, literally, to create roads and parking lots, while trying to take into account the location of homes, industry and the residents’ needs.

But all too often, urban engineers are forced to sacrifice environmental interests for this purpose. After all, we don’t hear any complaints from the environment … But actually, the environment does have some complaints, and if the environment is not able to voice those complaints, the residents and environmental activists do so.
In Curitiba, they decided to do things differently. It stands out in the Brazilian landscape mainly because it presents a very different picture from the Brazilian reality one expects. Low crime rates, high levels of education and low air pollution. Or in other words: high quality of life. In even simpler words: we want what they have!

So what’s special about this city?

Obviously you have heard of promoting public transportation. But it is one thing to declare a preference for public transportation, and quite another to do so. In Curitiba urban planners not only talk but also act. As well as the roads, which have been paved with planning that takes into account ground conditions and landscape, public transport itself is efficient and convenient at levels that are rarely seen elsewhere in the world. Neighborhood bus lines complement the express lines, there are many convenient bus-stops, and even the payment system enables a saving in travel time. Instead of creating delays by paying the driver upon boarding the bus, Curitiba has a system for paying for the trip in advance. Enabling the driver to concentrate exclusively on driving, and not working as a ticket-vendor, saves about a third (!!!) of travel time. In addition, the buses have a capacity of up to 270 people, reducing the number of vehicles needed without inconveniencing the passengers.

So why have they stuck with buses when everyone is talking about subways? The calculation is simple: while the cost of one kilometer of subway ranges from $60 million to $70 million, the cost of a kilometer of road is only about a quarter of a million dollars. It makes mathematical sense, doesn’t it? Talking of money matters, the monthly expenditure of residents on public transportation is minimal and amounts to only about 10% of the average wage, so the percentage of its users remains high, preventing road congestion, limiting air pollution and avoiding parking problems. In addition, to encourage residents to travel by public transport and also increase recycling, Curitiba’s mayor, Jaime Lerner, initiated an ingenious system in which a resident who brings household garbage for recycling receives vouchers for free bus travel. That’s a WIN-WIN plan!

But Curitiba didn’t stop at public transportation. It has also significantly increased the green spaces, and has earned the nickname “the green city”. In the 1950s, the city was hit by terrible floods from the adjacent Iguazu River. In the 1960s, the municipality decided to put an end to the issue and stopped all building permits in areas on the banks of the river, establishing public parks there instead, and digging artificial lakes to drain the excess water. In this way, the problem of floods, which had frequently disrupted the lives of the residents, was solved, whilst also increasing the green lungs of the city. There is no doubt that Curitiba is a green paradise.

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02/06/23

Urban travel – The technological solutions of tomorrow

Author MIC Team

Public transportation systems are designed to provide a transit solution for the general public, using a network that offers convenience, safety, and affordability to every person. It would seem like an optimal solution costing a small fraction of buying and maintaining a private vehicle on the face of it. However, public transportation in Israel has a negative reputation. There is a 4% increase in the number of private vehicles in Israel year on year, with a current total of over three million registered private cars.

The main reason for the unpopularity of public transport is its inefficiency when measured by quantifiable means in various categories, including availability, reliability, number of route changes, synchronization between different networks on the travel route, frequency, and coordination.

Encouraging people to use public transport is in the clear interest of the State of Israel in general and local authorities in particular. Efficient public transportation reduces air pollution, creates a greener environment, cuts down traffic jams and congestion, and reduces socioeconomic disparities.

The technological solutions for upgrading public transportation services involve the vehicles themselves, infrastructure, traffic management, and many other elements. Mashkal, The Local Government Economic Services, Ltd provides a platform via MiC for leading companies in the world of innovation in Israel and around the globe to present technological solutions, which can be implemented by local authorities to improve Mobility in the city, infrastructure, and transportation for urban traffic in general and public transport in particular.

Tactile Mobility
Tactile Mobility presents A real-time road mapping system using municipal vehicles which transmit information to the cloud. The system, which is installed on municipal vehicles, is designed to locate and identify problems and hazards, such as oil slicks and moisture on the road, cracks and bumps, quality of surface-grip and road-quality rating, all of which are sent in real-time via internet communication to the cloud, enabling the local authority to deal with any hazards immediately by sending alerts and using traffic management measures in the affected area.

GoGreen
The GoGreen brand’s mission is to improve the function of traffic lights at busy and congested junctions by creating a “smart” algorithm that accurately measures traffic loads from all directions of traffic at the intersection and adjusts the schedules of traffic lights according to actual travel needs and loads. In tests, the technology was found to have the power to reduce road congestion and manage traffic loads optimally.

