SmartNet: Environmental Data Measuring Systems for a Smart Tomorrow

*This is the English version. For the Dutch version, please change the language of the website in the top right corner*

Cities are evolving. We see a development in cities where they are implementing services to manage the city and engage their citizens through digital means; this is commonly referred to as a ''smart city''. Singapore at the moment serves as the prime example of the possibilities of a smart city, as it has digitalized parts of healthcare, energy and water measurement, and public transportation just to name a few.

A smart city has a lot of advantages. First of all, services will become a lot faster because most of the actions that right now require much needed time will be digitalized and able to be done in a fraction of that time. For instance, for a patient with limited mobility, having exercises layed out on a tablet is much faster than going to the hospital and having to do them there. 

It's easier too. Let's take public transportation as an example. Instead of going to a station, hoping the train is not delayed and you will have a seat, in a smart city you can simply take out your phone, go online and check the specific train you are planning to board to see where it is, what the e.t.a. is, and how many people are on board. 

And lastly, it's more environmentally aware. A smart city enables a city to carefully monitor its energy, waste, water, etc. outputs, and helps the city to take measures to reduce pollution more efficiently. No longer do we have to rely on yearly reports, monthly reports, weekly reports, or even daily reports. A smart city is able to tackle issues as they happen. 

In the Netherlands, similar strategies have been adopted to try and transform Dutch cities into smart cities. Amsterdam has been investing in the concept and now plans for among others smart parking lots, and smart house management services have been gaininig traction.

There have been some incentives to push The Hague in the same direction, but there is one major issue: if you want to manage your energy levels, or have citizens know how many parking spots are left at a certain lot, you will need data on those factors. It sounds simple enough, yet it is something The Hague is struggling with at the moment, which is something that needs to change.

That's where we come in. We are SmartNet, a start-up aimed at developing and providing The Hague with smart city solutions to make it the next big player on the smart city field. 

What we want to achieve

At SmartNet, we work according to three core principles: innovate, transform, and evolve. First of all, we want to be the frontrunners of the smart city concept by designing new and innovative ways of digitalizing services to help the city manage itself with greater efficiency. 

Second, our goal as mentioned before is helping The Hague transform from its outdated current state, into the smart city of tomorrow.

And finally, not only do we want to set the bar for the future, but we also want to build the foundation for not only us, but others to build on in the future. 

Our current mission is to fix the problem with data acquisition that is plaguing the city and hindering it from giving smart initiatives the ground they need.   

How we are going to achieve it

We are currently developing sensors that will be placed on public transportation vehicles throughout The Hague. Not only will this fix the lack of sensors in terms of quantity, but is also a significant upgrade from having stationary sensors. This is because instead of having three sensors along a mile-long road can now be replaced by just one sensor on a tram or bus that drives along this road. 

We have also chosen to go for public transportation since their bus and tram lines combined cover a large area of The Hague, which means we do not have to spend much more money on trying to increase the range of the sensors, keeping things nice and local. 

So far, the sensors will have to measure air quality and noise quality, but we are planning on adding additional features. 

With the data gathered from these sensors we will go to the municipality where we are plan on selling the data. That way the municipality will have a much more accurate and local image of the environmental quality of The Hague. 

Why we need your help 

We have set up this crowdfunding page in order to acquire funds to purchase and develop multiple sensors in order to see what works best. Logically, we do not want to show up at the municipality with a sensor that does not perform its task optimally, which is why your help will allow us to develop the best sensor for the best results.

So if you are excited about the concept of a smart city, are concerned about the environmental state of The Hague and would like the municipality to have better data on this issue, and / or are willing to boost environmental innovation, then donate now! Your help will be much appreciated!

For updates, you can also follow us on our Facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/WeAreSmartNet/ 

You can also reach us at wearesmartnet@hotmail.com

SmartNet: Innovate. Transform. Evolve.