My comments to Miroslaw Konkel’s article “Good spsce in Smart Cities” published in Puls Biznesu and referring to SmartCity solutions.
SmartCity platform is our proprietary solution, a flagship product created by Polish team. I dare to say, that it sets standards for the public sector, not only in Poland but in other countries as well. It is multi-application urban transport card system linked with public services platform, transport system and electronic tickets for public transportation. Our proposal is not a closed product. It is based on the idea of systematic and gradual creation of the system, which will be helping to efficiently manage different areas of life in a city. It shows how from individual, silo solutions arrive to integrated, flexible platform of information exchange and combining services in order to increase efficiency of smart city solutions. Starting from single, specific implementations dedicated to even only one area of living in a city, it is possible to initiate the process of subsequent data integration, merging information systems and building new services and new solutions on this basis. A perfect illustration of it is an example of PEKA system in Poznań, to which the system of Municipal Family Assistance Center was added to enable more efficient management of aid funds. Thereby, it was possible to decrease the scale of improper use of food allowances by their beneficiaries. Supported families do not receive cash directly, but they are entitled to receive free lunches basing on proper record on a city card. In Tarnów city card system was used for voting for projects submitted for participatory budget. In Białystok city bike rental system was attached to city card, which made city bikes a part of public transportation system. In a similar way it is possible to develop existing systems of resources management within ITS. For example, passenger information boards functioning at the bus/tram stops can be as well used in the situations of crisis management. In case of need, they can display information on a threat, for example high air pollution or escape routes. Building such platform in the city is not an easy task. In many western cities there are specialized units, which coordinate all the activities related with urban systems development. It is a god practice and it would be worth to spread it in our cities.