Flexible transportation
Via transportation introduces a flexible transportation system designed to increase and promote shared travel at low cost and with high availability at every stage. The system enables the management of vehicle fleets by sharing and mapping information, early detection of passengers planning to travel in the same direction, managing fixed routes according to fixed times, real-time occupancy updates, connection to traffic information, and relevant route adjustments. The system is built on artificial intelligence and aims to create transportation solutions that are accessible to different populations according to their needs.
This system, which is already active in over one hundred and twenty countries throughout the world, has proven itself by reducing the number of private vehicles on the roads and increasing the efficiency of shared transportation and the comfort and satisfaction of passengers.

TraffiCal
TraffiCal is a “smart” digital system for managing transportation by the local authority. The system provides a solution for children, co-workers, and other groups. It works by using a digital map and an interactive display of embarkation and alighting points, schedules, and a database of students, parents, escorts, and operators to ensure effective communication. The system is managed through an app together with viewing permissions as needed, which allows full transparency both of the local authority towards the residents through the disclosure of engagement agreements and conditions and the location of the children and other data about the trip the parents.

Many of the leading cities in the State of Israel suffer from negative migration, and residents are experiencing a decline in their quality of life due to the intertwined problems of employment constraints, traffic congestion, and high levels of air pollution. Upgrading public transportation systems using advanced technological solutions will improve residents’ satisfaction, increased employment and economic opportunities, and a significant reduction in air pollution.

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22/04/23

Earth Day – The responsibility of local authorities to protect the globe

Author MIC Team

Earth Day is an international initiative held on the twenty-second of April every year, in order to raise awareness of the need to protect the globe and preserve a green and sustainable environment.

Public awareness of the factors that pollute the Earth and harm it is important as it leads to a reduction in the use of non-perishable waste, along with an increase in use of products and systems with a high energy rating and energy savings. However, awareness by itself is insufficient when it is not supported by an orderly policy, raising the issue in local authorities, state authorities, organizations and companies.

Awareness alone is not enough to attain the ambitious goal of protecting the planet from threats including climate change and global warming, loss of energy sources, greenhouse gas emissions and ozone expansion, rising sea-levels due to melting glaciers and water volume changes due to global warming and pollution.

Genuine protection of the planet is achieved through legislation, together with initiatives undertaken by local authorities, using innovative technological systems in a variety of fields.

How can a local authority contribute to protecting the planet and creating a green urban environment?

The local authority is responsible for a variety of measures for protecting the environment, with many tools at its disposal, both in the treatment of waste and sanitation, as well as being responsible for buildings, infrastructure and transportation, education, safety, water resources and resident services

MIC (Municipal Innovation Center) presents a wide range of systems and tools, which make use of the latest technologies to enable local authorities to improve the resident services, whilst also offering economic savings and maintaining a green urban environment with energy efficiency. Here are some examples:

Water economy management
An advanced system from Aquarius Spectrum allows the municipal authority to anticipate and locate leaks and latent leaks, and to evaluate the condition of the pipes at any time. The system is based on “cloud” technology that enables documentation, storage and comparison of data. The system supports all types of pipework and infrastructure, and is designed to locate leaks, even those which originate from holes with a small diameter, which significantly reduces the costs of water loss and pipe malfunctions as well as the costs of maintenance and repairs as needed.

Smart transportation
Israeli software company Axilion has developed a quality solution for managing traffic for local authorities in Israel , to address the challenges of congestion and traffic jams, and for managing a smart, efficient and safe transportation system. The company develops and implements networks of smart traffic lights that help regulate traffic, identify hazards, congestion and unusual events, prioritize and manage means of public transportation and optimal pedestrian infrastructure. The systems, which are already being implemented in a number of cities in Israel and around the world, boast an increase in safety of tens of percent, a significant reduction in traffic jams, and a reduction of travel times in urban areas of nearly fifty percent.
This translates to a reduction in fuel and energy use, reduced pollutants and gas emissions from vehicles and improved quality of life for residents.

Public health
A smart system for monitoring noise, abnormal radiation levels and air pollution in educational buildings, education centers etc enables rapid treatment of any problems and helps to maintain the health of citizens and residents. The system from the Israeli company RADGREEN combines a large number of sensors for monitoring a variety of factors and is already prominent in its efficiency and contribution to the urban environment, in cities in Israel and abroad.

Waste disposal
The ECOCAL system from Maskal operates smart bins within a municipal framework, which provide savings and increased efficiency, using sensors that monitor the weight of public bins, the level of acidity and their temperature, while transmitting the data in real time to the municipal control center.

