métropole nice côte d’azur

DIGITAL INNOVATIONS

New technologies are the driving-

force behind an industrial and

urban revolution of unprecedented

scale that has overtaken us with

undreamt-of suddenness.

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur is reso-

lutely committed to this movement,

which is set to shape the future.

Just as humankind succeeded in ta-

ming fire in prehistoric times, here,

at Terra Amata, it must now learn to

master the new cycle of progress

set off by the internet and the wide

range of information and communi-

cation technologies.

We’ve been set a challenge.

And our Metropolitan area has

decided to take it up, making the

revolution underway a springboard

for its economic and urban develop-

ment.

The stakes at play are enormous:

jobs, the future of our ways of life,

and the safeguard of our environ-

ment.

We’ve been making steady pro-

gress towards this future since

2010, and Innovative City is there to

bear witness to our advances.

Today, we’re taking new, decisive

steps under the dual impetus of

the digital revolution and the energy

transition.

The Smart City taking rapid shape

on the Var Plain aims to achieve a

“zero carbon” footprint thanks to

renewable energies and digitization

of services and functions.

It’s in this conjunction between

energy and technological innovation

that the key to combating climate

change lies.

With 3,000 sensors currently in use,

Environmental Urban Monitoring is

at the heart of this strategy.

It will enable optimal management

of main urban functions through

data-processing and development

of communicating objects.

We have a driving force.

And we also have a laboratory.

Constructed in partnership with

a consortium of major industrial

concerns, the collaborative platform

we have created in the heart of Éco-

Vallée has no parallel anywhere in

France.

The Smart City Innovation Centre

brings together large companies,

start-ups, researchers, engineers

and students. A concentration of

energy, determination and brain-

power to anticipate and take new

paths, and imagine the products and

applications of tomorrow’s world.

Digital France is set to liberate the

forces of invention and productive-

ness, and in this regard Nice is for-

ging ahead on an ocean of all things

possible.

The city of tomorrow also means

mobility.

When the Nice tramway’s East-

West line goes into service in late

2018, it will mark the accomplish-

ment of a world-first technological

feat.

Thanks to an innovative ground-

based static recharge system that

takes just 20 seconds when trams

are at stops, and to the “Lithium

Capacitor” onboard energy storage

apparatus, electricity will be sup-

plied throughout the route with no

need for overhead lines.

Our area’s historical heritage will

be safe from harm and landscapes

protected.

It will be a life-size application,

whose advantages we can thank

the ongoing revolution for.

In a year when our stadium will be

hosting matches for Euro 2016,

another competition is being played

out at planetary level.

A match where fresh growth based

on intelligence and uninterrupted

innovation is at play, and one which

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur is pro-

viding itself with the means to win

alongside all the many talents that

wish to take part in this great adven-

ture, in communion with the world’s

other great cities.

It’s a race. It’s a test that requires endurance and speed. You have to run fast and go the distance.

The pace of innovations has never been sosustained in all of human history. Here we are,

carried forward in a whirlwind of inventions that are shaking up our ways of thinking and doing.

2

Christian ESTROSIPresident of the Métropole Nice Côte d’AzurPresident of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region

In the later years of the 19th century,

two events dedicated its determi-

nation to innovate in order to stay

ahead of its time and anticipate

change: the construction of the

Observatory – equipped in 1888 with

the world’s largest telescope! – and

a spatial planning campaign providing

facilities to accommodate winter

holidaymakers, those early pioneers

who contributed so much to the

rise of the Côte d’Azur, which has

since become a showcase for global

tourism.

The digital revolution taking place in

the heart of Métropole Nice Côte

d’Azur is one in a long line of major

facts that have forged its identity and

ensured its future. Tools may have

changed but the vision of a future to

be imagined and built remains the

same, to ensure the Metropolitan

area becomes a leading light in

tomorrow’s world, interconnected

and sustainable.

Its will to innovate has propelled Nice

to the forefront of the internatio-

nal scene, where the city is busy

carrying out one pilot experiment

after another: it was the first Euro-

pean city to deploy NFC technology

and the first city in France to adopt

a smart parking system. It won the

IBM “Smarter Cities Challenge”

- the only French city to obtain the

award - and the Juniper Research

Foundation ranks it as the world’s

4th smartest city in 2015, after Barce-

lona, New York and London… Good

company indeed!

The Metropolitan area and the

city of Nice have grounded their

governance on anticipation of their

inhabitants’ needs and the ability to

provide a year-round welcome to mil-

lions of visitors, bearing in mind that

Nice Côte d’Azur is France’s leading

airport after Paris. When decision-

making time came round, it was of

course necessary to take full account

of constraints arising from the

topographical characteristics of a site

which, magnificent and much envied

as it might be, is no less complex to

grasp and manage.

Its diversity makes the area ideal for

conducting experiments, as, in so

small an area, mid-elevation moun-

tains are no more than a stone’s

throw from the coast and ski resorts

– including one at over 2000 metres

above sea level – are only an hour

and a half’s drive from Promenade

des Anglais. Such topography, which

is the secret of the landscapes’

beauty, gives rise to a wide variety of

living environments within an equally

small area - a plethora of large and

small towns, villages overlooking the

coastline, isolated villages and ski

resorts.

A land of contrasts opening on to

other cities in the Mediterranean

Arc and partnering the Principality of

Monaco in exploration of the world

of innovation, Métropole Nice Côte

d’Azur boasts an equally diverse

population, an additional source of

cultural and material wealth. Here,

industrialists, startup founders,

researchers, students, shopkeepers,

farmers, fisherfolk, employees and

pensioners, families who have put

down roots in the Alpes-Maritimes

Departmental Council and tourists all

rub shoulders…

It’s not just the 300 days of sunshine

A sustainableinterconnected

Metropolitan area

Nice has always been a centre of technological evolution and economic revolution.

4

large-scale experiments, from which

the Metropolitan area’s inhabitants

are the first to benefit.

This brochure, which can hope to do

no more than skim the surface of the

many projects underway, presents

some of Métropole Nice Côte

d’Azur’s major development focuses

connected with digital innovation:

separate and remote management

of buildings’ (or even entire neigh-

bourhoods’) water and electri-

city consumption; optimization of

garbage collection through sensors

installed in containers and garbage

collection trucks equipped with GPS

systems; development of eHealth-

care so that patients suffering from

chronic illnesses or the effects of

old age can be monitored round the

clock, thanks to a patch equipped

with sensors analyzing vital parame-

ters in real time; and prevention of

natural risks and pollution through

24/7 analysis of data on watercourse

flows and air quality.

Beyond the purely technological

aspects, however cutting-edge they

may be, that remain the business of

specialists, researchers, industrialists

and technicians, the “Smart City”

or “Interconnected City” is a place

where users’ everyday lives are

made easier…without their being

aware of what is going on behind the

scenes.

The “Smart City” is a city where you

spend less because operating costs

are optimized and public manage-

ment is under control; where you

are warned individually in the event

of imminent risks; where household

shopping is easy as pie thanks to

contactless payment; where you can

imbibe culture by taking a stroll with

a personal “guide” hidden away in

your Smartphone; where you have

your hand on the city’s pulse; where

you get from here to there without

having to wait “blindly” for public

transport, or by selecting the route

with the least traffic, or again by

using shared vehicles.

The “Smart City” is a city managed

by analysis of data collected by

thousands of sensors installed in

buildings, alongside rivers and in

utility grids; by setup of fine-tuned

“management grids”; and by 3D

projections of future neighbourhoods

to better assess constraints and

anticipate solutions. These are only

examples. There are also many more

digital tools that foster respect for

the environment and prioritize the

human in us all by facilitating free

expression, dialogue between mana-

gers and the managed, sociability,

encounters and solidarity. Cyber-

spaces are set to become the new

social venues.

Like a return to the roots, to life’s

essentials, where human welfare

and the Earth are central to all

concerns and are taken full account

of by the actors and partners in a

digital revolution whose results are

anything but virtual.

6

a year – the tourists that flock here

also come for the extraordinarily

diverse heritages that make the

Metropolitan area an unparalleled

destination, as do its writers (Nice

possesses a Nobel Prizewinner and

an Academician!), painters (some of

the world’s most renowned names),

musicians and sculptors… a concen-

tration of know-how and knowledge

that contributes to eLearning and

eTourism development.

Naturally enough, the notion of

“Smart City” – i.e. the use of new

technologies to optimize knowledge

and management of the area so as

to better serve its inhabitants and

preserve the environment in all its

forms – has well and truly caught on.

And it has now become reality with

an invisible architecture but with

already palpable effects, whether

in optimizing the city’s operation or

improving of users’ everyday lives,

inhabitants and short stay visitors

alike.

The Metropolitan area and its

requirements demanded this “digital

explosion”, even though it was born

of political will: to the east, the histo-

ric hospital has become a benchmark

for development of treatments and

research; to the west, an extensive

area ideal for creation of the city

of the future, with development of

major projects underway.

Grand Arénas is set to become

an international business district

including a multimodal transport

hub and a 65,000-m2 Exhibition Park

connected to the airport by landsca-

ped throughways.

Nice Méridia is already well on the

way to becoming a full-fledged urban

technopolis devoted to technological

activities, research, training and pilot

experiments to build the Smart City.

These two projects go together to

form the bridgehead of the Var Plain

Operation of National Interest, which

consolidates the image of an inter-

connected, sustainable Metropolitan

area in which housing, green spaces,

stores and offices create a harmo-

nious whole with a varied population

– residents, students, researchers,

industrialists and visitors – taking

full advantage of its many digital

advances.

