Gift city command and control center concept and_implementation_challanges_solutions
2 likes1,385 views
The organization faced the problem of not having a single platform to efficiently monitor and manage its complex city infrastructure, which includes utilities like water, electricity, waste management, and traffic systems. It initiated a project to develop a centralized City Command and Control Center (C-4) to integrate these various systems using Internet of Things (IoT) technology on a single network. This would allow the city authorities to holistically oversee the city's infrastructure in real-time and address issues proactively. The project was implemented between July 2013 to June 2015, and involved developing smart infrastructure across buildings and utilities that could be remotely monitored and managed through the C-4 center.
Gift city command and control center concept and_implementation_challanges_solutions
- 1. Problems faced by the organization that led to the initiation of this project : Background: Gujarat International Finance Tec-City “GIFT City” is being developed as a global financial and IT / ITeS hub in the state of Gujarat, a first of its kind in India. GIFT has been planned as a “Smart city “with next class infrastructure using latest Information and Communication technologies. GIFT city will host commercial high rises buildings, quality residential housing, retail and recreational spaces. When fully operational, GIFT City aims to create 5 lacs direct and equal number of indirect employment opportunities when fully developed. The GIFT City is spread across 886 acres of land near by Gandhinagar. GIFT City has both multi service SEZ ( Special Economic Zone ) and DTA ( Domestic tariff area ) . The GIFT Project involves development of infrastructure and real estate through various activity based enclaves. GIFTCL would lease development rights for development of real estate, which would be developed by various real estate developers and end users. GIFT development area is under control of GIFT Urban Development authority. Municipal functions in GIFT area are being carried out by GIFT Notified committee (GIFTUDA – GIFT URBAN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY). Problem faced and solution by deploying technology: Being a Smart City, GIFT City authorities are expected to proactively monitor and manage City’s Infrastructure using Information and communications technology advances for ensuring better services to the citizens .The infrastructure which need to be monitored consists of multiple utilities which are Water management system , Electrical infrastructure , automatic waste collection and recycling system , District cooling system, City occupier’s safety , security and surveillance , Traffic management etc. Till now there is no readily available single hardware or software platform which can monitor and manages entire city infrastructure on a single technology platform and from a single place in the city. The newly coined term “ IOT or Internet of Things “ or “ Internet of everything “ is the promising technology which can help GIFT City to become a truly Smart City in all aspects . GIFT City is planning to carry out city infrastructure monitoring and maintenance by integration of all these utilities on a single platform which is called “City Command and Control centre (C-4 ) “ . There are two parts of GIFT City Command and Control Center ( C-4 ) . The first part ( platform ) will connect host all the Utilities and provide a complete view of the City Infrastructure , the second part will host CCTV Surveillance , Integration of IBMS of various building and tracking critical parameters like fire and safety , Intelligent traffic management system and PA system for handling law and order in the City .
- 2. By integrating various infrastructure and Utilities by connecting them on a single fibre optic based ICT network spread across the city and by building Intelligence in every upcoming Building and Utility , GIFT City is trying to achieve following : 1. Monitor and manage the city infrastructure proactively. 2. Water supply distribution and monitoring system by using Sensors and automation build at various places across the water distribution system, all of these sensors and automation will be connected to City Command and Control centre . This connected Water system will ensure zero discharge for GIFT city 3. Ensuring zero water discharge city by effectively monitoring the water systems by implementing sensors and integrating them with City wide ICT infrastructure. 4. Managing traffic across the city by using cameras, PA (Public addressing) system, Digital Signage and touch panel based information kiosk. 5. Any disaster can be addressed by using the analytics placed on GIS based City management system which is connected to every utility, building and infrastructure by City wide Fibre optic network. 6. Better & advance healthcare facilities for citizens. 7. Addressing digital divide in the society. The use of technology will ensure enhancement of standard of living of the Citizens of the city. 8. Visitor management system using NFC and RDID based systems. 9. An ICT supported automatic waste collection systems will ensure that city is clutter free. 10. Helping City authorities to carry out Municipal functions like single billing for all utilities, online complaint registration and resolution tracking. Thus a successful e-Governance implementation for betterment of the society. 11. City Security and surveillance using CCTV cameras spread across the city and by putting analytics on this CCTV infrastructure for proactive alerts. This surveillance system will also be managed and monitored from City Command and Control centre (C-4 ) . 12. The tight integration of Intelligent Building Management system (IBMS) installed in the commercial building and utilities. Currently everywhere across the globe multiple utilities are implemented by different vendors / OEMs and hence there are separate platforms for monitoring and managing these utilities .These utilities are complex as utilities involved various technologies Even in the similar cities across the globe , these platforms are being operated in isolation . So as of now there is no single solution available for City Command & Control centre.
