Tag: smart city

Islands, like other communities, are working to create effective and sustainable transport linkages. But they are subject to unique challenges, as they are often highly dependent on external transport linkages. Technologies such as digital twins, artificial intelligence (AI), edge and cloud computing, and open data can help islands ameliorate these challenges.

In this post, learn use cases for digital twins, plus how to create an open-source digital twin sample front-end application built with AWS Amplify, Amazon Cognito, and AWS IoT Core that you can use as a starting point for building efficient, scalable, and secure digital twin solutions.

Ports and marinas are important catalysts for economic growth, tourism, and employment. Increasingly, they are also hubs for renewable energy and the blue economy. Islands can serve as test beds for transforming ports and marinas. Learn how some European islands are using cloud technology to create innovative new solutions to manage their ports and marinas.

A new geopolitical and energy market reality has accelerated momentum for the green transition. But there is one geography for which energy is a perennial challenge: islands. Islands have always sought to create a sustainable environment for their populations and have had to use ingenuity, collaboration, and civic will to make it happen—and often by using innovative technology. In this way, islands can be viewed as living laboratories of what could be scaled up for mainland communities. As the world responds to the energy crisis, islands can show a path for overcoming energy challenges.

AWS is leading a pilot project to turn the Greek island of Naxos in the Aegean Sea into a smart island. Designed in collaboration with 20 Greek and international companies, the Smart Island project was developed with the support of the Greek government, local authorities, and the US Embassy. The project will leverage advanced AWS Cloud technologies, and will introduce smart solutions for mobility, primary healthcare, and the transport of goods, such as vessel monitoring and reporting from a coastline tower, and the delivery of blood samples and medical supplies via drone.

AWS recently announced the global launch of the AWS Smart City Competency Program. Today, as governments and city leaders look to shape cities of the future, they are actively looking to meet citizen needs for smarter and more innovative urban services. The new AWS Smart City Competency Program will deliver proven partner recommendations to AWS customers and partner community to help them build and deploy innovative smart city solutions. As cities explore ways to digitally transform, there are a few key things to consider.

As consumption of materials continues to increase and competition for natural resources grows, building sustainable and resilient infrastructure is crucial in the fight against climate change. This is why AWS is launching the next AWS Sustainable Cities Accelerator cohort with a focus on infrastructure. The program empowers startups and leadership in the space to define, grow, and scale the cutting-edge solutions needed to solve today’s biggest infrastructure challenges. 

In 2020, the City of Fort St. John in British Columbia began searching for innovative solutions to make life more simple for its young population. City staff wanted to better serve residents in ways that would suit their busy, digitally connected lifestyles. So the city worked with Cocoflo, a smart cities technology company, to implement a digital solution that could make municipal information and services more accessible through their SmartLiving portal—powered by AWS.

Earlier this week, I was thrilled to host my first AWS Public Sector Partner Forum in advance of the AWS Summit Washington, DC. It was a wonderful opportunity to speak directly to AWS Partners about our journey together, share some exciting announcements, and have a conversation with other AWS leaders. Here are some highlights.

AWS is pleased to officially announce the innovative startups chosen to participate in the AWS Sustainable Cities Accelerator. These selected startups are developing groundbreaking solutions to help cities address sustainability challenges, like tackling traffic analysis, smart internet of things (IoT) lampposts, and much more. AWS launched the Sustainable Cities Accelerator program in March to help address the crucial need for innovation and collaborative solutions to address global climate and clean tech challenges. The 12 finalists in the cohort originate from four countries across North America, Latin America, and Europe, and represent a wide-range of innovative sustainable solutions.