With these two hubs of innovation

showing the way, the whole area

and its entire population are now

reaping the benefits of the “Smart

City”.

A “Smart City” is a high-perfor-

mance entity where effective

problem-solving takes precedence

along with risk prevention. In this

case, it is being built with the help of

local policymakers as well as all the

industrial partners, all of them world

leaders in their fields.

Bosch, Cisco and Orange alike have

seen this diverse and internationally

renowned location as a godsent

opportunity to set up their “labo-

ratories of the future” to conduct

If governing (well) means anticipating,

it is all the more important to be in

possession of all the information

required to make the right forecasts!

In this particular case, managing (very

well) means collecting!

And as far as collection goes, the

Metropolitan area is well and truly

up to speed, with sensors installed

throughout the area and detailed

environmental information flowing in

from all quarters. Such information

enables management of the public

space in real time and on a “case by

case” basis, via 24 urban services or

applications.

Such is the case with real time traffic

forecast measurement, regulation

of public lighting intensity, high-

performance water distribution without

leakage, watering energy consumption

in social public and private buildings,

and optimized garbage collection – not

to forget detection of olfactory peaks

at water treatment plants, inside

outside poor air quality, pollinic peak

forecast or sound pollution by transport

infrastructures and construction sites,

night establishment terraces, school

canteen…

The earliest feedback, from Cagnes-

sur-Mer, which piloted the system in

2008, showed from 10 to 30% saving

on the public lighting bill, 10% less

spent on heating and air-conditioning in

public buildings, and 20% less leakage

along the water distribution grid!

These highly encouraging results in

2014 led to the launch of the new

experimental Var Plain project, with

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur installing

new sensors in a 3-year research and

development partnership with IBM,

Orange, Veolia and m2ocity. The first

experimental sector around Cagnes-

sur-Mer extended east to west, from

Cros-de-Cagnes to the Hippodrome

and northwards to the A8 freeway – a

total of 80 hectares for 120 sensors.

The experiment is now being

extended to the Var Plain, with close

to 3000 sensors and network units to

be installed from south to north across

162 hectares between the mouth of

the Var and Saint-Isidore, in the very

heart of the Operation of National

Interest. And that is not counting

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur’s fleet of

electric “laboratory” vehicles which

roam the area collecting environmental

and other data useful to decision-

makers. Information collected by

the noise observatory, France’s first

network of noise sensors, recognized

by ADEME (the French agency for

the environment and energy control)

and the Ministry of the Environment,

complements the continuous round of

data collection.

In short, a real connected conurbation

is taking shape between Cagnes-

sur-Mer, Saint-Laurent-du-Var and

Nice, along with, soon, many other

municipalities from Métropole Nice

Côte d’Azur.

In the final analysis, in addition to

savings made by local authorities and,

by extension, Métropole Nice Côte

d’Azur’s inhabitants, commitment

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur is developing a real-time management system adapted to the connected space and designed to promote

sustainable development and a particular art of living. Use of information transmitted by the 3000 environmental sensors

and grid units installed on 162 hectares to the west of Nice constitutes a unique experiment to this end.

8

Managing means collecting!

to an interconnected Metropolitan

area is improving the lives of all

those who make use of its services.

Private partners have put their trust

in the Metropolitan area’s capacity for

innovation and have chosen to lend

assistance to its local government

by sharing their know-how. They are

also contributing to the project to the

tune of 2,100,000 Euros, alongside

the Metropolitan area, which is

investing an equivalent sum in sensors

and communication and storage

infrastructures.

They are counting on the Metropolitan

“demonstrator” to trial new urban

services that might later be duplicated

elsewhere in France, Europe, and

worldwide. Each application must

therefore undergo detailed study of its

economic model. An ambitious project

that should finally result in job creation,

training, and location of start-ups and

seasoned enterprises.

A vision of what the future will hold

for the Metropolitan area’s inhabitants

awaits visitors as the “Smart City

Innovation Centre», a 300-m²

showroom at IMREDD (Mediterranean

Institute for Risk, the Environment

and Sustainable Development) on the

Var Plain, including an Environmental

Urban Monitoring system prefiguring

the city of tomorrow’s world. The

showroom also fosters cross-

fertilization of work on innovation

carried out by researchers and leading

industrial concerns on one and the

same site.

Such action on the Metropolitan area’s

part is unprecedented in France,

affording it unparalleled international

visibility.

A tenant at Résidence L’Alandier, a new building on Nice’s Les Moulins estate, can now look forward to getting his water and electricity bills without a single qualm – and for good reason! He has got into the habit of regularly consulting the portal enabling him to follow the evolution of his consumption in real time and taking any action that might be required to balance his lifestyle. Simple-to-read information is posted by the hour, day, week and month, enabling users to compare one year with another as well as see how things seem set to go up to the end of the current year… The pluses: a single click and he can translate the information into Euros! No more unpleasant surprises…

EVERYDAY LIFE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

It is a reality: our territory energy

architecture does not fit with

energy transition challenges,

i.e. the massive development

of local renewable energies and

the reduction of greenhouse gas

emissions. That is particularly true

for the electrical communication,

traditionally static and mono

directed, and which must evolve

today to new and essential

functions: self local consumption,

storage, real time management

of the demand, grading of the

investments.

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur and its

partners have sparked a genuine

revolution, enabled by the digital

resources in place and set to ensure

greater energy independence to an

area that currently only produces

10% of the electricity it consumes,

foster development of renewable

energy sources, and turn users

of metropolitan services into

“consumactor-producers” taking

positive action to reduce their

electricity bills and help preserve the

environment.

It is to this end that Métropole Nice

Côte d’Azur has made development

of Smart Grids a priority concern,

aiming to create autonomous

loops at district level and combine

all available energy sources,

geothermal, biomass and solar

alike, in an optimal mix. They also

enable improved management of

consumption on the part of private

individuals, companies and local

government, taking the measure of

their needs with regard to lighting,

heating and air-conditioning, hot

water, electric mobility, and so

on. The objective is clear enough:

improving energy efficiency by 27%

by 2030, knowing that buildings

are responsible for 40% of energy

consumption and 36% of carbon

gas emissions, according to a

European Union Study.

The experiment has never before

been tried in France and Éco-Vallée

is set to become a laboratory

for testing out the best ways of

achieving flexibility of production,

distribution and use of electricity.

A first stage is in hand in Carros

with ERDF as regards the Nice

Grid «smart solar energy district»,

where 11 businesses and 1 500

households have provided

themselves with new-generation

metres in order to consume better

and less by reducing or changing

the times of their electricity

consumption . This project will be

continued, through other places,

in the Nice Méridia SPD (Special

Planning District) and Grand Arénas,

assisted by some hundred local

start-ups under the impetus of Club

Smartgrid 06, managed by the CCI.

It is also all the ambition of the new

Flex Grid project carried by Regional

PACA council and Nice Côte d’Azur

and recently winner of the “Smart

Electrical Grids” government call for

projects. About half of the projects

of the Flex Grid file relate to Nice

Côte d’Azur, with in the centre of

gravity the Eco-Valley development,

according to the new Smart Grids

logic.

At the moment, as part of the City

Opt project carried by Nice Côte

d’Azur and EDF, 140 Nice families

already equipped with new Linky

electricity metres by ERDF use

a free digital tablet to assess the

impact of the way they consume

electricity, and receive alerts in real

time.

In all cases, users are the driving

force behind digital innovation and

energy transition, with improvement

of their living environment as their

goal.

Sustainable development, energy independence, savings on energy and lowering users’ energy bills are all achievable through a digital

(r)evolution in which local government departments act as innovators and private individuals as “consumactor-producers”.

10

Electricity:smart consumption!

This particular family living in the west of Nice is committed to participation in the City Opt testing and has chosen to lower its consumption of electricity between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to help reduce risks of blackouts due to wintertime peak-period consumption.Alerted by SMS or email, the family can take immediate action using the digital tablet provided free of charge by Europe and then view its eco-action’s impact at neighbourhood level. Three conditions for taking part in this pilot operation: you have to have an EDF subscription, a new-generation “Linky” metre and internet connection.And, of course, the desire to be a responsible “consumactor”!

EVERYDAY LIFE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Games in London, the probes

were tested out in Nice in 2013, on

the occasion of the Francophone

Games.

They enable measurement of

the basic parameters of a digital

footprint for water quality – active

chlorine, conductivity, temperature

and pressure – and an alert to

be sent out in the event of any

abnormal variation in values

measured.

The system is both a pollution

detector and a tool for gathering

information on water movement

within the grid.

And finally, through remote reading

of production, sectorization and

distribution metres, installation

of the new-generation water

metres first tested out in 2013

in six municipalities – Levens,

Saint-Martin-du-Var, Saint-Blaise,

Colomars, Castagniers and La

Roquette-sur-Var – will eventually

enable each subscriber to monitor

his/her consumption via Internet and

operators to pinpoint and quantify

water losses.

It will also be possible to alert

consumers by email or SMS in the

event of abnormal consumption.

This is a win-win system – for

local authorities, users and the

environment!

The 2,600 kilometres of drinking-

water distribution grids that

crisscross Métropole Nice Côte

d’Azur and its 49 municipalities

supply an area of dual contrasts

– topographical, first of all, with

its steep slopes and level plains;

and then demographic, with

low occupation rates in the High

Country, average in the Middle

Country and particularly high along

the coast.

