15

46
I Like This-What reasons led to the choice of Faro as a laboratory for
a SmartCity?
Antnio Lima-The city of Faro has to be congratulated for this
achievement not only for the County and its citizens but also for Portugal.
Among the cities that applied to IBMs Smarter Cities Challenge in 2012,
Faro was one of the only fve European cities to be selected in that year.
The Smarter Cities Challenge is a program launched in 2010 that aims to
reach 100 cities, with a total investment of 50 million dollars - the largest
IBMs investment in the feld of Corporate Citizenship and allows IBMs
experience to reach a whole set of cities and countries. This premium is
reflected in giving quality time and expertise, which we believe is more
valuable than money. Key factors for a successful application include a
strong city leadership, willingness to collaborate with many stakeholders
and willingness to become smarter and more effcient cities.
Cities also need to defend actionable and measurable efforts that have
the potential to make a real impact on the lives of its citizens. In parallel,
the winning candidates have to identify areas closely connected with
the top priorities of the city, involving a whole range of disciplines and
departments . The winning cities have to be willing to share detailed
information with IBM and the application must be led by the President of
the municipality.
I Like This-What is the role of IBM in its three weeks permanence in
Faro, consequence of the Smarter Cities Challenge?
Antnio Lima-During that period, IBM executives international team
met with all the various stakeholders of the project, as the Secretary of
State of the Sea, Faro Municipal Council, Committee for Coordination and
Regional Development of the Algarve, Algarve University, public entities,
local associations, Mar Algarve, small and medium entrepreneurs,
among others, in order to assess, analyze and recommend structural
improvements in the area of the maritime economy. At the end of this
mission, IBM team prepared a report where new opportunities have
been studied and recommended strategies and specifc actions in the
areas of innovation, tourism and maritime economy.
I Like This-What are the measures proposed by IBM and that you think
will be more easily implemented?
Antnio Lima-The implementation of the recommendations presented
by the team of executives from IBM will surely help Algarve positioning
itself in innovation area, in expanding its sea economy and become
a travel destination of excellence, achieving to balance economic
development with the preservation of its beauty. It is not a competence
of IBM to predict which of the recommendations will be implemented in
the near future. As I mentioned before, they are mere recommendations
and it is competence of the City Council and other stakeholders to
develop a path from them. I only can refer the recommendations that the
consultants considered most pressing to the development of the region.
The frst concerns the creation of an open data platform, i.e. a scalable
ecosystem in real time, allowing predictive analysis that can sustain the
economic growth of the region through knowledge, innovation, exchange
and consumption of information. Second, to create an innovation center
for expertise in order to enable the existing workforce, attract the younger
generation and improve specialist capabilities in order to support the
future workforce and marine economic diversity. Third, to create a chain
value of regional collaboration, managed as shared services platform
on a public- private partnership, to maximize the economic benefts
of the Algarve Sea. And fnally, to capture new and retain the existing
tourists , reducing the seasonality of tourism, promoting access to the
most exclusive products in the Algarve such as handicrafts, culture,
gastronomy, golf, water sports activities and nature tourism, through
personalized and available in real-time offerings , tailored to the individual
tastes of every tourist and accessible through specifc applications..
I Like This-How is the team formed?
Antnio Lima-The team consisted of three Americans, an Irishman and
a colleague of SPGI region (Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel) which,
coincidentally, was Portuguese.
I Like This-What are the main partners of the project?
Antnio Lima-The main responsible agents and critical elements for the
projects success were identifed considering the organizational point of
view, its conceptual structure, business model and suggested technical
solutions. We are talking about the Secretary of State of the Sea, Mayor
of Faro, the Algarve University, Committee for Coordination and Regional
Development of the Algarve, public entities, local associations and small
and medium entrepreneurs.
I Like This-Does Faro have own infrastructure to become a smart city?
Antnio Lima-Because of its excellent geographical location, environmental
and natural resources, its culture and surrounding media, Faro has all valences
and necessary characteristics to become a smart city. It just needs to develop
higher levels of organization and cooperation between public and private
entities, sharing its statistics, mainly the oceanographic, environmental and
atmospheric ones, generating indicators at the service of regions economy.
It should also be made a more effcient use of the existing knowledge in
the University of the Algarve, as well as the professionals who daily are in
contact with the sea.
I Like This-Is the local government will consistent with the prize
awarded? How was it accepted within the government?
Antnio Lima-With a practical and pragmatic approach the implement of
these recommendations can and should be translated into real projects,
making the city of Faro and the Algarve region global benchmarks in
Europe and worldwide.
I Like This-Is Faro the frst Portuguese city selected in the IBM project?
Antnio Lima-Faro was so far the only Portuguese city selected for the
IBM Smarter Cities Challenge. Being in Europe selected only 15 over the
past three years: Mlaga, Stravanger, Bucharest, Eindhoven, Glasgow,
Birmingham, Nice, Helsinki, Katowici, Dortmund, Belfast, Copenhagen,
Lodz, Faro and Syracuse.
I LIKE THIS
SMART CITY PROJECT DEVELOPED IN FARO
FARO DISTINGUISHED AS THE FIRST
PORTUGUESE SMART CITY
I
n the context of the contest sponsored by IBM, the city of Faro was elected the frst
Portuguese smart city. The Smart Cities Challenge is a global competition that aims
to provide consulting expert support in order to set guidelines for making cities more
effective and smart.
I Like This Magazine interviewed Rogrio Bacalhau, Mayor of Faro who explained the
project and the advantages inherent to this distinction.
I Like This-In what context did the opportunity of application of Faro to Smart
Cities Challenge appear?
Rogrio Bacalhau-It is important to start by clarifying that this IBM Smart Cities
Challenge is a worldwide competition for cities capable of submitting innovative
projects of action in order to beneft from high-level consultancy by IBM experts who,
after a period working in the town itself, present a report with recommendations
for the future.
47 47