As part of a new national program CITYZOOM, cities and authorities in Israel will open gates to startups in order to solve urban problems and improve services for residents
A new national program to promote technologies in the field of smart cities is launched today under the leadership of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of the Interior and Digital Israel.
'CITYZOOM Smart Cities in Israel' is a community that will make startup companies that can solve problems in the urban space accessible to authorities in Israel and around the world. As part of the program, a database of urban problems and needs will be established to which any local authority can contact, and look for a match among technological startups. The database will be updated both from leading cities in the world (Chicago, London, New York and Barcelona) and from leading academic studies.
In the startup arena, the initiative will work to increase the number of Israeli companies in the fields of big data-based city management systems, protection of urban infrastructures from cyber attacks, WIFI infrastructures, emergency monitoring systems, transportation and smart parking, services for the resident, solutions for the elderly and precision agriculture for public areas. In this way, the community will increase both the supply of companies dealing in the field, as well as the visit from cities in Israel and around the world.
The field of smart cities in Israel has not yet realized its inherent potential, the reasons lie in the fact that the local authorities in Israel are too small a market for technology entrepreneurs, but also due to the large number of local authorities (255) and the difficulty of implementing a long-term policy on municipal issues related to many government offices. Inaccessibility and excess bureaucracy result in blue and white technologies "running away" from Israel.
At a launch event that took place yesterday (Tuesday) at the LABS complex with the participation of 200 technology company managers and mayors, the elements of the program will be revealed:
- Mapping the needs of local authorities in Israel and around the world, establishing a database for cooperation to find solutions together with the multinational companies based in Israel.
- Local authorities encouragement program to introduce startups into the municipality's day-to-day work, training managers in the authorities and carrying out pilots to test new products.
- Encouraging technological entrepreneurs to implement products in Israeli authorities before they go to the world market, creating experimental cities with an emphasis on the geographic and social periphery.
- Establishing an inter-university academic research forum led by the Local Government Research Institute at Tel Aviv University that will encourage researchers to engage in urban solutions, the forum began in a unique collaboration with Stanford University.
- An international annual conference in the field of smart cities that will be held in March 2019 in Israel with the participation of speakers from around the world.
The CITYZOOM community was established by the initiative of the Ministry of the Economy, Interior and the Ministry for Social Equality, in cooperation with Tel Aviv University, Kiryat Atidim and the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation. It is unique for the first time in the combination of sectors (government, academia, technology companies and the third sector) with a clear policy that will lead to the creation of a vibrant climate for smart cities in Israel. This is in continuation of other communities that have arisen that have been success stories such as 'Accomotion' (smart transportation) and the community of construction technologies.
The Minister of Social Equality Gila Gamaliel, who believes in the National Israel Digital Headquarters, blessed the project and said: "The next phase of the digital revolution is beginning to materialize at this time in the local authorities in Israel and around the world. The Ministry of Social Equality has been working in recent years to promote and make available to the local authorities in Israel digital solutions that establish smart services available to residents, help and speed up the businesses operating throughout the authority and optimize and improve the activities of the authorities. Tonight we are launching an innovation community designed to be a platform for cooperation between all active parties in the field - local authorities, the Start-Up Nation community, academia, international companies, investors and the government - with the aim of promoting and providing more smart solutions that will jump forward local government in Israel and the world."
The CEO of the Ministry of Economy Shay Rinsky congratulated the new community and said: "The smart cities community today joins innovation communities in the field of smart transportation, digital health, agriculture, and more as part of the strategy of the Ministry of Economy and Industry to promote innovation in areas with potential for growth. This is in order for the companies to continue to grow and develop in Israel and for the citizens of the State of Israel to benefit from Israeli innovation and developments."
Director General of the Ministry of the Interior Mordechai Cohen: "The Ministry of the Interior is interested in providing a platform for the development of technological and innovative answers to the challenges of the local authorities in each of their fields of activity - whether it is contact with the resident, online services, improving the appearance of the city, transportation and parking, welfare and more. The entrepreneurial sector does not know the local authorities in Israel well enough and here lies the potential for economic development both for companies and entrepreneurs as well as for the local authorities along with an opportunity to reduce gaps and inequality."
Chairman of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation Hami Peres Pena referred to the entrepreneurship industry in Israel and said: "From my acquaintance with the Israeli startups I know that they have the creative hands and the vision to improve the lives of millions of residents in Israel and around the world. I am happy that the Peres Center is taking part in building the important bridge between the local authorities in Israel and the innovation community."
The President of Tel Aviv University, Prof. Yosef Klefter, welcomed the program and said that Tel Aviv University recently inaugurated the Smart Cities Initiative in collaboration with Stanford University, and the Shmelzer Institute for Smart Transportation. "It is only natural that the leading university in innovation will place the research being carried out in its field for the benefit of the vital project of the smart cities."
Sagi Niv CEO of Kiryat Atidim Barach said: "Kiriyat Atidim is happy to cooperate and take part in the partnership that leads the CITYZOOM community, and to promote companies in the field of smart cities that create technological solutions for the challenges of cities. This is a goal that fits well with the unique ecosystem of the Smart City Atidim project."
More of the topic in Hayadan:
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The problem in Israel
that the people who deal with the issue of smart cities in Israel do not really know what smart cities are
Unfortunately it's not just technology
And this is mainly in the use of efficient, practical and cost-effective technology for the citizen
It's a shame that in Israel they didn't do enough homework
Those who prevent urban and other development are politicians who, for the sake of their election, mortgage all urban resources in the hands of realists and vested interests. Citizen welfare is a low priority.
They will happily adopt public relations initiatives, but in practice they will suffocate them with blessings.
Send me a fax above if I'm wrong.
Well done! .. Finally the country is investing in itself, we must not be left behind we need to move forward with the rest of the world .. we have the brains and the money to carry it out .. forward into the future.
Good Day .