2015 Smart City Summit and Expo opens in Taipei

2015-01-22

The 2015 Smart City Summit and Expo kicked off Jan. 20 at Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall, showcasing leading-edge solutions to an array of urban challenges.

“Taiwan is ready, willing and able to share its smart life experiences with the world,” Premier Mao Chi-kuo said at the opening ceremony. “Intelligent technology can help minimize resource consumption and ensure efficient energy use on the path to achieving sustainable global development.”

Involving more than 100 companies from Asia-Pacific, the four-day event comprises exhibits ranging from agriculture and disaster management to retail and transportation systems. In addition, the summit offers more than 20 forums for representatives from the private and public sectors to discuss the latest developments in readying cities to better meet the needs of residents in the 21st century.

Another highlight is the Taiwan smart city demonstration site where visitors can experience firsthand some of the groundbreaking practices used successfully around the country. These include an intelligent building designed by Advantech Co. Ltd. and energy-efficient factories operated by Tatung Co.

Now in its second year, the event is organized by Taipei Computer Association in conjunction with such outfits as state-run Institute for Information Industry and Industrial Technology Research Institute.

The smart city concept involves harnessing the potential of digital technology and big data to enhance the wellbeing of human beings while maintaining equilibrium with nature. It is widely embraced and promoted through a range of academic-, commercial- and government-backed initiatives, according to TCA.

A number of metropolises in Taiwan have won smart city awards. These include Hsinchu and New Taipei with Top7 Intelligent Community rankings in 2014, and Taipei and Taichung for Intelligent Community of the Year in 2006 and 2013, respectively.

“These honors serve as solid encouragement for the government in its efforts to take smart living from the city to national level,” Mao said. “We are committed to creating a smart Taiwan.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=226633&CtNode=413)