Minsait redesigns its Smart Cities offer to meet the challenges of covid-19

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our supranational institutions- the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the World Economic Forum, for example - have warned of the advent of a large-scale social, economic and health crisis whose effects will be felt across the globe. Citizens, companies and institutions alike are searching for ways to continue their activity amidst a difficult context, one in which drastic government-imposed restrictions on people’s movements have meant that digital tools are of extraordinary importance. Minsait, an Indra company, has identified the technologies and capabilities needed for the effective management of the current crisis, as well as for hastening recovery as the risk of epidemic dissipates.

Alberto Bernal, head of Smart Cities at Minsait, believes public institutions are presented with a unique opportunity where “technology, used properly, as we are seeing in this historic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, is proving to be a crucial tool to ensure business continuity and the normal path of society. The extraordinary progress made by Smart Cities solutions through the incorporation of technologies such as artificial intelligence and Big Data is going to allow us to be much better prepared, in the short and medium term, to face new crises, be they health, environmental, social or even economic in scope”.

If there in one thing experts have agreed on, it is that once the threat of the pandemic subsides, the rules of the game will have changed. We will have gone further in the digitalization of society and the economy in just a few months than we have in years. This will force companies to operate in an environment where technology will have crucial leverage for the viability of their business. Minsait has the solutions, knowledge and human team to not only deliver on the challenges derived from the coronavirus pandemic, but also to prepare institutions at the organizational, cultural and technological levels to face this new paradigm.

Minsait has redesigned its Smart Cities solutions with the aim of meeting the important challenges society is facing. The Resilience Manager solution - which forms part of the award-winning suite Onesait Government Cities - contains the following functionalities, among others:

Solutions for adapting services to the state of alarm

In the short term, using analysis of the vulnerability and adaptation of services to the population. A tool that can assess cities’ degree of risk to COVID-19 in order to put into practice mitigating and/or corrective measures with the suitable level of priority in accordance with the vulnerability of the population subject to the target area of study, providing for the prioritization of services such as waste collection and street cleaning, allocation of volunteers for the elderly (shopping and delivery of groceries), smart distribution of security forces, etc. All this through (among other developments) the analysis of standardized data sources (census and land registry) to obtain demographic insights in the different areas of study or the clusterization of urban areas according to the level of exposure and vulnerability, population segments, coverage of basic services, and risk of non-compliance with the state of alarm.

In the medium and long term, thanks to the improvement in early warning procedures through artificial intelligence mechanisms that enable the early detection and development of outbreaks sufficiently in advance, and ensuring basic services and assets through the simulation of the impact different containment measures would have on cities’ functioning and activity, their industries and businesses, as well as the provision and supply of essential items.

Healthcare coordination solutions

Through a system to support decision-making in real time for a fast, coordinated and integrated management of human and material resources and the patients of the Spanish Healthcare System, which will enable the streamlining of resources and improve the quality of the services provided.
All of this thanks to the integration of the information systems of all Healthcare Ministries in the Autonomous Communities, as well as the management systems of each of their hospitals, a global analysis of the availability of material resources, hospital beds and the occupancy rate of healthcare staff in the hospital system as a whole, the priority given to patient transfer between hospitals according to the availability of resources, expected hospital admissions and discharges, efficiency of transfers and the economic impact, plus the management of ambulances and other means of transporting patients and supplies.

Solutions for a digital public-private partnership model

Solutions focused on creating a national open data portal which will enable the loading of different datasets regarding the impact of the coronavirus to create an ecosystem of agents who can use the information for the purposes of drawing relevant conclusions, new analytical models, value-added applications, etc.

Furthermore, the development of a national and municipal platform able to establish relational and coordination models among different agents to implement social projects that will help alleviate the adverse effects of COVID-19 on citizens and the economy. All this through the integration of data on hospital assets to expedite the deployment of donations of healthcare equipment and material and other types of supportive initiatives: food delivery, medical staff accommodation, training and psychological support; a crowdfunding platform that provides support to projects at both the local and national level; and the integration of the principal payment gateways.

Solutions for reactivating the economy and employment

In the short term, focused on collaborative platforms with digital tourism content, which lead to greater competitiveness and efficiency of destinations and enhance the generation of offers and notifications suited to the user profile. All of this through the aggregation of an extensive catalog of digital tourism content on the various destinations, points of interest, tourist attractions, etc. for the consumption of third parties and for the purpose of promoting new tourist and cultural experiences, and contributing to facilitating the lockdown.

In the medium and long term, seeking smart and inclusive growth models using platforms that help to improve services and protect more disadvantaged groups that are enduring the economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis by means of recommendation engines related to employment vacancies, access to funding, aid and/or specific grants, etc.

More than 120 smart city management projects

Minsait is one of the few businesses on a global scale capable of providing a comprehensive package for Smart Cities, one which encompasses citizen services, transport and mobility, infrastructures and eco-energy, security and emergencies, and the implementation of an urban platform to integrate and manage the city’s information. The company has developed more than 120 projects worldwide in this field, which have resulted in a better quality of life for millions of people and a more efficient management of resources.

What is more, Minsait collaborates with Red.es and various Spanish city councils in the development of Smart Cities projects oriented toward the improvement of various vertical services through an integrated management. The company is also working on the deployment of its Smart Cities management platform in Antwerp and Helsinki, after having been chosen in Select for Cities, an important pre-commercial procurement (PCP) financed by the Horizon 2000 program of the European Union.

About Minsait

Minsait, an Indra company (www.minsait.com), is a leading firm in Digital Transformation Consultancy and Information Technologies in Spain and Latin America. Minsait possesses a high degree of specialization and knowledge of the sector, which it backs up with its high capability to integrate the core world with the digital world, its leadership in innovation and digital transformation, and its flexibility. In this way, it focuses its range of products and services on high-impact value propositions, based on end-to-end solutions, with a remarkable degree of segmentation. This enables it to achieve tangible impacts for its customers in every industry, with a transformational focus. Its capabilities and leadership are demonstrated in its product range, under the brand name Onesait, and its across-the-board range of services.

About Indra

Indra (www.indracompany.com) is one of the leading global technology and consulting companies and the technological partner for core business operations of its customers world-wide. It is a world-leader in providing proprietary solutions in specific segments in Transport and Defence markets, and a leading firm in Digital Transformation Consultancy and Information Technologies in Spain and Latin America through its affiliate Minsait. Its business model is based on a comprehensive range of proprietary products, with a high-value focus and with a high innovation component. In the 2019 financial year, Indra achieved revenue of €3.204 billion, with more than 49,000 employees, a local presence in 46 countries and business operations in over 140 countries.