In 2014, a total of almost 71,6 million

cubic metres of water were

required to meet inhabitants’ and

visitors’ needs… So-called surface

water for most Middle Country

and coastal needs (68%), and

underground water channelled

through a multitude of springs

in the High Country, with supply

by pumping or force of gravity

depending on distribution area…

Efforts towards optimization of

drinking-water grid performance

focus on day-to-day use, with

increased activity in seeking out

and repairing leaks, as well as

involving a targeted program of

water-grid replacement work (some

16,5 million Euros) invested in 2014

by the Metropolitan area and its

delegates) and implementation of

a drinking-water master plan that

should put the asset management

strategy on a long-term footing.

Three key actions are well worth

highlighting.

First of all sectorization, which

enables measurement of

drinking water distributed along

with measurement of water at

grid output (water billed). The

main sector is divided up into

homogenous sub-sectors (of 500-

3000 subscribers) each isolatable

through closing of valves or setup

of measurement devices (metres/

flowmetres). Such procedures

enable easier identification and

repair of “runaway” sectors without

penalizing all users. Monitoring

of sectorization loops ensures

improved knowledge of losses

and more accurate estimation of

volumes. Pre-localization is another,

complementary means of orienting

leak repair. This particular approach

consists in installing autonomous

noise sensors along the grid, which

record the noise it makes (given that

a leak generates continuous residual

noise).

Next comes use of energy-

autonomous “communicating

sensors”: KAPTA™ probes.

Launched at the 2010 Shanghai

World Expo and used at Wembley

Stadium for the 2012 Olympic

The area’s topographical diversity and demographic disparities make distribution of drinking water a yet more complex task. Technological

innovations are therefore essential to improved performance of a water grid whose construction dates back to the 1880s.

12

Water f lowsunder close watch

An abnormal drop in pressure in the Promenade des Anglais sector of the drinking-water distribution grid is recorded by smart sensors. The water-board duty officer receives an alert signalling the anomaly in real time. Further analysis of information collected leads him to suspect a leak at the corner of the Promenade and Rue Cronstadt. A maintenance team is forewarned and dispatched, able to take immediate action.

EVERYDAY LIFE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

By delegating the responsibility for

sanitation, hydraulics and rainwater

to Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur, the

49 member municipalities have

“bequeathed” it the management

of 1,400 kilometres of wastewater

network and approximately

600 kilometres of rainwater

network, installed with a total of

81 hydraulic measurement sites

with 21 pluviometres (permanent

self-monitoring and diagnosis

sites). Among other things, they

have also entrusted it with the

operation of 51 water-treatment

plants, 121 wastewater lift stations,

36 rainwater ones and 3 storm

sewers.

In total, the approximately

490,000 inhabitants connected to

the Metropolitan sanitation network

produce approximately 18,000 tonnes

of sludge a year (tonnes of dry

matter), with annual treatment of

approximately 58,000,000 m3 of

wastewater, taking all the area’s

water-treatment plants together!

Although incomplete, these highly

significant figures bear witness to

the size of the task to be accom-

plished in a field where disparate

versions of operating contracts

tend to pile up as, de facto, each

operator has their own system for

partial observation of the network.

Hence the obvious difficulty, (some

might even say impossibility) of

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur’s

centralizing data in real time. Such

dissipation prevents any overview

of how the network is operating

in general terms, coordination of

action, or rapid assessment of

critical levels of situations arising

during crisis episodes.

Inevitably, lack of data centralization

in one and the same system incurs

extra operating costs and slows

down intervention times.

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur’s

policy is based on two strategic

focuses: optimization through cen-

tralization of data on the existing

system’s operation, and moder-

nization of facilities in line with

environmental aims and obligations

regarding public safety.

The initiative’s success relies first

of all on the setup of an “industrial

supervisor” that automatically col-

lects measurements from self-mo-

nitoring permanent diagnosis sites

as well as from water-treatment

plants, wastewater lift stations

and storm sewers, enabling an

overview of raw data in real time

and alerts to be sent out in case of

an incident. This initial step in effi-

cient management of the service

is complemented by the use of

measurement processing and ana-

lysis software which, among other

things, monitors and validates the

mass of information collected and

calculates indicators of “hydro-

meteorological” contexts. The

software also boasts high archiving

capacity to help anticipate the

various scenarios liable to occur.

Last but by no means least

innovation-wise, this centralized

observation system is in interface

with a GIS (Geographic Information

System) enabling viewing of asset

data, with colorization of sections

of the sanitation network depen-

ding on flow, and of the various

hydraulic sites with regard to alerts

sent out in such cases as abnormal

overflows.

In the final analysis, in addition to

better management of costs, the

“industrial supervisor” will improve

reactiveness and so has a direct

positive influence on citizens’

safety by anticipating flood risks

and possible harm to the environ-

ment by pollution.

The service Management is optimized by centralizing information, enabling processing of all information in real time and providing an

overview of sanitation systems in operation: the “general supervisor” is the tool of the future!

14

Sanitation: a super-collector…

of data

How best to manage garbage

is one of key concern to all

municipalities. With close to

550,000 inhabitants and over

5 million visitors a year, Métropole

Nice Côte d’Azur is faced with

a real challenge: processing the

359,000 or so tonnes of household

and similar waste collected every

year…

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur aims

to reduce volumes collected and

processing costs alike, which

means acting first of all on users’

behaviour and secondly on the way

the service operates.

Educational action carried out in

the field – posters, awareness-

raising campaigns, talks to school

groups, inhabitant satisfaction

with immediate responses to

appointment requests for special

removals, etc. – has shown

interesting outcomes : with 2.3%

less household waste to process,

the trend is towards reduction.

In parallel, selective collection

– packaging and paper – has

progressed by 10% in the centre of

Nice following diagnostics on the

buildings waste management.

The Metropolitan area is also fully

committed to the technical aspects

of collection: developments in

digital technology enable a smart

approach to management of

rounds, with 61,000 wheelie bins

equipped with electronic chips

acting as “mineralogical number

plates”.

With the help of portable terminals,

garbage disposal officers can signal

any problems requiring attention

– defective lids, bins that need

washing or replacing, etc. – in

real time, so enabling rapid action

to be taken. Similarly, using their

on-board GPS systems, garbage

truck drivers can take note of and

transmit any anomalies they come

across on their rounds (dumping of

bulky items, obstructive parking,

etc.). Optimization of collection

guarantees efficiency and safety.

In addition, sensors have been

installed in sorting containers in the

municipalities of Nice and Cagnes-

sur-Mer. Remote interrogation

informs drivers whether or not

containers are full, so eliminating

unnecessary toing-and-froing on

the part of their trucks.

Management of collection via

on-board digital systems enables

optimization of rounds and

payment of service-providers

for services actually carried out,

rather than by flat rate. Results are

telling: the cost of collection and

management of bins has fallen by

a million Euros.

Optimization has been furthered

by equipping 115 state-controlled

garbage collection trucks and,

vehicles responsible for picking

up bulky items, with on-board

GPS systems. Besides enabling

correction of anomalies observed

during rounds and management of

volumes of garbage per vehicle and

automatic sending of appointments

registered by the «Allo Mairies»

call centre so as to rebalance

itineraries where necessary, the

system enables assessment of

drivers’ levels of ecodriving while

monitoring fuel consumption and

details of activity.

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur is committed to achieving top-quality performance in processing the 372,000 tonnes of household waste

collected every year. Two objectives: a cleaner environment and lower costs. Two axes of success: education and digital technology.

16

Hi-Tech collection!

There is not a single garbage-truck driver who does not keep an informed eye on his surroundings as he makes his daily rounds! Above all because he no longer has to be back at the garage in order to report his observations. These days, as he makes his way through the streets, he can use his GPS to signal broken bins in need of replacement, and dumping – and ensure immediate action is taken. But what he appreciates more than anything are the level sensors installed in containers, enabling him to organize “selective rounds” and only visit full bins. Gains in time, efficiency and cleanliness …!

EVERYDAY LIFE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Who would have predicted it?

Not that many people (except of

course the project’s initiators) if the

truth be told, as Côte d’Azur travel

habits appeared well and truly

rooted in long-established custom

dictated by a topography seemingly

ill-adapted to other means of

transport than the automobile!

And then Vélobleu bikes appeared

on the scene for all to use. A local

revolution, it has to be said, that

took no time at all to win over the

populace and which, seven years

on, is rallying increasing numbers

of followers to its cause.

The service now has around

16,000 subscribers, 2/3 of them by

the year, with some 1,700,000 rentals

anually. Currently, 1,750 bikes

and 175 stations are at the

public’s disposal across the three

Metropolitan municipalities – Nice,

Saint-Laurent-du-Var and Cagnes-

sur-Mer – which elected to develop

the Vélobleu service, with some

8,500,000 km pedaled by the

end of 2015… the equivalent of

1,219,620 times the length of

Promenade des Anglais, and, most

importantly, 999 fewer metric tons

of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere

than would have resulted from

equivalent use of private cars. The

Auto Bleue service has also helped

put the private car’s monopoly in

serious danger, making shared

electric vehicles available across

nine Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur

municipalities: Nice, Cagnes-

sur-Mer, Saint-Laurent-du-Var,

Vence, Colomars, Carros, La

Trinité, Beaulieu-sur-Mer and

Villefranche-sur-Mer. At present,

a total of 200 vehicles divided up

among 68 stations are available

to the scheme’s 9,500 and rising

members. With close to

5,000,000 km travelled by Auto

Bleue subscribers, the gain

in terms of energy savings

and reduction of greenhouse

gas emissions is a significant

one considering that 30% of

such emissions are caused by

automobiles. According to ADEME

(the French Environment and

Energy Management Agency)

calculations, use of one shared

electric car replaces between 4 and

8 private vehicles.

