A full day of networking, learning new things, and marveling at the possibilities of the digital city of the future was once again possible at the third SmartCity-Summit.Niederrhein 2024 on February 29 in Mönchengladbach. The professional exchange at the Redbox in Sparkassenpark brought together companies, science, start-ups, municipalities, and experts. For the first time, Poland also participated as a partner country at the congress.

In the exhibition area, numerous start-ups and established companies presented their products and ideas for smart solutions. Many of these have long since moved beyond the prototype stage. On display were, for example, SOS buttons for public spaces similar to emergency call stations on highways, or intelligent locking systems powered by inserting a key or even via NFC from a smartphone. Companies also showcased smart solutions for AI-based pothole detection, industrial-scale floor-cleaning robots, and intelligent parking payment systems.

Smart services and products “made in Poland” were also on display at the summit, including software solutions, interactive playground equipment, and especially fast charging stations for electric cars. Another eye-catcher was a solar bench with a seating surface made of photovoltaic modules. What the smart bench can do (besides producing electricity) can be individually configured with appropriate equipment and sensors. For the Japanese market, a bench that measures seismic activity is currently being developed.

“The range of smart solutions we can marvel at here at the Smart-City-Summit is once again very impressive,” said Mayor Felix Heinrichs. “I’m very glad that with the Polish partners we were able to expand our international network this time. At the same time, the local companies and start-ups exhibiting here show me that not only the city administration of Mönchengladbach is playing a leading role in smart city matters, but also our local economy. Many thanks to all who contribute to shaping the digital future!” Heinrichs added.

Smart solutions for concrete everyday improvements

As a federally funded model municipality, Mönchengladbach is one of Germany’s smart city pioneers, sharing its experiences and results with other cities and communities. Accordingly, the Smart City project partners also presented their work on and with smart solutions at the congress. The Smart City Mönchengladbach is a joint project of the city, NEW AG, Marketing Gesellschaft Mönchengladbach, and mags. The common thread in all digital solutions: the new technology is not an end in itself, but is intended to provide concrete added value to the city and its citizens.

One such benefit is saving trips to the administration for official matters: the city now offers three-quarters of its services digitally and is thus far ahead in city comparisons. Another example: the city subsidiary mags measures asphalt temperatures at many points in the city using sensors and uses real-time data and artificial intelligence to develop a route plan for its winter service vehicles. A fundamental smart city project already completed is the expansion of a comprehensive LoRaWAN network. This long-range, energy-saving transmission standard allows different internet-enabled devices to be connected to the same network.

Many of the sensors that provide important real-time data for many smart city solutions also use LoRaWAN for data transmission. The “Digital Twin” — a virtual 3D copy of Mönchengladbach — allows sensor data not only to be displayed on dashboards but also to be spatially located within the city. It can also simulate plans and their impacts on the cityscape, shading, airflows, or traffic movements. Citizens have already been able to get a realistic picture of the planned redesign of Adenauerplatz with the help of the Digital Twin.

Besides the exhibition area and the Idea Café for networking and exchange, lectures and workshops are a key part of the summit. This time, topics included data ethics, intermunicipal cooperation, digital administrative services, the use of ChatGPT, the KIRAPol.5G radar system enabling data-protection-compliant public space monitoring, and innovative solutions presented by start-ups in a pitch (a kind of “sales talk”).

About the SmartCity-Summit.Niederrhein

The first edition of the SmartCity-Summit.Niederrhein in 2021 marked the start of an innovative event series designed to put Mönchengladbach on the nationwide smart city map. The SmartCity-Summit.Niederrhein is organized by MGMG on behalf of the city of Mönchengladbach.

Source: City of Mönchengladbach