- 3. Each individual solution has it’s separate cost which may vary from few lacs rupees to multi hundred Crore. The cost of solution also depends on level of Automation City authorities are trying to achieve in that particular utility. By deploying a fully operational “ Centralized City Command and Control Centre “ , GIFT authorities are able to see the status of various services of the GIFT city in a holistic manner and manage them on real time basis . Practically speaking , this City Command and control centre will integrate the “ Internet of Things “ implemented across various infrastructures within GIFT city . City Command & Control Centre ( C-4 ) is a collection of various technologies and engineering functions . The C-4 takes inputs from various systems which are electrical, mechanical, Hydraulics by using industry protocol like Modbus and Backnet & ICT inputs from various systems like intelligent building management system & Information technology involved in various utilities. The evolution of GIFT City Command & Control centre (C-4) will provide a integrated and smart platform for City management. The availability of such a smart and Using C-4 the occupiers of the City will have access to always up and running infrastructure. This C-4 also helps City authorities to manage the city in very efficient and smart way. Steps / projects implemented to address the above problem: A. Start date of the project : 1st July -2013 . B. Time to implement the project : 30th June-2015 . ( Phase 1-A of the project is completed in Dec- 2013 , the second phase of the Project is still under implementation ) C. Details of the project : The Development of GIFT City Command & Control Centre ( C-4 ) is the first step towards making GIFT city a “ Smart City “ by using “ Internet of Everything “ . The development and construction of building are being developed by various Builders and multiple agencies and multiple vendors . GIFT authorities are trying to ensure that all Developers and Vendors to implement smart ICT component in all buildings ( IBMS -Intelligent building management system, CCTV , Access control and Surveillance system ) & utilities ( Automation , M2M communication , TCP/IP interface and provision for remote monitoring and management by implementation of IP V-6 compatible technologies ).
- 4. It is practically very difficult for GIFT authorities to monitor & manage the implementation of the ICT technology in every building and utility For addressing this problem a generic set of rules and regulations (GDCR – GIFT Development Control Regulation) has been created and issued to all developers. With the help of above mentioned Development Regulation guidelines and by ensuring implementation of Smart technologies below mentioned integration of Information technology ( IT ) and Operation Technology ( OT ) is being achieved in GIFT city : 1. Proactive monitoring of Water leak detection sensors using ICT network will ensure early addressing of the problem and help in saving the water. 2. Water treatment plant sensors will ensure availability of pure, healthy & potable water across the city. 3. Monitoring of electrical infrastructure will ensure zero theft and highest uptime required for offices, business units and residents of the GIFT City. ICT based monitoring system will also help for proactive and fast resolution of consumer complaints. 4. Effective monitoring and management of waste collection system consisting of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) & Sewage Conveyance System will help City to be “ Water neutral” city where Waste water collected will be filtered and used at various places like irrigation of gardens , Construction of buildings and District cooling system to provider centralized air conditioning services to the Citizens of the City . 5. City wide surveillance system will ensure a safe and secured city for the Citizens .Analytics working on the Surveillance system is going to be a big help for prevention of crimes in the city . 6. Intelligent traffic and transport management system will ensure smooth & accident free traffic in the city. 7. C-4 services will help City authorities for carry out Municipal functions with the help of technology and ensure implementation of ICT driven e-Governance system. 8. Finally the C-4 solution helps to achieve the ultimate target of Smart , Green & self- sustainable city.
