At the “Forum PA 2010”, Telecom Italia has presented new services for Information & Communication Technology specially designed for central and local branches of the civil service. They include innovative “Smart Town” solutions for the digitalisation of processes for territorial management, environmental safety, the computerisation of schools, the automation of buildings and real time communication to the public. The items also include integrated platforms for entertainment and remote teaching in hospitals, increased efficiency in healthcare processes and new generation service for remote healthcare, tourism and dematerialisation.
The Smart Town services have been developed in collaboration with the ISOF-National Research Council of Bologna and designed to be provided on demand through the Telecom Italia Data Center. For data transmission, they exploit the public lighting network and new generation transmission techniques, without the need for installing new cables.
In particular, in the Smart Town range, Telecom Italia has presented for the first time, at the Forum, the prototype of the Smart Environment service. The solution, dedicated to the central and local branches of the civil service, is designed to monitor various environmental parameters, for example the local pressure and temperature conditions, the humidity rate, or the level of noise pollution, gas leaks, fires, water leaks, the level of urban waste or the structural conditions of public infrastructures such as bridges or viaducts. The Smart Environment service is based on the Smart Town platform, installed at the Telecom Italia Data Centers or at the client’s location, and on the use of public lighting facilities integrated with telecommunications networks, as well as new generation sensors. These sensors, installed near lamp posts, send the recorded data through the electricity network to which they are connected, with transmission to the Smart Town platform where the data is displayed. The Smart Environment service uses sensors with low energy consumption, equipped with a radio communications interface allowing for the further extension of the range of actions provided by the power lines and utilises the transmission capacity of Power Line Communication (PLC) without the need to install new cables.
The other innovations presented included Smart Parking, an innovative solution for the real time monitoring of the occupation of parking areas or reserved areas, also associating the place occupied with the license plates. In particular, through a control panel, a complete picture of parking place occupation is available, and any violations can be detected. The service utilises a network of new generation wireless sensors installed near the lamp posts. Through the power lines to which they are connected, the sensors transmit the data recorded to the Smart Town platform, and in particular to the component for the monitoring and checking of parking areas. The sensors used have low energy consumption, are simple to install and have batteries with a duration of over ten years.
In order to optimise communications between the municipal authorities and the public, Telecom Italia has developed the Smart Advertising service that uses electronic information panels, also connected to the public lighting system, and installed on streets near lamp posts. The service enables the municipal administration to provide real time, specific and information passers-by, updated and with differentiated contents, according to the geographical location, the time range and the public involved. The service is provided through advertising management section of the Smart Town platform, designed for the organisation on the contents to be broadcast. Administrators just enter the Smart Town portal, enter the user ID and password, click on the panels located in the areas of interest and insert the contents, both in text and multimedia format. Through the link with the broadband network and the public lighting system, the contents are displayed on the panels in real time. The Smart Advertising service can be used to transmit targeted advertising messages, news about traffic, useful public information and “mobile guide” services for tourism.
In order to respond to public needs for safety, Telecom Italia has developed the Smart Surveillance service, designed to monitor remote areas without having to send personnel, through the use of video cameras installed on the lamp posts and connected to the public lighting system. The data recorded are transmitted through the power lines to the server designed for the surveillance service of the Telecom Italia Smart Town system. The service is designed for real time display and recording of images using the existing public lighting system; the local authorities do not have to install any cable systems.
Internet connection by Wi-Fi hot spots in open spaces is provided by the Smart Communication service. This service involves the installation of Wi-Fi access points on the lamp posts in the public lighting system, thus exploiting the existing power lines to convey data via Power Line Communication (PLC) technology to the electric cabin where the xDSL connection is made.
The management of real estate can be undertaken by the Smart Building system, the innovative solution designed to check and monitor all the plant in the buildings. The service is based on the use of the existing power lines, to which the sensors and actuators are connected; the latter, through a control panel installed in the electric panel, exchange data with the central platform for building management, installed at the Telecom Italia Data Centers. The Smart Building service is designed, for example, for the management of alarm systems, the monitoring of lighting, video surveillance, the monitoring of energy consumption, the checking of lighting and the electricity load, and multimedia communication inside the buildings. The Smart Building solution is above all suited for buildings where masonry work is difficult to undertake, such as museums, historical buildings, hospital facilities and many buildings belonging to branches of the civil service.