Beyond simple use of means

of transport at the cutting edge

of technology, the many other

virtues of these new ways of

getting about – the most visible

and popular symbols of cities

fostering sustainable development

and eco-citizenship – should also

be borne in mind: car-sharing and

freely available bikes do away with

the anxieties of finding somewhere

to park and the stress of always

having to be at the wheel yourself,

encouraging citizens to try such

alternatives as public transport,

rediscover the joys of walking,

reconsider how best to go about

their comings and goings, and find

new ways of viewing their everyday

lives and the city they live in – in other

words, giving them the chance to

rediscover the forgotten delights

of companionship, solidarity and

sharing, values somewhat ill-used

by the trepidations of contemporary

life. Here again, properly thought-

out use of new technologies

provides the best of life as lived

today and in days gone by, giving

back meaning to the notion of

“living well together”.

Since Vélobleu bikes went into service in 2009, users have clocked up the equivalent of 11 return journeys…from the Earth to the Moon!

Nor does the Auto Bleue service launched in 2011 lack fans, with statistics constantly on the rise over the past few years.

A glance at an eco-civic practice now fully integrated into Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur inhabitants’ daily lives.

18 Get about in blue… it’s better!

Actions should be centralized so

as to avoid dispersion, repetition,

unnecessary costs and so on -

which has not been the case in the

past. So near yet so far away…

The GECOPE-NCA (Gestion Et

Conservation des Ouvrages

Portuaires et leur Environnement-

Nice Côte d’Azur – Management

and Maintenance of Port Facilities

and their Environment) research

program is set to optimize use

of these sites in every sense.

An innovative software package

serving as a true collaborative

platform for the Métropole Nice

Côte d’Azur’s 7 ports, it is the

result of collaboration between the

latter and ACCOAST, an innovative

young company specializing in

preservation of port heritage and

itself working with NETISYS, a Nice

SME specializing in publication of

facility management software.

The project is all the more

welcome as port facilities – quays,

embankments, pontoons, seawalls,

networks of various kinds,

connections, access, anchorages,

etc. – require continually increasing

maintenance as the years go by. In

addition, protection and promotion

of the environment – on land

and at sea, from embellishment

of surrounding areas to waste

collection at sea – are now more

than ever local government

priorities.

While taking full account of the

specificities of each site, as

well as of habits born of special

expertise, the GECOPE software

package enables harmonization

of monitoring methodologies,

access to documentary resources,

action planning, etc. with the aim

of sharing data collected between

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur and

port delegates. All parties involved

will therefore have the same

amount of information available to

rationalize, mutualize and optimize

management; although operating

methods may vary, problems are

most often the same.

Hence the importance of

centralizing data and comparing

analyses, which enable drafting

of multiyear maintenance

action plans, organization of

environmental monitoring,

preservation of maritime heritage,

and anticipation of budget

implications, mainly in periods of

restraint.

To sum up, GECOPE:

- enables collection of information

on historical events that have

impacted the life of ports; GECOPE

acts as the memory of port areas;

- enables creation of a dashboard of

action taken;

- serves as a forecasting

tool, essential for technical,

organizational and budgetary

prevention and anticipation;

- establishes a shared information

base where all contacts are

recorded and accessible at any

time;

- enables optimization of

environmental management

of sites by collecting data on

consumption of fluids, analysis of

water, etc.

A multidisciplinary, multisite

management tool designed

to facilitate exchanges and

rationalize actions bearing on

maritime heritage surveillance and

protection, GECOPE also innovates

by favoring access to information,

in particular via a mobile version

providing access to all data while in

the field.

They are an essential part of the Côte d’Azur’s allure! Set in the hearts of its towns and almost indistinguishable from the rest of the urban

landscape or a little apart from urban centres, acting as gateways and landmarks, Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur’s ports – 7 in total, in Cap-d’Ail, Eze Silva Maris, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Beaulieu Fourmis, Saint-Jean-Cap-

Ferrat, Cros de Cagnes and Saint-Laurent-du-Var – all deserve our care, as regards both management and environment.

20

GECOPE, committing the ports to memory

On 3 October 2015, strong

precipitations generated

catastrophic floods in the west

of the department of the Alpes-

Maritimes.

As soon as it happened, inhabitants

were informed via Twitter that

nothing serious had occurred on

Nice City , given advice on what to

do, and asked not to overwhelm

local emergency service Centres

with phone calls!

In other words, the “Risques Nice”

Twitter account played its part to

the full, sending out the alert and

providing sound advice, just like the

Smartphone application “Risques

Nice”, already in service, enables

to alert citizen of the «Stormy»

weather vigilance by SMS.

With improvement of risk

prevention and safety still in

mind, Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur

expand a Hyper vision system in

relation with risks management -

in partnership with IBM - whose

main purpose is to centralize data

from the various sensors, warnings

and cameras installed across the

area to measure watercourses,

river flows and so on. Such data

is then crossed with results

obtained from mapping tools and

other information collected by all

departments concerned to make

decision making easier.

Following the Hyper vision system,

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur is set

to collaborate with a connected

world specialist in developping a

smart video surveillance system

for that capricious and always

unpredictable coastal river, the

Magnan. Once installed at strategic

location, the camera identifies

flotsam likely to impede water flow

upstream and measure the water

level in real time. The system also

enables more accurate forecasting

of floods by capturing any rise

in water levels on camera and

includes an anticipation model for

significant floods based on the

wave radar exploited in real time.

Informing and being informed in order to better manage crisis situations in an area subject to a range of natural risks – such is the

mission assigned to the City of Nice, which has come down in favour of digital innovation as a means of improving prevention and ensuring

public safety.

22

Preventing risksto limit their consequences

Avenue Sainte-Marguerite regulars just can’t believe their eyes! Last night’s storm has caused a dangerous landslide at the end of a bend in the road. A local resident grabs his Smartphone, connects to the “Risques Nice” app, identifies himself, signals his location via the geo-localization system and even takes a photo of the spot before sending his message. 2 hours later the site is secured, and the road is cleared by the end of the morning. End of problem! Once again, citizens themselves are the actors in ensuring their city’s safety.

EVERYDAY LIFE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

As the Côte d’Azur only produces

10% of the electricity it consumes,

the area is often prey to blackouts

– Hence the absolute necessity of

controlling energy consumption,

which also, happily enough, leads to

reduction of energy costs for local

authorities and consequently for

users.

The other effects of the new

system also represent significant

advances in ensuring buildings’

security and their users’ comfort

and safety. GTB enables collection

of all real-time data transmitted

by the 22,000 sensors so far

installed in 70 and 10 spots

equipped with ornamental lighting

(public gardens, amazing fronts of

buildings) of Métropole Nice Côte

d’Azur’s most energy-consuming

buildings. Eventually, a full 250 of

the Metropolitan and city of Nice

area’s 1,500 public buildings will be

equipped with a total of 100,000

sensors. By 2017, around 80% of

energy consumption will be under

GTB monitoring.

But monitoring and assessment

would not be much help without it

being possible to take remote action

on consumption by temporarily

reducing lighting intensity in public

spaces so as to take pressure off

the grid in the event of an alert or

unexpected overload.

Working in conjunction with Smart

Grids – those mini-grids that enable

sectored management of electricity

consumption as well as quantitative

and cost monitoring – GTB may

be regarded as the key tool of

the Smart City that is gradually

taking sustainable shape across

the Metropolitan area, from its

birthplace in Éco-Vallée to the east

of the city.

As an extension of GTB and Smart

Grid development, the City of Nice

and EDF have together to try out

an energy management system

baptized “Raptor” as part of the

“Efficient Energy in Provence-

Alpes-Côte d’Azur” project.

The experiment will focus on

Promenade des Anglais’ decorative

lighting.

The system uses a wireless

communication network to monitor

and record electricity metre load

curves, as well as enabling remote

management of installations via

GTB, optimizing electricity costs

connected with Promenade des

Anglais’ decorative lighting, and

immediate action to be taken in the

event of a main grid overload alert.

In addition, following the

partnership concluded with Robert

Bosch France under a research

and development agreement

for improvement of its risk

management system, the City

of Nice decided to acquire the

innovative “Climotion” solution to

ventilation optimization, for which

the company has an exclusive

patent.

This latter system is particularly well

suited to improving the operation of

two municipal establishments each

with its own special requirements:

• The contemporary extension to

the Matisse Museum, where major

artworks of considerable value

are on exhibition, whose proper

conservation demands stable and

carefully controlled temperature and

hydrometric conditions;

• Saint-François swimming pool,

whose architecture prevents air

from circulating easily, resulting in

users’ discomfort mainly due to high

humidity rates and a persistent smell

of chlorine. Apart from optimizing

operation and reducing consumption,

use of the technology in question

avoids having to replace existing

ventilation systems.

Tests are under development in

order to evaluate, on the basis of

scientific protocol, whole of the

profits as regards comfort as well

as the economies generated by this

equipment.

GTB (Gestion Technique Bâtimentaire = Centralized Technical Management [CTM]) is a new system for smart technical management of public buildings, optimizing operation and anticipating anomalies

and power failures while keeping down costs. The Metropolitan area’s biggest energy-guzzlers – the Promenade des Anglais, Saint-François

swimming pool, and the Matisse Museum – are at the heart of this technological step forward.

24

Managing light!

