At the Smart Cities Conference, which took place on September 18 at the University of Latvia's House of Science, experts from public authorities, local governments and the private sector stressed that the main challenge is not a lack of technology, but the skills to use it effectively and meaningfully.
Experts pointed out that in order to promote the use of data in local government, it is important to define how data will be used for the benefit of local government and people. Staff need to be upskilled in working with data and their competences need to be enhanced, and the introduction of new systems means changes to existing processes, so change management and effective data governance are just as important. Often, it is the lack of these aspects that hinders the successful deployment of smart solutions in cities.
Explaining the state policy for the development of smart technologies and innovations, Gatis Ozols, Deputy State Secretary for Digital Transformation at the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development, stressed that smart technologies play an important role in creating a comfortable living environment. The first ten projects, including a mobility data platform in Riga, are already underway with state support. Latvia has also been recognised at international level, with many local governments working in international project consortia with other EU countries. He pointed out that the prerequisites for the development of smart solutions and technologies are a framework for safe testing environments for smart solutions, funding, and competent professionals who can implement solutions in the field.
Alīna Dolmate, Head of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Representation in Latvia, noted that the EIT offers support for innovation development at all stages – from the lab to the market, including entrepreneurship and education, training of professionals. The Latvian ecosystem currently has 29 partners, more than 23 projects and 215 companies supported, attracting €8.1 million in funding, and demand is growing. Innovative solutions such as Aerones and Bruntor have also received support, demonstrating the global competitiveness of innovations developed in Latvia.
Māra Liepa-Zemeša, Director of the RTU Institute of Architecture and Design, pointed out that the main goal of technology is to improve people's quality of life. She stressed that Riga is succeeding – other EU countries already look at Latvia with envy, because the availability and variety of smart solutions is growing rapidly here, which is not always the case in other parts of Europe. Collaboration is also key to generating new ideas. Ms Liepa-Zemeša gave the example of the "Knowledge Mile" idea, which was launched a few years ago and is now being implemented in cooperation with local authorities and universities. Enno Ence, Vice-Rector for Development at the University of Latvia, added that the development of cities and technological solutions will be slower without the involvement of science. Only by working together and clearly defining the problem, the objectives and the expected results, can more effective solutions be found and the problem be seen in a broader context.
Anders Bengtsson, Head of the EIT UM North Hub, also stressed the need for industry and science to work hand in hand and for decisions to be based on accurate data, especially when it comes to inclusive and sustainable mobility. For mobility planning, it is important to analyse data in the long term, which will help to find the most appropriate solutions, e.g., how to organise traffic, flows, traffic signals. Telemetry, the technology that allows measurements to be taken remotely, helps in policy-making and urban planning. It promotes equity and sustainability, but requires cooperation, good governance, and a fresh look at harnessing the potential of data.
Access to data and the ability to use it is an opportunity for cities to become more sustainable, more accessible, safer. With the volume of data growing every day, local authorities need to think about collecting, storing and using data in a meaningful way for local development, to improve the quality of services, safety or people's quality of life. Ričards Fomrats, Head of LMT's Computer Vision and Mobility business, outlining the possibilities of integrating AI into city management, pointed out that in ten years' time, AI will be able to view the entire data ecosystem in real time using quantum computing and provide accurate answers, for example, about parking spaces available at a given time. LMT plans to launch a mobility data platform later this year, where anonymised data will be analysed and visualised for urban planning, mobility, tourism and security purposes. At the same time, camera data will be used to identify, for example, the type of vehicles people use to get into the city. Such data availability will contribute to the development and security of the city.
Elīna Kirilko, Head of the Mobility Planning Administration of the Riga City Development Department, shared her experience on how mobility and urban planning data is already being used in practice. She explained that in Riga, data is used to improve mobility in Riga and Pierīga, as a data-driven approach helps to make more accurate and efficient decisions. The biggest problem is that mobility data is fragmented and it is difficult to get a single overview, which is why work is currently underway in Riga to create a single mobility platform. One of the tools used is a transport simulation model, which helps to analyse the situation and infrastructure in a city. In the future, data from mobile operators and sensors will also be used. As part of the reform of Riga's public transport, the current situation is being analysed – for example, the number of passengers on buses and information on transport delays. Future plans also include a shared cycling system integrated with public transport, as well as a spatial analysis tool for Riga to understand how people move around the city, which streets are the most congested and where new solutions are needed to improve and transform mobility.
Aldis Ērglis, Head of the Department of Digital Change at the University of Latvia and Head of Emergn Latvia, outlined practical applications of data for local governments. He stressed that data modelling techniques can be used to predict how climate targets will affect each local government – how much emissions are generated per day by different population groups and how travel patterns need to change to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. The results show that the "price" of lower emissions is longer commuting times. However, people are willing to spend no more than 1.5 hours on their daily commute. This is why local authorities need to use data for accurate planning, model possible scenarios and provide convenient, varied and accessible travel solutions.
One of the main conclusions of the first part of the conference was that close cooperation between local governments, science and the private sector is essential for data availability and meaningful use, while strengthening public data literacy and addressing the lack of data experts that public and local authorities face when competing with the private sector.
The Smart Cities Conference was held in Riga for the fourth year to focus on sustainable urban planning, mobility and public safety, highlighting the role of technology and citizen engagement in the development of future cities. The conference was organised by the RTU Science and Innovation Centre in collaboration with the University of Latvia, Riga Municipality, the open innovation movement "VEFRESH" and other partners. The event was organised by the EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Community and supported by mobile technology company “Latvijas Mobilais Telefons”.