The monitoring of power consumption adapted to environmental factors is also possible through the TI Green solution utilising wireless sensors, applicable in places where, for example, the power lines cannot be used. The sensors have low energy consumption and their operation is guaranteed for several years.
The computerisation of schools is provided by the innovative Smart School service consisting of PCs for the students, interactive blackboards connected to PCs, webcams and microphones for use in videoconferences, and by Smart School clients to record, file and consult the lessons held in the classrooms. In particular, the client Smart School, thanks to integrated interacting software, enables students to follow classroom lessons from a remote site and to interact with the class. The Smart School client is also web-based, and is compatible with the “Innovascuola” platform promoted by the Ministry of Education.
For hospital facilities, Telecom Italia has developed the Smart Hospital solution which integrates services for entertainment, remote teaching and management of clinical data on a single platform. The service consists of a touch screen terminal at the bedside enabling medical personnel to access a reserved area for the consultation of patient clinical documents and to enter therapies, while patients can access entertainment services such as television, films on demand and e-learning services. The Smart Hospital solution utilises the existing power lines and PLC connectivity technology, and Plastic Optical Fibres, both non-invasive and with zero electromagnetic impact; installation does not therefore require new wiring systems.
Among the new developments in the healthcare sector, Telecom Italia has presented for the first time, at the “Forum PA”, the “iClinic” for mobile medical records, an innovative application to be installed on iPhone and iPad terminals. These terminals can be used by hospital personnel to access on a mobile basis the medical records of patients also from outside hospitals, to make diagnosis, check and modify the therapies prescribed, and update data. The exchange of date is based on the HL7 standard HL7 is in compliance with the recommendations promoted by the IHE consortium for the interaction of healthcare information systems. Access to confidential medical data is secure, using (strong authentication functions.
Another product in the healthcare sector is the advanced version of the remote healthcare platform MyDoctor@Home, designed to forward patients’ clinical data on the network available (ADSL, GPRS/EDGE/UMTS, Wi-Fi, satellite), and is thus adaptable to any situation.
Telecom Italia also has solutions for the requirements in the General Medicine sector, which is currently being reorganised to offer more effective local management of the healthcare needs of the public through the platform Medical Open for collaboration and reservation of services.
In the tourism sector, Telecom Italia has presented e-Tourism, a mobile guide service usable from any type of multimedia terminal (mobile, smartphone or PDA). The solution enables users to receive information regarding locations of artistic interest or services, such as monuments, transport, restaurants and hotels in the area where the tourist is located. The service is made available thanks to the interaction of the user multimedia terminal, through mobile and Wi-Fi platforms, with the Telecom Italia application platforms. The information contents are provided with geographical referencing thanks to various locating systems (GPS, Wi-Fi, Mobile Network). Access to information is obtained by choosing a point of interest shown on a map to which contents of various types can be linked, e.g. videos, photos, text or audio files.
In order to respond to the dematerialisation requirements of the civil service and enterprises, Telecom Italia has presented the innovative ICT solution for Document Management provided on an “on demand” basis through the Telecom Italia Data Centers, this allowing the electronic filing and the handling of any type of document.
The service is integrated with the innovative Olitouch device by Olivetti. This is a touch screen terminal installed near the multi-functional scanner, equipped with software for the acquisition of paper documents. These are scanned, indexed by the assignment of keywords for easy reference, addition of a digital signature and finally storage in a central filing system.
The Document Management system enables greater efficiency in the management and distribution of document in their entire corporate lifecycle, with the reduction of time required for storage and easier search and recovery of information. In particular, the solution ensures that all the documents are memorised in a centralised facility, made available to numerous workstations and displayed or modified only by authorised users.
Rome, 17 May 2010
