Digital renovation of Putuo District is a winner
A company representative explains his renovation plan for the digital transformation of the Suzhou Creek waterfront.
Leading high-tech firms and start-ups won a competition in Shanghai's Putuo District over the weekend to take charge of the digital renovation of China's first worker's community, a key software park, and the Suzhou Creek riverside.
The Putuo competition of the Yangtze River International Innovation Challenge, organized by Shanghai Smart City Development Institute, aims to seek smart applications for the digital transformation of the Caoyang Community, the Universal Software Park and the Suzhou Creek waterfront.
Three local companies including Eihoojk, Caifu Tech and China Unicom Shanghai were selected by a judging panel to take over the three projects. Other tech firms and start-ups such as 360, JD and SenseTime also proposed renovation plans for the Putuo landmarks.
Putuo District began soliciting pilot applications for the digital transformation of the economy, daily life and urban governance from early this year as part of Shanghai's ambition to become an international capital for digitalization.
A batch of high-standard smart applications and scenarios will be collected from local companies and institutions for city-wide promotions, said Li Wenbo, director of Putuo's science and technology commission.
Putuo has built 630 outdoor 5G base stations to cover 57 key office buildings and five industrial parks to facilitate the promotion of smart applications, Li said.
During the competition, the Caoyang Community initially released its requirements to improve elderly care services and smart neighborhood management for the Caoyang No. 1 Community, known as China's first workers' community for model workers in 1950s.
"We hope to let more senior residents in the community enjoy the benefit and convenience of the city's digital transformation," said Zhao Yabin, vice director of the community.
Major work is being conducted on the neighborhood to renovate some old houses while preserving the historical ambiance.
China's cybersecurity company 360 provided a renovation plan to install smart sensors and calling system to ensure the safety of elderly people living alone. It includes smoke and gas sensors, smart door catches, an intelligent drug box as well as heart and breath sensors installed on a bed. An alert is sent to nearby community workers if danger is detected.
The software park, developed by the Putuo government in 2004 in Changzheng Town, asked for a smart safeguard system to ensure the security of the park and make it more convenient for visitors to enter the park.
Caifu Tech designed a QR code that can be used for employees and visitors to enter the park, as well as shop and dine in the canteens.
SenseTime released a smart application based on facial recognition and artificial intelligence which can detect drowning, illegal fishing and overcrowded of visitors on the riverside region of the Suzhou Creek.
Visitors can also acquire their step number without wearing pedometers by simply scanning their faces at the creekside, according to SenseTime.
Putuo has announced another batch of 30 digital transformation requirements to solicit smart applications from more companies.
Shanghai aims to become a world leading metropolis with digital infrastructure and a digital economy forerunner among other domestic cities. It also aims to become an international hub for digital trade and an industry cluster for digital economies.