- 5. Technical aspects used in the Project: This project uses a combination of Operational Technology ( OT ) & Information Technology ( IT ) . Various systems produces Electrical , HVAC & WATER uses various PLC systems from multiple OEMs , we try to take all these inputs to City Command and Control centre platform , C-4 for providing Citizen services . City Command & Control centre (C-4) platform takes inputs from following systems in Ethernet / electrical format , converts them to TCP/IP and take signals in TCP/IP format over Ethernet to City Command & Control Centre ( C-4 ) .Where these inputs are monitored and managed on real time basis . There are various alerts configured on C-4 platform for multiple operation critical events. These events are sent to all concern people over Email using SMTP services and SMS (Short Messaging services) using GSM Gateway which have direct interfaces with City Command and Control Centre C-4 application. The real time sharing of information helps to proactively address the problem in any of the systems thus ensuring faster Citizen Services. Please refer the attached Project report for further details on technical integration. The report also contains screen shots taken from live C-4 platform. Unique aspects of the project : Making the GIFT Smart City , a IoE ( Internet of Everything ) ready organization : Currently everywhere across the globe , Public utilities are implemented by different vendors / OEMs and hence there are separate platforms for monitoring and managing these utilities .These utilities are complex as their systems are made of various technologies , even in the similar cities across the globe , these platforms are being operated in isolation . So as of now there is no proven single solution available for complete integration of all public utilities of a city on a single platform. Each individual solution from public utility has it’s separate cost which may vary from few lacs rupees to multi hundred Crore. The cost of solution also depends on level of Automation City authorities are trying to achieve in that particular utility. By deploying a fully operational “ Centralized City Command and Control Centre “ , GIFT is trying to see the status of various services of the GIFT city in a holistic manner and manage them on real time basis . Practically speaking, this City Command and control centre will integrate the “Internet of Things “ implemented across various infrastructures within GIFT city . City Command & Control Centre ( C-4 ) is a collection of various engineering functions & Information and communication technology .These functions are interconnected using router , switches and other devices . The C-4 platform takes inputs from various systems which are electrical, mechanical, Hydraulics by using industry protocol like Modbus and Backnet & ICT inputs from various systems like intelligent building management system & Information technology involved in various utilities
- 6. and present them to the City Authorities ( City Managers ) for smooth monitoring and management of these utilities .This allow City authorities to operate various functionality of Smart City in tandem. The evolution of GIFT City Command & Control centre (C-4) provides an integrated and smart platform for City management. By virtue of such a smart C-4 platform , Citizens of GIFT City will have access to always up & running infrastructure . This C-4 also helps City authorities to manage the city in very efficient and smart way.
- 7. IMPACT OF THE TECHNOLOGY Key metrics used to demonstrate success of the project : Impact of Tehchnology Sr.no. Metrics Value determining success 1 Proactive monitoring of City Infrastructure Always available Citizen services 2 Water supply distribution management 1. Reduced wastage of water 2. Efficient use of available water 3. Remote pump operations thus ensuring less human interface 4. Quality / PH / Turbidity / Conductivity check of water at various level . This helps in achieving long term objective of getting Potable water from each tap in the GIFT City 5. Helps to achieve Green City objectives 3 Proactive monitoring of Power( electrical ) and HVAC infrastructure 1. Ensure highest uptime for electricity in the city . This is key for smooth operation of a Smart City 2. Alerts and faults information related to power and HVAC systems are sent to field team over email and SMS ensures fast fault resolution .This ensures happy and satisfied Citizens( customers ) . 3. Tracks the usage patterns and helps for better demand forecast . 4.Monitoring of HVAC infrastructure on mobile allows them to switch off the air conditioning if it has remained on after office hours . No HVAC operator has to physically switch off the air conditioning systems. This ensure power savings . 5. HVAC operator does not have to move from office to office for checking and fine tuning the temperature , it is done remotely from City Command and Control centre platform . 4 CCTV surveillance system 1. CCTV surveillance ensures a safe and secured living for the citizens . 2. Proactive monitoring using Analytics built on CCTV surveillance systems will ensure reduction in crime rate in the CITY . 3. Cameras spread across the city will help in Traffic management using PA systems & Digital signage.