ERDF anticipates an electricity consumption peak one particularly cold winter evening and decides to alert the public buildings management staff so that precautionary action can be taken. A single click, following approval on the part of Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur’s President, and they switch off the ornamental lighting on Promenade des Anglais’ trees: 330 kWh are economized until the following night, when the Promenade is back in fully illuminated finery once more.

EVERYDAY LIFE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

• SPOT MAIRIE: with booths

enabling remote interaction

between users and municipal staff,

getting your papers in order and so

on is simple, and can be taken care

of in a few minutes while you are

out shopping!

The objective is to put public

services within immediate reach

of users. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Monday to Saturday, citizens

can carry out a whole range of

administrative procedures free

of charge with no appointment

required, by speaking “face-to-

face” with an onscreen call-Centre

operator…

In this digital era, no special skills

are required to open up a series of

virtual city-hall booths – a system

initiated by the City of Nice and

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur,

resulting from a partnership with

Cisco and adapted for use by “non-

geeks” and technophobes!

Although the concept is

technologically viable these days, it

needed someone to be bold enough

to step forward and propose this

unheard-of service encouraging

proximity and enabling immediate

face-to-face interaction between

citizens and local government

officers.

It was in 2013 that the first virtual

city-hall booth was installed – a

world preview! – at the Nice Étoile

shopping mall, for a year’s trial

period.

Its success with local inhabitants

led to the decision to continue the

experiment and extend it to other

strategic locations in the City of

Nice as well as widen the range of

services on offer.

Since 2015, a booth is installed at

Nice Saint-Isidore’s Leclerc Centre

mall in the west of the city. It is now

accessible to people with reduced

mobility and the deaf and hearing-

impaired, and provides real “VIP”

service as well a better perception

of public services on the part of

their users.

Whether it is a matter of civil

status, renewing your identity

card, enquiring about community

or cultural life, education, leisure

activities, event organization,

procedures to do with housing,

municipal sports activities or

whatever, there is no longer any

need to make the journey to city

hall or be forced to fall into line

with local government department

opening hours!

This new-generation high-

performance and highly innovative

service complements a service

that Nice’s and, more generally, the

Metropolitan area’s inhabitants as a

whole have enjoyed for some time

now: “Allo Mairies”, reachable

by dialling 39 06 or online at

3906@nicecotedazur.org.

• ALLO MAIRIES: dial 39 06 to

report any anomalies observed in

the public space (lighting, sanitation,

obstructions, garbage dumping,

etc.), as well as for any requests

relating to the City of Nice or the

Metropolitan area; Allo Mairies call

centre agents deal direct with the

800 to 1000 daily calls to the 39 06

switchboard or put them through to

the departments concerned.

Whatever the case, the City or

Metropolitan public authorities take

concrete action to ensure user

satisfaction.

• SERVICE BLEU: a service helping

Nice’s inhabitants become actors in

improving their living environment…

What citizen has not at some

point during his or her wanderings

through the city wanted to call up

city hall and report an anomaly

or malfunction, in a nutshell,

something not right in the public

environment – from pothole to off-

kilter lamppost, from a fallen branch

blocking the way to a burnt-out

bulb to a faulty automatic sprinkler

system? And above all, who has not

dreamt of their report being acted

on immediately or within 48 hours,

depending on the seriousness of

the matter in hand?

Well, the dream has come true in

Nice at least, with the introduction

of an application available from

Apple Store and Android that

enables downloaders to use their

Smartphone to report and geo-

locate any anomaly observed in

the public space, and even add an

explanatory photograph.

“Whistleblowers” are informed by

email of progress in rectifying the

anomalies they report and, the case

arising, of any problems delaying

completion of work. Getting about

in the heart of an interconnected

city also means favouring the

individual and human relations!

Beyond its positive impact on the

urban environment, Service Bleu

– which is also reachable by phone

at Allo Mairies by dialling 39 06 – is

a vector for user appropriation of

and consequent respect for the

public space.

26

Easy adminBenoît is a regular Service Bleu and Allo Mairies user and makes a habit of emailing or phoning 3906 to report small problems that could well become majorly detrimental to quality of life if left undealt with. A hole forming on Avenue Flirey, a large pothole on Chemin des Chênes Blancs, an unsteady lamppost in front of 52 Rue Théodore de Banville? It is reported…and quickly put right unless any unforeseen problems arise, and loyal “whistleblower” Benoît is informed. Service Bleu gets as many as 800 calls a month, with 90% of problems reported solved within 48 hours.

EVERYDAY LIFE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Who has never dreamt of having

a discreet guide on call as they

make their way around the city,

to whisper information in their

ear when desired - on a church’s

façade, Vieux-Nice’s masterpieces

of baroque art, works on exhibit at

the Modern and Contemporary Art

Museums, Promenade du Paillon’s

plant heritage, the botanical and

zoological wonders of Phoenix Park,

or the Matisse and perched villages

roads?

Who has never felt rising annoyance

as they wait “blindly” on the

sidewalk’s edge for a bus that seems

to take forever to arrive?

And who, not knowing quite

where they are, has never hoped

to be instantly handed a map of an

unfamiliar neighbourhood as they get

off at one of Nice’s 1,600 bus and

tram stops?

Use of new technologies is

widespread across Nice and the

Metropolitan area – to inform,

educate, and generally make

everyday life easier… effortlessly and

on demand, as long as you have a

Smartphone or NFC phone to hand.

NFC (Near Field Communication)

is a close-range communication

technology enabling exchange of

secured data between a reader and

a mobile terminal (Smartphone, NFC

phone or credit card for contactless

payments).

Phoenix Park was the first place to

use “Beacon” technology, which

may well be extended to other

sites given its low cost and high

level of performance. Beacons

are unobtrusive wireless sensors

installed in specific locations and able

to communicate with Smartphones

equipped with Bluetooth Low Energy

systems within a 20- to 30-metre

radius. A visitor’s location determines

what information he or she receives

in situ.

Once such interactive terminals are

installed, this could be indoors or

outdoors – in a museum or park for

example, to inform visitors in light-

hearted fashion, or in a store to guide

customers to the right shelves and

make payments without having to

wait at the cashier’s counter.

Inaugurated in July 2015, the

e-Calman application also rests on

beacons and offers an innovating

walking path making it possible

to discover the Promenade of the

Paillon in Nice. It was especially

carried out for the people suffering

from Alzheimer’s disease and their

assisting people. Through a quizz,

the user discovers his environment

and stimulates his memory.

So far, 2000 tags (NFC, QR Code

and Beacon terminals) have been

installed across the Metropolitan

area!

Paying for purchases without

having to struggle with a wallet

that refuses to leave your pocket or

search in vain for a purse lost in the

depths of your handbag! Without

leaving the store weighed down by

half a ton of small change! Even, in

the not too distant future, without

having to wait at the cashier’s desk,

now that “Beacon” technology is on

the way!… Strictly speaking, none

of this is exactly new in Nice, which

pioneered contactless payment.

In 2010, the city launched a range

of NFC services accessible via

users’ cellular phones and including

purchase and validation of public

transport tickets, Vélobleu and Auto

Bleue rentals, payment for services

supplied by local government

departments and in over

2000 stores (the number is going

up on a daily basis!), as well as a

“magic” multishop loyalty card

integrated into the phone. The range

has also always included access to

a selection of practical, cultural and

historical information.

The NFC system needs no

introduction these days. All you

have to do is put your Smartphone

or NFC credit card (on offer from

growing numbers of banks) up

to a terminal so that payment is

recorded. Easy, secure and no time

wasted! It is just a matter of the

action becoming a matter of course!

Not yet a matter of course, but well

on the way to being so in the United

States, is payment via the Beacon

system (from the name given

to the micro-sensors installed in

museums, parks and stores. Here,

all you do is use your Smartphone

equipped with a Bluetooth Low

Energy system to flash the barcode

of the item you want, recording

the transaction without having to

go anywhere near a cash register!

Watch out, though – your account is

debited all the same!

28

Cultur’code and live news flashes!

Go ahead… you’re all paid up!

Using a Smartphone or NFC phone, you can now get information on any treasures of urban heritage you might come across on your way across the city, as well as real-time updates on bus and tram

movements. And as for Phoenix Park – it is already well and truly in the ”Beacon” age as far as guiding visitors is concerned!

Consumers are well on the way to making contactless payment part of their everyday lives. A revolution long in the making, perhaps, but now

in full swing!

Bernard and Nicole are on holiday on the Côte d’Azur and have decided to leave their car at Le Rouret park-and-ride facility in thenorth of Nice and explore the city by tram and bus. First stop, Cours Saleya market. Using her Smartphone, Nicole snags the NFC tag on the bus shelter to obtain information on which line to take and the name of the right stop. In Vieux-Nice, the coupleget acquainted with the history of its monuments, view photos, listen to the audio guide… and discover the city as they stroll through it, just as easily as if they were accompanied by a real flesh-and-blood guide!

The Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur NFC’s project partners are: the City of Nice, Régie Lignes d’Azur, Nice Office of Trade and Crafts, and Nice Tourism and Congress Office.

EVERYDAY LIFE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Committed to the development of

digital innovation in the service of

healthcare, Métropole Nice Côte

d’Azur and the City of Nice chose

the east of the city as the location

for a sector with unparalleled

development prospects.

As a 2nd hub of the Metropolitan

area’s burgeoning economic

activity, the east of the city makes

a perfect complement to the Smart

City taking shape alongside the Var

in the heart of the Operation

of National Interest.

