Smart City Expo World Congress 2024

From November 5 to 7, the Fira de Barcelona will host the Smart City Expo World Congress, the world’s premier event for smart cities. This congress features both conference and exhibition spaces, where individuals and organizations involved in local governance will present innovative solutions in public policy and urban management technologies.

The Computer Vision Center (CVC) will again participate in this event. This year, coordinating the main demonstration at the Generalitat de Catalunya’s pavilion. Under the theme "VisionAIry Catalonia: looking after people" the Catalonia stand at the 14th edition of the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) will invite attendees to explore how computer vision, a revolutionary technology within artificial intelligence (AI), can enhance daily life, address both local and global challenges, and contribute to overall well-being. At the pavilion, visitors can also discover projects, services, and solutions from 20 Catalan digital companies supported by the Generalitat, as well as attend presentations and sessions held throughout the three-day event.

With this initiative, the Government of Catalonia aims to highlight its commitment to advanced digital technologies (ADT) as drivers of progress, economic growth, and tools for building a smarter, more sustainable, and inclusive society. Additionally, it seeks to promote small and medium enterprises, startups, and other digital innovation ecosystem players, enhancing the global visibility of their projects, products, and services.

A Visionary Catalonia Focused on People

Led by the Department of Business and Labor, the Catalonia stand (D50) will occupy over 600 square meters in Hall 3 of the exhibition center. The CVC is responsible for this year’s main demonstration, which through six audiovisual pieces, will showcase six innovative scenarios—CVC-developed case studies across various sectors in Catalonia. These examples illustrate the transformative power of computer vision, a technology that processes and interprets images to mimic human perception while optimizing processes and deriving insights from vast datasets.

Key areas of impact include:

• Culture: Preservation of historical and cultural heritage. Restoring and interpreting historical documents to deepen understanding of past societies.
• Environment: Smart biodiversity management. Detecting native wildlife through aerial imagery to support species conservation.
• Mobility: Autonomous driving in rural and remote areas. Enhancing connectivity in isolated regions like the Pyrenees to improve residents' quality of life.
• Health: Medical diagnostic support systems. Planning and assistance for bronchoscopy procedures to improve medical interventions and enable early disease detection.
• Safety: Drowning prevention in aquatic environments. Monitoring risk situations and providing lifesaving support to enhance beach safety.
• Sustainability: Smart waste management. Identifying overflowing waste containers to keep cities cleaner.

These case studies, driven by the CVC and supported by the Generalitat, have involved collaborations with several public and private entities across diverse fields, including Agents Rurals, i2CAT Foundation, SEAT, Volkswagen, the Center for Demographic Studies, the Department of Culture, the Network of Regional Archives, Bellvitge Hospital, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Josep Carreras Institute, Aporta, Barcelona City Council, TEB, Link, Urbasser, TT Ambiental, ACCIÓ, the Catalan Waste Agency, and Proactiva.

Through these initiatives, visitors will gain insight into the challenges that can be addressed, the innovative solutions that can be implemented, and the opportunities created by AI-powered computer vision technology—not only to improve quality of life but to redefine sustainability and efficiency in our environment.

Se you at Smart City Expo 2024 at Hall 3, stand D50!