The sanitation departments in the authority receive guidance and management of employee efficiency, as well as help in creating routes for the prioritization of waste disposal, leading to a saving in manpower and prompt removal of bins that emit toxins and constitute a sanitary hazard, whilst maintaining transparency and full control.

The question often arises as to what is actually the responsibility of a local authority in the field of preserving the environment, the contribution to global ecology, and the impact on the interactions between the man-made and serviceable systems, and the existing natural systems. Over the last decade, there has been a growing understanding that the connection exists in synergy, which actually enables municipal and local authorities, by making the right choices and investments in systems and infrastructure developed with environmental vision, to increase residents’ level of happiness and satisfaction, make savings on expensive operating costs and contribute to preserving the planet. .

MIC, The Innovation Center from Mashkal, offers an innovative experience and a glimpse into a green, efficient and innovative future world, where you can find solutions and advanced systems in all areas of life in the public sphere. Come and visit, we’re looking forward to meeting you.

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13/04/23

Focusing on Israeli “smart cities” Spotlight on Ashdod

Author MIC Team

Nearly 90% of Israel’s population lives in urban areas: in central cities, suburbs and peripheral cities. Despite the great interest in national politics, the factors that most influence the quality of life of the residents in Israel are actually the local authorities. The local authority provides residents with services in the areas of education, leisure, waste management and recycling, traffic, transportation and mobility, employment, the environment, security and infrastructure. The correct management by the authority will have a positive effect on the lifestyle of residents and their measure of happiness, and will lead to direct economic savings for them. It is important to note that the concept of a smart city refers to a wide range of issues, and by rating each of them, IDC in Herzliya has created a uniform and objective index that takes into account several areas of activity that define a smart city:

● Safe city – management of safety systems; infrastructure that emphasizes road safety; efficient municipal and police service; civil protection systems.

● Digital city – digital services which reduce bureaucracy for residents. Option to choose between different digital means. Accessibility of services.

● Sustainable city – environmental sustainability; recycling; waste disposal by advanced means.

● Efficient city – energy efficiency and savings to local authority expenses; efficiency in employee management and placement of technological service alternatives.

● Learning city – ensuring professional currency; network of modern systems and tools; appointment of key people in the local authority to teach and familiarise staff about smart city technologies.

The city of Ashdod is a southern coastal city, the sixth largest city in Israel with a population of close to 230,000 residents.
In the Smart Cities Index set by the IDC, the city of Ashdod stands out in its urban strategy for smart and sustainable cities, smart and information-based urban management, construction, sustainability and smart infrastructure, and indices of innovation, education and local economy.

Among the prominent projects in the city of Ashdod that make it one of the smartest cities in Israel are the following:

Smart Transportation Center – Ashdod boasts the most advanced smart transportation center in Israel, REWAY, which implements advanced technologies in the field of smart and autonomous transportation. Transportation planning in the city is based on the city’s hubs such as the port, the coastal strip and logistical resources, as well as the development of smart roads for real-time traffic management, which enables solutions that encourage the use of shared and public transportation.

Technological hothouse – In collaboration with the Strauss Group, the Ashdod Municipality has established a leading technological development hothouse, the purpose of which is to invest in groundbreaking technological ventures in the food industry. This venture aims to improve the production of quality and healthy food, and generates investments and professional guidance in various projects, creates awareness and attraction for scientific education for the city’s young people, and creates employment and jobs.

Mafte’ach Center – The city of Ashdod has implemented a center for employment development for the ultra-Orthodox, one of the largest demographics of the city, which integrates men and women from the sector into the labor force, tailoring the jobs to their specific needs and according to their skills. The project is being carried out in collaboration with IBM.

HUB Complex – a complex located in the urban youth center, providing a collaborative work environment, a regional business center, the business accelerator program of the Agency for Small and Medium Businesses in the Ministry of Economy, support and business consulting.

Digital services for residents – Ashdod Municipality prides itself on streamlining services for residents through a variety of digital means: the “Ashdodit” app that provides residents with access to information and performance; an extensive website emphasizing optimal user experience which offers many services including enrollment in educational institutions and leisure activities, online payments, forms for downloading, inquiries and so on.

Mashkal, invites the employees of local authorities in Israel to the innovative and exciting MiC – the innovation center, where they can discover a variety of systems and technologies through visual and experiential means, and learn about the principles of smart cities in Israel including improving services to residents, energy efficiency, creating a greener city, water systems and many more.