Nor was it simply by chance

that the eastside was selected;

here, Pasteur 2 (Nice’s new

university hospital centre), Antoine

Lacassagne Cancer Centre, the

Face and Neck Institute, Saint-

François and Saint-Luc Clinics,

major actors in the private sector

(Saint-Georges Clinic and Les

Sources private geriatric hospital),

Sainte-Marie Specialized Hospital

Centre, research centres (IRCAN)

and training institutes (university

hospital centre and Red Cross)

go to make up an embryonic

“European Healthcare City” all

set to make its appearance on the

world stage – a dozen or more

research, training and healthcare

establishments forming a unique

natural cluster.

Since 10 september, this cluster

includes a new building,

“27 Delvalle”managed by Nice

local authority, which houses

the “Living Lab PAILLON2020”

with the Health Innovation and

prospective department of Nice

local authority Health direction,

and which accommodates the head

office of FSE (FRANCE SILVER

ÉCO), the Centre d’Innovation en

Usages et en Santé (CIU-S

– Centre for Innovation and Usages

in Healthcare) and the Metropolitan

area’s healthcare incubator at the

European Centre for Businesses

and Innovation (ECBI).

“Living Lab Santé PAILLON2020”

is acting as an accelerator of new

solutions at the service of users. Its

strength lies in creation of a single

window facilitating comprehension

of the ecosystem on the part

of “ideas people” looking to

locate in the area, develop their

products, solutions and services,

and construct a new healthcare

model based on the population’s

wellbeing.

The Living Lab includes a

demonstration/simulation

apartment for the housebound,

designed to inform, raise

awareness, test and accompany

homecare or a return home

following hospitalization, as well

as train medical and socio-medical

professionals in NICT.

Such innovation focuses on

development of interconnected

systems, as well as on creation of

new healthcare pathways leading

to improved treatment of patients

and providing health professionals

with the opportunity to assimilate

new practices. Through its

business incubator, the ECBI,

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur hosts

start-ups developing innovative

projects for improving citizens’

health in everyday life, with a view

to preventing chronic diseases and

treating pathologies with no final

cure. There are 4 start-ups in the

business incubator at the moment.

30

eHealthcare: economy and wellness

27 rue Delvalle, in the East of the city, is the birthplace of an economic initiative devoted to “digital health and the silver economy”,

now making rapid headway at the service of innovation, territorial development, and the area’s inhabitants.

32

Among them, DV Santé

(Healthcare) offers an innovating

and fast service for patient care

support.

Using new information and

communication technologies,

DV Santé allows the optimization

of the patient city-hospital care,

while improving economic

efficiency to care structures, and

an unequalled quality of care for

the patient.

Another medical innovation

promoted by the CIU-S: the

VEADISTA (Veille à Distance

et Alerte Intelligente – remote

monitoring and smart alert)

project, which aims to develop

a technological solution for

remote monitoring of frail

patients. Certified by the Secured

Communication Solutions (SCS)

competitive cluster, the project is

being developed by Entr’ouvert,

at the head of an academic and

industrial consortium. Biomedical

sensors (recording temperature

and pulse) are attached to a

“patch” affixed to the patient.

Physiological data is disseminated

by reading devices using RFID

technology and transmitted to

health professionals, giving them

automatic remote warning of any

deterioration in a patient’s physical

condition.

The conditions to compete to the

IDEX/ISITE project enumerated by

the international IDEX jury - Initiative

of Excellence - extremely resemble

the axes of development chosen by

the Côte d’Azur University(1) (UCA), its

thirteen members and its five principal

partners, gathered under the following

name of candidacy: UCA - JEDI –

Joint, Excellent and Dynamic Initiative.

It was therefore with a sense of having

opted for the best possible path for

preparing the Côte d’Azur’s future

that the UCA, with key support from

companies and local government

bodies including Métropole Nice Côte

d’Azur’s, saw itself accepted into the

highly coveted IDEX “Investment for

the Future” Program.

The prize enables the University of

Côte d’Azur to further extend the field

of possibilities, with allocation of

€58 million over 4 years at the rate

of Euro Monospace 14.5 million/year,

which will be spent on research,

training and innovation on the Côte

d’Azur.

Founded in February 2015, the

University of Côte d’Azur, a community

of Alpes-Maritimes universities

and higher education institutions,

is concrete expression of the

determination to develop an ambitious

common research strategy, promote

knowledge and technology transfer

and increase its training offer.

The goal is to consolidate an institution

responsible for world-class research

and innovation, and increase its

international reputation.

Constructed around a trio of focuses

– healthcare, the challenges of digital

technology and the smart city (themes

also prioritized by Métropole Nice Côte

d’Azur) – the program serves to further

strengthen the excellent relations

between the Côte d’Azur’s academic

and economic worlds, each of which

nourishes the other.

In concrete terms, UCA - JEDI will

enable setup of special funds for

research and innovation, so attracting

top researchers and high-potential

doctoral students, creation of

high-level qualifications stemming

from each of its members’ fields

of expertise, provision of support

to entrepreneurship and setup of

companies, and development of

structured partnerships with the

industrial world and local government

bodies.

36% of IDEX financing will be devoted

to development of research activities,

25% to development of R&D and

technology transfer in partnership

with companies and the territory, and

25% to training. 9% will be allocated

to further improving international

attractiveness and student life.

With excellence, transdisciplinarity

and international attractiveness

as priority goals, the UCA aims to

create a new university model with a

worldwide reputation, recognized for

its innovative training offer and active

at the heart of a dynamic ecosystem

where traditional knowhow goes hand-

in-hand with digital intelligence.

Education, researchand innovation:

A solid gold distinction!“International visibility; maximum cooperation between universities,

schools of higher education and research bodies; major territorial coherence…”

(1) UCA founder-member institutions are: Nice-Sophia Antipolis University (UNS), Côte d’Azur Observatory (OCA), National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), National Institute for Information Technology and Automation Research (INRIA), SKEMA Business School, EDHEC Business School, Nice University Hospital Centre (CHU Nice) and an association of Art and Design schools: National Centre for Musical Creation (CIRM), La Villa Arson – National Higher School of Art, Higher School of Audiovisual Production (ESRA), the Sustainable Design School (SDS), Cannes Rosella Hightower Higher School of Dance and the Conservatoire National à Rayonnement Régional de Nice (CNRR).In addition to the UCA’s 13 members, the candidacy had the support of a number of high-prestige partners: INSERM, INRA, IRD, MINES ParisTech for its Sophia Antipolis site, and EURECOM.

34

Set in the heart of Métropole Nice

Côte d’Azur, the “Smart City”

is no longer an abstract concept

– the increasing numbers of

field experiments carried out are

already having a visible impact on

everyday life.

Sharing and innovation are the

keys to the Smart City’s success,

which can only be achieved

through close collaboration

between the worlds of research,

higher education and innovation.

The Mediterranean Institute for

Risk, Environment and Sustainable

Development (IMREDD) is

a perfect illustration of this

ambition. Developed jointly by

the Metropolitan area and Nice-

Sophia Antipolis University, the

institute’s mission is to motivate

collaboration between the

business and research worlds,

at the service of the territory and

professional integration of younger

generations.

Located in the heart of the

Var Plain, in Nice Méridia, it

has become a generator of

innovation, a centre for validation

of innovative ideas and products,

a space encouraging experiment,

technological demonstrations and

their practical applications, and a

centre for training the Metropolitan

area’s future managers and

engineers.

And finally, the link between

the Mediterranean Institute and

Nice-Sophia Antipolis University,

cornerstone of the future Eco-

Campus, stands as a model

example of a partnership between

a Metropolis and a University.

Besides, within the framework

of the scientific “Smart and

Sustainable Metropolis”

program, supporting Smart City

Development, Métropole Nice

Côte d’Azur decided to create the

“Smart City Innovation Centre”:

The Centre’s mission is to develop

collaboration between public

research laboratories, industrial

concerns, SMEs, and local

government.

With such closely knit smart

networking in place, the

Metropolitan area has become a

large-scale innovation laboratory

for development of the Smart City,

fostering collaboration between its

various public and private partners,

such as IBM, EDF, Orange and

Cisco. One example of a model

innovative collaboration is the data

and urban hyper vision platform,

subject of a 3-year research and

development program concluded

between IBM and Métropole Nice

Côte d’Azur. The program provides

the Metropolitan area with an

opportunity to create and possess

its own data warehouse, develop

its new services, and disseminate

digital solutions designed to

improve management of the area.

Grouping data together, which

encourages maximum utilization

of the information collected

by the 10,000 sensors installed in

the city, including some

2000 dedicated to environmental

problems (both outdoors to

measure air quality or watercourse

flows and within networks to

monitor the good operation of

drinking-water distribution or the

sanitation system) enables setup

of a new mode of centralized

governance.

In the end, it is the Metropolitan

area’s inhabitants’ living

environment and quality of life that

will benefit.

34

Digital technology, cornerstone of tomorrow’s city

development

Successful development of a “Smart City” depends on close collaboration between all of the Metropolitan area’s partners in order to meet the expectations of its inhabitants and optimize management of the city. In order to maintain its leadership in the digital revolution,

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur is fostering such collaboration by developing appropriate tools and sites.

36

With 1,275 high-definition cameras

including 15 “nomads” – i.e. one for

every 273 inhabitants – broadcasting

the city’s movements in real time

on to a wall of screens monitored in

shifts round the clock by a 80-strong

team, Nice boasts France’s first

Urban Supervision Centre.

