Barcelona Metropolitan Area Selects IBM Smarter Cities Technology To Help Manage Parks and Beaches

Data and analytics to help increase efficiency and citizen satisfaction

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Nov 20, 2014, 06:00 ET

BARCELONA, Spain, Nov. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- During Smart City Expo World Congress, IBM (NYSE: IBM) and the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) announced an agreement to use IBM technology to help more effectively manage beaches and parks within the Barcelona Metropolitan Area territorial jurisdiction.

The Barcelona Metropolitan Area will use analytics tools on its beaches and parks within its jurisdiction to manage large datasets from multiple sources, as well as cloud computing to help make better decisions.

Using IBM Intelligent Operations software, city officials and park and beach staff will have access to real-time information to manage most all aspects of parks operations. The software centralizes all information related to parks management providing officials a comprehensive view of all events, infrastructure and park assets. For example, in a single system, it can aggregate data on all public play areas for children, all maintenance of landscaping and trees; or provide a view into all available activities for older people. For the metropolitan area's beaches, it will help better manage usage demand for sports and entertainment and help monitor and manage conditions such as red flag warnings during rough ocean conditions or the presence of jellyfish.

This integration of data, analysis, and coordination across multiple parks, beaches and among cities will help city officials and staff predict and prevent issues that could impact citizen satisfaction.

To engage the metropolitan area's 3,2 million citizens, this new smarter cities technology will also allow citizens and cities to jointly interact and participate in the improvement of public facilities. For example, a citizen will be able to report through a mobile device if a park bench is broken, and then check the status of the repair in the future. Cities can also use it to inform citizens if there will be a park remodeling project or a closure for a special event.

In the future, the cities of the AMB will be able to expand the use of the IBM Intelligent Operations Center via the cloud to other areas.

Medium sized cities, such as those in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, are facing the same challenges of big cities, all within budget constraints. This in turn is leading them to explore technology that can help improve efficiency, manage city operations more effectively and at the same time, ensure citizen needs are met.

"Through our deep expertise with thousands of Smarter Cities client engagements, IBM is helping cities around the world transform how they deliver services and engage with citizens through the use of Big Data, analytics, cloud computing and new mobile and social computing technologies," said Sylvie Spalmacin-Roma, vice president, IBM Smarter Cities Europe. "The Barcelona Metropolitan Area is undertaking an innovative project that will make it even more responsive to its citizens, and a leading administration for innovation."

The Barcelona Metropolitan Area's population is equivalent to 43 percent of the population of Catalonia and generates 51 percent of Catalonia's GDP. The 36 municipalities that belong to AMB are Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Badalona, Santa Coloma de Gramanet, Cornellà de Llobregat, San Boi de Llobregat, Sant Cugat del Vallès, El Prat de Llobregat, Viladecans, Castelldefels, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Esplugues de Llobregat, Gavà, San Felíu de Llobregat, Ripollet, Sant Adrià de Besós, Montcada i Reixach, Sant Joan Despí, Barberà del Vallés, Sant Vicenç dels Horts, Sant Andreu de la Barca, Molins de Rei, Sant Just Desvern, Badia del Vallès, Corbera de Llobregat, Castellbisbal, Pallejà, Montgat, Cervelló, Santa Coloma de Cervelló, Tiana, Begues, Torrelles de Llobregat, El Papiol, Sant Climent de Llobregat y La Palma de Cervelló

About IBM

For more information on IBM Smarter Cities, visit www.ibm.com/press/smartercities.

To join the conversation about IBM Smarter Cities please follow @IBMSmartCities on Twitter as well as the hashtag #SmarterCities

David Herrera
IBM External Relations
[email protected]
34-91-397-70-06 x7006

Holli Haswell
IBM External Relations
[email protected]
720-396-5485

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SOURCE IBM