BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 12
By Asif Mehman - Trend:
The implementation of the Smart Village and Smart City projects has already started in Azerbaijan's Karabakh region.
The projects envisage the creation of communications in the Azerbaijani lands liberated from the Armenian occupation in accordance with the modern standards. The foundation of one of the first "smart villages" was laid in Zangilan district.
"Smart Village" and "Smart City" details
Smart City is a general concept for integrating multiple information and communication technologies for urban property management, including local information systems departments, schools, libraries, transport, hospitals, power plants, water and waste management systems, law enforcement bodies and other public services.
The conclusions drawn from the analysis of the collected data are directed towards the efficient use of assets and resources. Moreover, the relevant state agencies are able to carry out optimization work based on the information collected in the database.
All these digital solutions also refer to medicine and transport. In particular, it is possible to track pollution in the city on an e-map using wireless sensor networks to monitor atmospheric air to protect the environment.
The difference between a 'Smart City' and ordinary cities is in the digitalization of the entire infrastructure and the creation of a big database. Based on this information, the efficiency of expenditure and quality of life of the population are being improved throughout the city.
What is the Smart Village concept for?
One of the main goals of creating such villages in the world is to prevent urbanization. That is, for people in rural areas, such conditions are created for all the necessary services which are rendered in cities to be provided in villages. Another important point is that the 'Smart Village' concept allows people to earn more than in ordinary city.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation of the 'Smart Village' project on April 28, covering Agaly-I, II and III villages of Zangilan district. Specialists from the Turkish, Chinese, Italian and Israeli companies will also take part in implementation of this project.
The project will be implemented mainly upon five components. These are the housing, manufacturing, social services, ‘smart agriculture’ and alternative energy sectors. First of all, 200 fully isolated individual houses by using innovative building materials are planned to be built.
Engineering communications, heating systems in houses will also be created on the basis of smart technologies. It is planned to build modern schools, kindergartens, polyclinics and e-government centers in these villages and create a tourism infrastructure.
All residential buildings, social facilities, administrative buildings and public catering facilities, the process of processing and production of agricultural products will be provided with alternative energy sources.
The priority in implementation of 'smart' projects in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan is given to 5G technologies, Elman Karimli, coordinator of the Azerbaijan Innovation Agency, said in an interview with Trend.
“The 5G technology was originally developed for such big projects as Smart City and Smart Village,” Karimli added.
"Compared to 4G antennas, 5G antennas are smaller in size and look like a modem,” Karimli said. “It is easier to install and the speed is a lot higher. Cable internet connection is necessary in some hard-to-reach places in which disruptions with transmission of wireless signals can occur, where the wired internet can ensure uninterrupted data transmission. Most of the solutions for smart projects will be based on the 5G network."
“Moreover, strategic plans are being prepared to automate the activity of state sectors and the sphere of small and medium-sized businesses,” he said.
Karimli stressed that the main idea of implementation of these projects is to solve problems, economical use of natural resources and public funds.
"Besides the automation of agricultural activity, electronicization of the tourism sector is required on these territories," Karimli said.