To ensure yet more effectiveness,

the CSU is equipped with innovating

technologies serving security and

wellness:

- «alert button» apparatus that

shops, schools, day nurseries,

cultural places (theatre, museums...)

healthcare staff, can press when

real danger occurs,

- Real-time transfer of 170 High

Definition cameras located on

28 train sets of the line 1 tramway,

- Setting of 2nd generation Intelligent

Video Surveillance (IVS) system,

capable to detect and transfer

instantly any unusual changes

in the urban environment such

as accidents, panicking crowd,

suspicious packages, or mobs

gathering, etc.

- Setting of 3rd generation Intelligent

Video Surveillance (IVS) system,

able to identify from the record of

an object, a vehicle or a person

depending on a description.

- multi lens Cameras operating at

360° and a ring equipped with

4 directional fixed lens, the whole in

High Definition;

- experimentation of face

recognition in real time for outdoor

environment.

This fine woven network of cameras

with these new technologies

enable an informed watch to

be kept on the entire area, with

collected information shared with

the national police, gendarmerie

and departmental fire and rescue

brigade.

The tool facilitates coordination

of municipal police teams on the

ground, contributing to a total of

3,149 arrests between 2010 and

2016 and fulfilment of 3,847 court

orders issued by magistrates for the

purposes of ongoing investigations.

These are telling figures, seeing

that when the CSU was initially

launched, 91% of Nice’s inhabitants

questioned were in favour of

video protection, which provides

greater security without interfering

with private lives, serves justice

and encourages protection of the

environment.

The effect that urban supervision

has on the environment is less

talked about but no less real for

all that. The “Video verbalisation”

system (using cameras to book

road-users for minor infractions)

leads to freer flowing traffic as

more and more offending vehicles

(usually double-parked) are taken

off the road, which in turn reduces

emissions of toxic gases harmful to

public health and the environment.

And as it is known that a single

case of double-parking can disrupt

downtown traffic for a kilometre or

more…

The CSU is an invaluable aid to living

better together in Nice.

36

See it all… it’s safer that way!

The Urban Supervision Centre (CSU) has become an acknowledged tool at the service of living well together. Permanent observation of

the public space contributes to greater safety, serves justice, and helps reduce pollution. More than thousand or so cameras operating 24/7 at

the service of inhabitants, visitors and the area as a whole!

A crowd suddenly forms along the rocks on La Réserve beach, Boulevard Franck-Pilatte. An image of panic-stricken people splashes across one of the CSU’ screens, and then shows a little girl who has just hurt herself jumping from one rock to the next. The emergency services are instantly informed and set off immediately… even though no calls from eye-witnesses have yet come through to the fire brigade’s switchboard!

EVERYDAY LIFE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

38

If there is anywhere in France or

even the world to equal

Los Angeles or New-York, where

public data circulates unhindered,

it has to be Métropole Nice Côte

d’Azur, which has developed a

high-performance shared

Open Data portal

(http://opendata.nicecotedazur.org/).

Disseminated in the Metropolitan

area’s public and private space,

data is put to good use by

innovative entrepreneurs,

who make the utmost of such

unpatented, copyright-free “basic

material” in creation of new

services and applications dedicated

to improving the population’s living

conditions.

The concept of liberating

information, which fits perfectly

into the larger project of a

sustainable interconnected

Metropolitan area, is of service to

start-up promoters focusing on

innovation as well as to the area’s

economic development – in fact,

to all users in the region, whether

inhabitants or tourists, industrialists

or students, senior citizens or

people of reduced mobility, young

working people or pensioners…

In the end, it is the whole

population that benefits from

access to information updated in

real time! No tiresome searches

or time wasting toing-and-froing

– just log on to your computer or

Smartphone to find out what is

going on in the way of outings or

shows, get your hands on a map

of polling stations, check museum

and the latest exhibitions’ opening

days and times, introduce yourself

to the plant species growing along

Promenade du Paillon, cast an

eye over geographical maps of

the region, check on sports facility

locations and possible uses, see

what parking space is available

in the City of Nice’s car parks, or,

thanks to partnerships with the

Régie Lignes d’Azur, view bus and

tram timetables and any disruptions

on the lines…

And to further boost innovation

at the public’s service (along with

the local economy!), Métropole

Nice Côte d’Azur, in liaison with

Technology Park’s Telecom Valley,

recently organized the “Smart

App Contest”, a competition for

apps based on open data and

focusing on the theme of the smart

interconnected city.

During a real digital-engineering

marathon – the hackathon! – held

on Nice-Premium’s premises,

young creators produced

prototypes of new apps designed

to improve users’ lives, and

focusing on such areas as tourism,

transport, energy, citizenship,

sustainable development and sport.

Five projects were awarded prizes

at the second edition, and one

hundred people participated to

this whole week of competition

and high-level conferences and

sponsors of influence.

All this information is available on

http://smartappcontest.fr

38

Keeping yourself informed… and

sharing what you know

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur has recently inaugurated “Open Data” internet portal provides users with in-depth knowledge of the area

and what it has to offer. A way of enjoying a controlled environment to the full and encouraging innovative entrepreneurs.

40

Given existing demographic and

topographical disparities, only action

on the part of local government

bodies, leading the way in matters

of metropolitan and départemental

solidarity, is likely to even out

territorial inequalities and establish a

fair balance in access to optical fiber.

Up until now, private operators’

plans for optical fiber cover have

concentrated on very densely

populated areas (ZTDs - Zones

Très Denses), including Nice,

which is one of the 148 French

cities classified as ZTDs, where

operators are obliged to deploy

their own infrastructures. Orange

is completing the laying of optical

fiber cables serving 100% of Nice’s

housing units.

In areas of medium population

density concerned by the “France

Very High Speed” plan – which

include 27 municipalities in the Nice

Côte d’Azur Metropolitan area –

two operators have positioned

themselves as FTTH (Fiber To The

Home) operators/investors: SFR

in the municipality of Vence and

Orange in the other 26. Laying of

cables to produce 100% optical

fiber cover is planned for 2020.

There remains the case of

municipalities with low populations;

most of them are in the highlands

and will likely be deprived of

optical fiber cover unless public

action is taken. In 2011, Métropole

Nice Côte d’Azur set itself the

goal of achieving total cover of

all its municipalities by 2021. In

January 2016, however, it chose

to integrate the Schéma Directeur

Départemental d’Aménagement

Numérique (SDDAN 06 –

Départemental Master Plan for

Digital Coverage) and entrust it with

the laying of optical fiber cables

serving highland municipalities.

Implementation of a single all-

embracing project at départemental

level ensures an essential

coherence in overall digital coverage

that ignores boundaries between

municipalities and is designed to put

all inhabitants on an equal footing.

A total of some 75,000 connectors

need to be installed across Alpes-

Maritimes territory – 21,469 in

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur alone – for

an estimated total cost of €115.6 M.

The first phase of work will be

construction of the collection

and service network enabling

coverage of all connectors in 2021,

at an estimated cost of €88.2 M,

€10.9 M of which will be paid by

the Metropolis.

Local government involvement

targets a number of objectives:

ensuring that nobody is left

on the wayside; putting all the

area’s inhabitants on an equal

footing as regards access to new

technologies, whether they live on

the département’s coastal strip or

in its highlands; and meeting needs

with regard to competitiveness,

economic development, drawing-

power and job creation.

And in the long run, it’s social and

territorial cohesion that will come

out on top, two links in a chain

whose good operation is essential

to Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur’s

and Alpes-Maritimes’ success in

France and across the world, while

improving their inhabitants’ quality

of life.

40

Optical fiber:

everyone connected!

It’s a real challenge for Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur, and indeed for the entire Alpes-Maritimes département: providing 100% of

housing units with optimal connections given the marked differences in population density across the area and therefore in the break-even

points that dictate how private operators act with regard to laying optical fiber cables.

42

With the French Tech certification

in June 2015, French Tech Côte

d’Azur entered into the closed

circle of the most remarkable start-

up ecosystems in France.

A deserved reward which follows

an unprecedented union and

mobilization of the Métropole Nice

Côte d’Azur and the innovating

conurbations of Sophia Antipolis,

Cannes and Grasse: for the first

time in history; the first step

towards a success story.

The French Tech initiative with

Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur

alongside the innovative

conurbations of Sophia Antipolis,

Cannes-Pays de Lérins and Pays

de Grasse gives an extra push to

Alpes-Maritimes’ digital sector.

Innovating, closely knit and

dynamic, it has become a real

driving-force for the economy of

the future, focused on international

recognition, sustainable

management and optimization of

services on offer to inhabitants.

The first challenge set, if the

initiative was to have true weight

and meaning, was to ensure a

successful bringing together of the

four territories, each of which has

its own specific areas of interest:

information technologies for Sophia

Antipolis, the smart interconnected

city for Métropole Nice Côte

d’Azur, digital imaging for Cannes-

Pays de Lérins, and excellence in

the field of perfumery and aromas

for Grasse.

The second challenge, to be met

with the combined support of the

Alpes-Maritimes Departmental

Council, the CCI, Nice-Sophia

Antipolis University and a wide

selection of digital entrepreneurs

located across the area, was to

present a coherent submission,

overseen by Team Côte d’Azur,

spotlighting the Côte d’Azur digital

42

French Tech:a “made in

Côte d’Azur” label!

The prospect of belonging to the closed circle of France’s most outstanding start-up ecosystems prompted Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur

and the innovative conurbations of Sophia Antipolis, Cannes and Grasse to join forces and mobilize their resources: a first in history

and the beginning of a success story.

cluster. This latter recorded

10% growth in 2014, 338 start-ups

between 2012 and 2014, raising

86 funds representing a global

amount of 179 million Euros, prize-

giving and special awards, including

20 international ones.

