IBM and Nice Côte d’Azur region of France, announced an agreement to build a new information infrastructure.

As others cities around the world, Nice Côte d’Azur is in the dynamic to build reliable and sustainable infrastructures for its
population. Therefore the agreement gotten with IBM subscribes to the goal, to help the city in its efforts to become a more intelligent, sustainable city.

The project consists through better use of data and information sharing, as well as a new research and development project, the City plans to put in place the technical foundation to improve mobility and transportation, environmental quality, energy efficiency and reduce risk.

Therefore ‘’Improvements in each of these areas are expected to help enhance services to citizens making the city more livable, while providing better sources of information to boost economic development for local business.’’’ 

‘’The area is one of 13 EcoCite’ zones designated by the French government, an area dedicated to eco-friendly urban planning. The four million Euro agreement with IBM will help support this transformation to a Smarter City and foster urban innovation, including the creation of new sources of information and open applications designed in collaboration with local business’’. Mentioned the press release.

“We are proud to be part of a research and development project for the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur”. “This will help create employment, drive new innovation and improve the attractiveness of the region for citizens and business alike.” Said Christian Estrosi, Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur president.

Henceforth, the IBM Intelligent Operations Center will provide city leaders an intelligent dashboard to harness information in real time so it can be shared across departments and throughout Nice and its 46 municipalities, enabling new levels of collaboration. It uses data visualization and deep analytics that can help agencies prepare for problems, coordinate and manage response efforts and enhance the ongoing efficiency of city operations in order to improve the services offered to citizens. It can also be used to spot patterns or trends and explore scenarios to predict the impact of future events.  

To be fair, the technology will be used to:   

·        To predict and improve traffic flow, driving conditions and mobility can be improved for drivers. The data can also be used to develop new transportation-related services and shared to create new transportation solutions. 

·        Help address environmental issues such as air and water quality and urban noise. 

·        To analyze the production, supply and consumption of energy will help reduce environmental impact and create more efficient use of natural resources.

·         Gather and analyze data associated with potential risk such as weather-related problems or flooding will make it possible to anticipate natural and industrial risks and take preventative action. 

 “By developing a predictive and open data platform for the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur, IBM is helping build a new model for smart mobility, environmental quality, energy efficiency and risk management. We are honored to be working with Nice and its forward-thinking leaders. Through this contract signature, IBM confirms its dynamic and lasting commitment in this region,” said Alain Bénichou, president IBM France.