Nacho Santillana Montal, CIO of Barcelona City Council, seeks to realize the concept of a smart city through a series of innovative technology projects centered on artificial intelligence, real-time data analysis and digitalization of processes.
As CIO of the Barcelona City Council, Nacho Santillana Montiel has completed a series of innovative projects, including the integration of various emerging technologies into the daily lives of the City Council and Catalan citizens.
"The project delivers on its promise to society by addressing emerging issues such as loneliness among the elderly," he said. Ethics and social responsibility are essential elements in decision-making and the implementation of new solutions. ”
Among these solutions, AI stands out, integrated in all municipal services, as well as in defining the working methods and protocols for the deployment of these systems to ensure that their use is in accordance with legal, ethical and technical standards, in addition to the launch of the Public Registry of Algorithms and an external advisory committee to prepare studies on the impact of algorithms.
Lay the groundwork
Last year, the Municipal Data Office (OMD) was created, responsible for the management, quality, governance, analysis and dissemination of data from the Barcelona City Council and its related entities, and also as the main system for organizing and planning sociological research, monitoring**, statistical production and socio-economic analysis of the city and the environment of interest, allowing the publication of high-frequency data and the development of evidence-based public policies. OMD also includes a range of application integrations delivered through the CityOS platform, the main municipal data repository.
Barcelona also created their own digital twin to check that the city meets the requirements of the so-called "15-minute city", i.e. no more than 15 minutes walk from anywhere in the capital to reach any location such as public services, equipment and facilities (such as metro stations, charging stations, bus stations), medical facilities and green spaces. The project is the first phase of a collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, the National Supercomputing Centre (BSC-CNS), with the support of the Municipal Institute of Information (IMI) and the Barcelona Region (BR), to simulate and ** the impact of certain projects or public policies.
Among the technological initiatives implemented by the Barcelona City Council, in addition to chatbots to eliminate loneliness among the elderly and disabled, there is also the payment of fines and taxes through Bizum, a payment system commonly used throughout Spain; the digitization of the Barcelona cemetery service; Real-time monitoring of children's play areas for improved visibility; The ZooBot chatbot makes Barcelona Zoo more inclusive for those who visit with specific needs.
These and other projects have made Barcelona recognized as a leading digital city in Europe, with priorities including digital rights and inclusion, the use of emerging technologies to foster urban innovation, and data as a public good. As a result, Barcelona has held the presidency of the European Urban Digital Forum for the past two years, and its contribution has been crucial to increasing the participation and continued influence of cities in European legislative initiatives such as the Digital Services Law, Governance Law Data, Data Exchange for Short-Term Tenancies, Data ACT and Artificial Intelligence Law, among others.
Have an inclusive approach
For Santillana, part of what makes the council's digital transformation so important is the holistic approach. "The project addresses the practical and emotional needs of the community, especially the elderly and people with disabilities, and is characterized by a focus on the diversity of the population, and the implementation of digital solutions aims to ensure universal accessibility and guarantee that all citizens can benefit from municipal services. ”
He also highlighted the ability to adapt to the changing needs of the community and the technological environment. "The flexibility of the implementation allows us to constantly adjust to ensure our relevance and effectiveness over time, all of which together make this project unique, not only addressing the efficiency of municipal management, but also significantly improving the quality of life and social well-being of citizens, highlighting an extraordinary commitment to ethics, inclusivity and social innovation. ”
For Santillana, the key to the success of the project included taking into account the needs and experience of users from the beginning and throughout the process, prioritizing the security and privacy of information, and the introduction of new technologies required an adaptation phase, so training and support for employees and citizens was crucial.
"These projects reflect the Barcelona City Council's commitment to innovation, inclusivity and the continuous improvement of the quality of life of citizens through the strategic application of digital technologies, administrative efficiency, universal accessibility and concern for social well-being, which make Barcelona a reference point for the digital transformation of the local government," he said. ”