Technology for smarter cities

Sajjad Ahmad, Deputy Business Editor

New technologies and approaches are needed for the smarter and sustainable global cities, it was revealed during a conference at Sweden Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai on Tuesday.

The event was hosted by the Axis Communications, the global leader in security and surveillance technologies, and was attended by top technology experts.

As part of its participation in Expo 2020,  Axis Communications is hosting six high-impact technology conferences during the Expo.

The first Axis conference titled ‘Share in the discovery of smart cities’ took place on Tuesday and discussed how the organisation enables cities worldwide to evolve from safe to smart through its innovative cameras, Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, and surveillance analytics. During the conference officials from Axis discussed new strategies and presented solutions for the more safe and sustainable cities. Given the company’s Swedish roots, Axis is an official partner of the Sweden Pavilion in the event’s Sustainability District.

Axis empowers governments and businesses to understand, manage, and enhance three key areas of urban life: public safety, urban mobility, and environmental monitoring. These three areas were the focus of the event, and attendees learned how to transform urban life, ultimately creating better cities to live in.

Covering topics that range from artificial intelligence for a smarter, safer tomorrow to securing the 5G era, the Axis team presenting these dynamic events at the Sweden Pavilion in the event’s Sustainability District in Dubai. Participants can expect to be inspired and engaged as Axis experts discussed key industry trends that are shaping our world and showcased powerful solutions for smarter, safer, and more sustainable cities.

Arif Al Janahi, Director of Operations and Security Services at the Security Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA) in the UAE was also among the speakers at the event.

He highlighted the efforts made by the UAE government in the recent past in adopting latest technologies to make its cities smarter and sustainable.

Ettiene van der Watt, Regional Director - Middle East & Africa at Axis, and Marcus Filipsson, Axis Director of Special Marketing Projects, opened the conference. They were joined by Andrea Sorri, the company’s Segment Development Manager of Smart Cities, who discussed making cities more liveable, securing their reputation, and investing in future-proof solutions. Sorri and prominent guest speakers also highlighted how using technology and data to protect residents, ensuring that citizens can move freely, and helping cities grow and develop while taking environmental impact into account.

Sienna Dzanic, Axis Global Enterprise Marketing Manager, then touched on the importance of smart buildings and their impact on quality of life and sustainability plans. Andrea Sorri and Tertius Wolfaardt, the company’s Architecture and Engineering Manager, concluded the event with a presentation on the camera as a powerful sensor and an ecosystem of opportunities.

“The decisions we make today can either help or hinder our future generations, so we need to be more proactive and strategic in our actions if we are to create better cities to live in and a better future of our planet. With that in mind, we planned our technology conferences to align with like-minded partners and align on government visions to build a smarter, safer world. Axis is proud to be part of the solution, and we hope you’ll join us at Expo 2020 to explore opportunities for positive change and growth,” commented van der Watt.  

The theme of the Sweden Pavilion is ‘Co-creation for Innovation’, and as part of this, Axis on Tuesday hold a press conference and highlighted the strategies to make cities more innovative and secure.

The company also presented solutions for smart cities, where the combination of technology and data allows authorities to understand and manage key areas of urban life, helping city authorities ensure community safety while also meeting their sustainability goals.

With smarter and safer cities as a goal for many countries in the Middle East, local governments are driving the increased adoption of IP-based security and surveillance solutions. With its extensive portfolio of innovative products and services, and collaboration with key government entities, Axis is playing a crucial role in advancing smart city agendas across the region. The company’s open platform also allows for easy integration between many different technologies and IoT devices on a single platform, which helps mitigate one of the major challenges in smart city projects.

Peter Lindström, Executive Vice President, Head of Sales at Axis Communications said earlier: “Given the global pandemic, the postponement of Expo 2020 was absolutely the right decision, but doesn’t lessen our enthusiasm for representing Sweden as a leader in the creation of technology that makes the world a safer and smarter place. We’re particularly pleased to be part of the Expo’s Sustainability District, which continues to be a critical focus for governments and citizens across the planet.”

The Sweden Pavilion is one of the single largest export promotion activities being planned by the Swedish government in the coming years. Besides participating in the exhibition by displaying Axis network solutions for improved security, Axis also responsible for video surveillance, access control and intercoms, as part of the broader security infrastructure, for the Sweden Pavilion.

Ettiene Van Der Watt added: “Governments in the Middle East have been proactively driving the technological advancement agenda in order to provide better citizen and resident services and experiences, and the quick recovery of the region from lockdown is testament to this. Technology like ours has played a crucial role in minimising the disruption caused by the pandemic and has helped governments and businesses manage, regulate, assess, and contribute to public safety and ensure business continuity”. “Expo 2020 — and the focus on sustainability, mobility and opportunity — is a perfect opportunity for the region to showcase several of these innovations. For our part, we are thrilled and honoured to be able to contribute to the event and show the world how Axis is supporting governments in the region and across the world build more sustainable, smarter cities.”

Over the course of the six months, Axis is hosting six high-impact events focused on the themes of     Smart Cities - Dependable technology for a changing world, Artificial Intelligence for a smarter and safer Tomorrow, Technologies for a sustainable future,Securing the 5G era, The power of partnership and Quality & Cybersecurity as a pillar for surveillance.

Axis enables a smarter and safer world by creating network solutions that provide insights for improving security and new ways of doing business. As the industry leader in network video, Axis offers products and services for video surveillance and analytics, access control, intercom and audio systems. Axis has more than 3,800 dedicated employees in over 50 countries and collaborates with partners worldwide to deliver customer solutions. Axis was founded in 1984 and has its headquarters in Lund, Sweden.  As the industry leader in network solutions that enable a smarter and safer world, Axis is proud to be part of the World Expo 2020 in Dubai from 1 October 2021 - 31 March 2022.