Following in France’s footsteps,

Côte d’Azur aims to position itself

on the world map of digital nations

and regions. With 1,684 enterprises

in the field of digital technology,

22,585 employees and 4,2 billion Euros

in turnover, the area’s IT cluster is

already acknowledged as one of

Europe’s leaders in high-tech.

Standing together to obtain the

label, with a shared budget,

between metropolis, of

215 million Euros thrown in

as part of the Programme

d’Investissement d’Avenir

(Program for Investment in the

Future) to support research and job

creation, the four territories seek

to dynamize growth and take a

leading role in the spread of digital

technology.

Dialogue, networking, multipolar

organization, opening of “Totem

buildings” fostering encounters

between researchers, students,

teachers and entrepreneurs in

latest-generation spaces dedicated

to collaboration and innovation,

and setup of related clusters

such as Nice-Premium and Allianz

Riviera are all part and parcel of

a concerted action to achieve an

ambition with 5 main focuses:

• developing, maintaining and

running a fertile ecosystem;

• facilitating creation and

development of innovative

enterprises;

• speeding up growth of start-ups to

turn them into “tech champions”;

• ensuring the reputation of French

Tech Côte d’Azur spreads thanks to

new communication tools;

• deploying infrastructures

suited to development of digital

technology.

44

The start-up with positive

energy!

Jessica Pellegrini

Gilberto Dias

Azzura Lights which is a start-up

dedicated to energy services

which has received multiple

awards for progress and quality

in sustainable development.

The main part of Azzura Lights

business is the creation and

development of programmes to

save energy. Its « Sustainable

energy for All » programme

saved 2,250 households

250 euros per year on their bills

through use of their « Ecology

Box® » which helps reduce

energy and water consumption

in a fun way. Thanks to its

success and based on an

innovative method following

years of research the company

has created a new range of

innovative games which will be

presented at the exhibition.

Solar-powered travel at the

service of the Smart City

Raphaël BRIERE

David LE BRETON

In response to such issues

involved in development of the

Smart City as pollution, traffic

congestion, and the cost and

consumption of electricity,

Advansolar markets a new

generation of smart, energy-

autonomous street furniture,

the SunPod® range.

Experts in electric mobility,

energy efficiency and design

& communication, they have

designed smart solutions for

solar recharge of smartphones

and electric bikes and vehicles.

Their SunPods® are movable,

connected to the internet,

delivered ready for use and

provided with integrated

services including fleet

management, Wi-Fi portal and

maintenance.

They are intended for local

government bodies and

actors in the tourism, event

organization, mobility and real

estate sectors among others.

“Solar electric mobility” at the

service of sustainable zero-

emission travel.

Multimodal traveler

information and intermodal

car-sharing

Yann Hervouet

Instant System provides

independent expertise in

multimodal urban mobility.

The company designs, publishes,

markets and deploys mobile

applications guiding travelers on

their day-to-day journeys.

It acts on the traveler’s behalf,

suggesting the best travel

solutions by combining all means

of transport, including “soft”

modes and car-sharing.

Instant System helps

conurbations optimize all means

of transport available to their

citizens.

Its solutions are intended for

conurbations, to help promote

the various means of travel

available, and for companies

wishing to assist their

employees in their daily travels.

Smart parking

Irfan GHAURI

Clint HOGESTYN

The Parkego start-up was

founded in 2014 with the aim

of providing high value-added

services related to urban

parking. The company initially

developed a concept involving

rental of parking spaces

between individuals and went

on to launch an innovative

service: valet parking on

demand.

It’s a simple enough concept:

the client sets the time and

place of his/her parking spot via

the app.

It takes less than 5 minutes to

pick the car up and park it in

one of the network’s private car

parks. Appointment is over, the

client calls the parking valet via

the Parkego app, recovers the

vehicle and pays the parking fee

with no risk attached.

A new safety standard for

older adults

Dr. Giuliana Ucelli

Dr. Giuseppe Conti

Massimo Barozzi

Nively proposes MentorAge,

a solution for the «Silver

Economy» that can observe the

movement of ageing people

and understands the risk

connected to their movements.

MentorAge can handle different

risk situations detecting when

a person enters the bathroom

without coming out after a

certain time, when he/she falls,

when he/she starts a night

wandering episode or when

he/she leaves the house or

the room at night. The service

can understand the situation of

risk and react accordingly (for

instance by turning on lights of

the room or by unlocking the

door), and send an alert to a

Smartphone or Smartwatch.

Smart parking solution

Jean-Louis Peyre

Djamil Elaidi

ComThings develops modules,

connected remote controls and

applications for management

of mutualized parking. Our

solutions enable easy sharing of

no matter what parking space:

individual to individual, company

to individual, or shopping mall to

individual.

Driving together

Thomas Côte

Nassim Rezzouki

Brice Eichwald

Wever markets an app

facilitating car-sharing in

conurbations, putting drivers

and passengers with similar

travel needs in direct contact

with each other for their

day-to-day journeys (regular or

occasional), whether planned or

last-minute affairs.

It is unique in that it presents

journey routes in the form of

car-sharing lines made up of

predetermined meeting points.

In addition, the app is free of

charge and users (drivers and

passengers alike) are rewarded

with gifts and practical

advantages (fuel cards, cinema

seats, reserved car-park spaces,

etc.)

Rethinking energy efficiency

Christophe Robillard

Qualisteo’s WATTSEEKER

technology, comprising a

unique measurement system

connected to smart sensors,

enables full energy mapping

of all professional buildings,

no matter what their size. It

measures, maps and analyses

buildings’ energy consumption

by area, apparatus and use. The

company markets its technologi-

cal innovation with the help of

specialized commercial apps

and an innovative business mo-

del, marketing it as a “MaaS”

(Measurement as a Service) to

which you can subscribe rather

than as a product (a meter requi-

ring material investment).

44 START-UPS

46

The most innovative

coastal guide

Edouard Fiess

Benjamin Rousseau

Sébastian Luche

Navily has worked in direct

collaboration with yachting

harbors since 2015. Via a web

platform, harbors manage their

profiles on the app in real time:

services, rates, tourist events

and visits, etc. By bringing

harbors and yachts people

together, Navily has succeeded

in creating Europe’s first harbor

reservation platform.

Natural, 100% renewable

air-conditioning

Thierry Lamouche

Sustain’air’s innovative

technology provides tertiary-

sector buildings (offices,

healthcare facilities, etc.) with

indoor climate comfort based

on renewable CO²-free heat at a

competitive price. The system

blows air at 20°C into the

building, enabling reduction

in energy consumption for

heating and air-conditioning

(an 80% reduction in

air-conditioning consumption).

The air-conditioning system

differs from others of its kind in

that it uses water to

air-condition the building.

sustain’air’s initial demonstrator

met with great success and was

awarded the COP21 label by the

Ministry of the Environment.

The pro platform devoted

to homecare

Emmanuel Sierra

Isabelle Giordana

DV Santé is a startup located at

Nice’s “27 Delvalle” centre in

the heart of the future European

Healthcare City. It selected the

area to develop and provide

an innovative rapid service

accompanying patients on their

healthcare pathways.

With the help of new

information and communication

technologies, DV Santé

enables optimization of

private practitioner/hospital

treatment, improving healthcare

facilities’ economic efficiency

and ensuring patients enjoy

unparalleled quality of treatment.

46

Lexique

Beacon: geolocation tag

whose accuracy is greater than

conventional GPS, especially in

indoor environments. It allows

to interact with a Smartphone

or a tablet through Bluetooth

technology. The user can thus

receive contextualized messages

according to its position within a

site (shop, tourist park...) equipped

with beacons.

NFC / Contactless

Communication: “Near Field

Communication” (= Contactless

communication) is a close-

range wireless communication

technology enabling exchange

of information up to a distance

of around 10 centimeters. NFC /

contactless technology enables

users to read information by putting

their cellphones up to electronic

tags installed in the street, in

bus shelters, on monuments, on

posters, and so on...

NFC tag: equipped with an

electronic chip, such tags deliver

information direct. All you need do

is put your NFC phone up to one

without even having to go through

an app.

NICT: New Information and

Communication Technologies.

QR Code: this is a type of barcode

made up of black modules

arranged on a white square. Their

layout defines the information the

code contains. QR (short for “quick

response”) means that code

content can be decoded quickly

after being read by a smartphone

app. QR codes refer to internet

pages delivering the required

information.

Smart City: a city that

technological innovation and new

means of management are now

making possible. The expression

is often associated with the terms

“connected” and “sustainable”.

A “smart” city is one in which

information and communication

technologies play an increasingly

important role in the context

of responsible and sustainable

development.

A far cry, then, from the “growth

at any price” that marked previous

industrial revolutions.

Smart Grid: “intelligent” electricity

grids use digital technologies for

improved management of electric

energy. The new meter enables

more flexible management on

the part of users, who, knowing

in real time exactly how much

they are consuming, can take

appropriate action and become

“ConsumActors”.

Smartphone: “intelligent”

telephones are not just for making

phone calls, but also enable use

of applications, the most popular

these days being internet access

and emailing.

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hoto

s : M

étro

pole

Nic

e C

ôte

d’A

zur,

Vill

e de

Nic

e, T

hink

stoc

k, Is

tock

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igoi

t, E.

Boi

zet,

Loui

s Fa

briè

s, S

tere

au, D

evill

ers

& A

ssoc

iés/

By

Enco

re -

EPA

, CD

06 G

. Vér

an, A

telie

r M

arc

Bar

ani e

t RSI

Stu

dio,

J. V

éran

– M

ai 2

016.