Preventing traffic accidents, flooding and copper cables from being stolen in one fell swoop may sound improbable but Pančevo, a city near Serbia’s capital, is hoping to have accomplished just that.   

What’s made this possible? 

Pančevo has embarked on a venture to become one of the country’s first smart cities, with an end goal of improving quality of life for local citizens through efficiency and sustainability gains. 

Systems integrator 

As the systems integrator, G4S Serbia played a key role in this exciting project. In short, this required the company to design and procure solutions for three specific problems the city was trying to address after being awarded a public tender. 

To help make its designs feasible it chose to partner with Bitgear, a Serbian startup that specialises in sensors for a range of uses.

Integrated Electronic Security Systems Engineer Vladimir Ilic, who worked on this contract from the start, says G4S’s involvement in smart cities is a natural progression for the company given its experience in delivering electronic security systems, which also centre on technology and data. 

Flood prevention

Flooding is one of the three issues that officials were keen to address given the city’s antiquated drainage system and its close proximity to a major river. Bitgear sensors were installed around the city to monitor water levels which set off an alarm once a certain threshold is reached, enabling blockages to be dealt with in a timely fashion.

The sensors are also capable of detecting when manhole covers have been opened, helping stop the theft of copper and fibre optic cables. Vladimir says: “The theft of cables can be costly for telecom companies to replace; thieves can steal as much as 1km of cables if a street is that long. It causes significant service disruption to customers too.”

Smart traffic solutions

Downtown, G4S has implemented a smart traffic solution at one of the city’s busiest road crossings to help prevent road traffic incidents. It is linked up with the local police database allowing automated tickets to be issued to drivers that run a red light or are speeding.

Elsewhere at two well-known traffic accident blackspots, sensors capable of measuring the microclimate have been activated. The ground temperature is then displayed and, depending on the conditions, drivers are encouraged to slow down. At a later date, sensors will be added which can measure air quality and pollution rates. 

Privacy concerns

While the benefits of smart cities are evident by what’s been achieved in Pančevo, the concept has its critics, not least around privacy concerns and the collection of big data.

In response to this, Vladimir says: “Most of the equipment we’ve installed are sensors. Where we are using video, the cameras have been carefully positioned to monitor traffic violations and not to identify individuals. We are also prohibited from using any facial recognition technology.”

He continues: “Another key benefit of smart cities is that real-time, complex data can be easily collected without the need for a data analytics team. The benefits can be fully assessed.”

Future smart solutions

Vladimir and the team believe these solutions could easily be replicated in other cities and are exploring what else can be implemented in Pančevo as it continues its transformation into a fully fledged smart city. Initial ideas include installing information kiosks across the city to help visitors find the nearest pharmacy or hotel, for example, as well as displaying which trails are open for walking in the nearby mountains.

Explaining why G4S is an ideal partner for this type of project, Vladimir says: “We are a one-stop shop covering all needs. As well as being a systems integrator, we can screen alarms into our control room should the customer want this, and provide patrol and response if needed.”