- 8. Impact of City Command & Control Center ( C-4 ) on the various stack holders of the organization : Stockholder Impact Electrical department ( GIFT Power Company Ltd. ) GIFT District Cooling solution Company Ltd.) 1. Earlier the electrical department work manual or at the most they were relying on the reading coming from SCADA system in the substation but post integration of electrical systems , there work is very simplified . They just have to monitor their entire infrastructure from their own Computer & Mobile screens. 2. All alerts are received over SMS and email .These alerts goes to field team as well as upto the management level. This increases the accountability of every team member and this ensure faster resolution of problems. 3. Both the departments now actually understand the peak demand and able to size the transformers and other backend infrastructure well in advance . Customer ( Customer retention , Repeat purchase , Customer Satisfaction etc. ) 1. Proactive monitoring of Public Utilities increases the uptime of the Utilities which in turn increases the enhanced customer satisfaction . 2. Integration of building IBMS with GIFT IBMS ensures that all life threatening and critical parameters are being monitored . This enhances confidence of Citizens of the city . CCTV surveillance system 1. Integration of cameras across the city ensures monitoring of the city from a single place , the date collected can be used for any forensic purposes .Analytics ( planned for implementation in Sep-14 ) ensure proactive monitoring of entire city from prevent any event .
- 9. ACCEPTABILITY OF TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION What were the hurdles / challenges faced by the organization in implementing the initiative / project ? ->There were three major challenges at the start of the project: a. The first was that there is no proven hardware / software technology platform available for managing all public utilities on single platform. b. Buildings and Utilities are built by Real Estate developers and multiple OEMs . They may not built the kind of intelligence which we are looking into any system to ensure that it can be integrated with GIFT City Command & Control centre . c. The investment required for this project was coming out to be very high and there were no tangible returns on this investment in near future . How did we overcome the challenges / hurdles? a. We did a lot of research on the subject . We even did few workshop with bigger players like Schneider , but could not find a suitable solution . We decided to go ahead with a step by step implementation and bring all the Public Utilities of GIFT on the C-4 platform once by one . This has helped the platform also to get matured. b. GIFT has released GDCR ( GIFT development Control regulation ) , a document for developer which has certain mandatory requirements so that all buildings which are coming up are equipped with Smart City infrastructure such as Fibre optic cable reaching at every office , ICT driven IBMS ( Intelligent building management system ) requirements , requirements for Smart Home , Ensuring that all ICT component / systems in the building are compatible with next generation IP V-6 ( Internet Protocol Version 6 ) . Most of these GDCR rules are vendor neutral i.e. as an Authority we are not forcing Developers to go for a particular vendor /OEM but defining rules to select latest and smart technology. Similarly we are putting similar requirement while awarding contract for construction of every Public Utility . c. The step by step approach allowed us to invest slowly and gives us opportunity of bringing maturity in the C-4 platform .So initially Phase 1-A was completed which integrate Electrical , HVAC , Water and Security and Surveillance part of the City on C-4 platform . To add we have avoided ( postponed ) few expenses e.g. Video wall which was a costly item , was not purchase in the initial phases and we used professional display panels in place of Video Wall . We will be purchasing video wall in current phase of C-4 development. The earlier purchase professional display panels will be used as other places .
- 10. Now with increase in the number of new developments in the city , we are putting the C-4 in next phase of development . What technique and incentives were used to encourage acceptability of the technology innovation across the organization? -> Gift being a Smart City , always had a management which believes that technology can bring positive change in Citizen’s life . GIFT management has great emphasis on use of Information and communication technology and automation at every possible place .In a Smart City the role of City authorities changes to City Manager to serve the Citizens of the City . Even the users at the middle management and field are happily accepting the use of technology. Because of strong push from the management and everyone else , we never had any kind of resistance in using ICT for management of the Public Utilities , infect there are demands to bring in more automation and Smartness in day to day operations .