New Delhi: Today, authorities across the world are focused on evaluating and deploying new-age technologies to make cities smarter and better places to live in than ever before. The 4th Smart Cities India 2018 expo, taking place at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from 23-25th May, will feature some of the most prominent leaders and experts discussing the harnessing of technology to make the next generation of urban spaces resilient, sustainable, and inclusive.
Organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the NASSCOM Centre of Excellence – IoT and Exhibitions India Group, the 4th Smart Cities India 2018 expo co-locates five major verticals that make up our smart city framework – Buildings, Solar, Smart Cities, Transport and Water.
Intelligent urban transport networks, smart energy, safe and secure public spaces, upgraded water supply, waste disposal facilities, and environmentally compatible buildings are some of the components of the future-ready smart cities that India and the world need to encourage for sustainable development and growth. The 4th Smart Cities India 2018 expo will provide an opportunity to connect with key decision makers, industry experts, and thought leaders from around the world expected to lead this development.
Consequently, the expo will also help attendees access funding, business, and partnership opportunities, with participants from over 40 countries and the biggest brands in the space expected to attend the event, spread over 20,000 square metres in the heart of New Delhi. The expo will initiate conversations around new-age technologies such as Internet-of-Things (IoT), renewable energy, artificial intelligence, Big Data, and VR/AR, which are expected to be instrumental in creating the Smart Cities of the future.
“The 4th Smart Cities India 2018 expo aims to empower cities and collectivise urban innovation. The expo will also share insights and priorities that support investment, innovation and growth in order to establish India as a global hub for smart city skills and knowledge and technology. We are extremely proud of organizing an event of such importance for the future, and look forward to facilitating the kind of synergy and collaboration we need to begin planning for a sustainable future for our citizens in earnest,” said chairman, Exhibitions India Group, Prem Behl.
The state-of-the-art exhibition floor will allow participants to explore the latest smart city projects and technologies, products, services, design, and solutions that fit urban lifestyles and needs perfectly; showcased in innovative and exciting ways. A record number of exhibitors from home and abroad are set to attend the expo to bolster interactions between domestic and overseas cities, and enterprises.
Leading exhibitors include Epson India, Havells, Infineon, J.K Cements, Johnson Controls, National Highway Authority of India, National Mission for Ganga Rejuvenation, New Delhi Municipal Corporation, SAP, Schneider Electric, ST Micro, Tata Group, Vikram Solar, among others.
Sayaji Shinde, Business Head – Smart Cities and Infrastructure, APAC, AVEVA Group Plc (formerly Schneider Electric), said, “IoT has been a powerful enabler for the streamlining of processes and data sharing for decision support. Nowhere has this digital transformation been more prevalent than within Smart Cities. The AVEVA City Command and Control Centre helps bring together a myriad of disparate data, which can then be converted into intelligence for improved resource and energy efficiency. Standard operating procedures can then be better performed, measured, and continually improved. However, the success of any Smart City depends on more than just technology. City managers need to be careful not to be too biased towards a pure technology solution. Successful smart cities have to rely upon the voice of the people who run and live in the cities as well as technology to ultimately achieve success with these initiatives.”
Subrata Das, Industry Director – Public Services, Industry Value Engineering & Digital Leadership, SAP, stated, “We engineer solutions that fuel innovation, foster inclusion and diversity and help spread the opportunity across borders and cultures by connecting people and information. For the last three decades, SAP has been helping cities across the world effectively deliver good governance; manage assets and resources; build a sustainable balance between revenue and expenditure; and deliver services to citizens, businesses and stakeholders across a wide variety of accessibility options. No wonder, the world’s smartest cities and the most institutionally effective city governance structures have one thing in common – they run SAP.”
Since the expo is designed to further the debate and introduce new thinking on prominent contemporary issues, including air quality and pollution, traffic congestion, electric vehicles, solar power, citizen wellbeing, etc., a wealth of interesting themes will be discussed at the conference. Topics such as Urban Planning to Enable Smart Cities, Developing Water Infrastructure, Solar Manufacturing in India, Green Buildings, Futuristic Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, River Rejuvenation, Affordable Housing, and so on will be featured.
Other interactive events are:
City Leaders’ Conclave – A dynamic and exciting business programme for industry and government, engaging multiple stakeholders to address the needs of urban sustainability.
Smart Cities India Awards – An annual event designed to felicitate, recognise and encourage individuals, policy makers, companies, government bodies and associations working towards developing over 100 smart cities and rejuvenating 500 cities in India.
Smart Village Conclave – The concept of a smart village ensures last mile access, provides technology infrastructure, and fosters a sustainable ecosystem. This platform brings together village heads (pradhans, sarpanches), MPs, innovators, influencers, NGOs, etc., working towards developing smart villages in India.
Solar Rooftop Summit – The Solar Rooftop Summit will take stock of the challenges constraining rooftop solar deployment as well as potential solutions for accelerating its growth.
EV and Battery Tech India Summit – Participants at the EV and Battery Tech Summit, will try to build a strategic road map to help the country achieve large-scale deployment of electric vehicles.
Attracting the highest calibre of speakers that include those whose thought leadership forms and shapes the global smart city industry, speakers this year include: Mr. Upendra Tripathy, Interim Director General, International Solar Alliance, Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute, Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director, Centre for Social Research, Mr. Karthikeyan Natarajan, Global Head – Engineering, IOT and Enterprise Mobility, Tech Mahindra, Mr. Chetan Maini, Vice Chairman, SUN Mobility, among others. (ANI)