Prague may adopt Smart City measures from Israel

Prague may be adopting some high tech measures including ones for security from Israel. A delegation from Prague City Hall went to Tel Aviv at the end of July to see how CCTV systems could improve security on public transport and other Smart City topics.

The delegation included Prague Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO), Prague Public Transport Company (DPP) CEO Martin Gillar, Operátor ICT CEO Michal Fišer and Prague City Hall crisis management head Daniel Barták.

One thing the delegation looked at was a CCTV system that could be implemented in the metro. Software on the cameras would detect suspicious behavior such as people abandoning packages. The software could notify a control center about both the package and the suspect before any person nearby notices the abandoned package.

“Security in urban public transport and the Smart Cities project are crucial and topical issues for us. We strive for public transport to be smart. In the long term, we try to make travel easier and more pleasant for travelers and visitors of Prague, including foreign tourists. We also want to approach security and camera systems. Therefore, I am glad that during this working trip I could draw experience from top experts,” DPP CEO Martin Gillar said.

The software could also detect other suspicious activity such as pickpocketing.

Mayor Krnáčová said Israel benefits greatly from a strong start-up scene. “We have started a similar way; we have opened a Prague start-up center that we intend to expand. We want to create conditions so that we can continue to attract not only Czech start-ups but also global ones. This is an enormous potential,” she said on the City Hall website.

Tel Aviv is a leader in the Smart City concept. It was awarded the Best Smart City title at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona in 2014.

“It is clear that Tel Aviv is a driver of smart cities, and I am glad that we have drawn a lot of inspiration and experience on this path to help us with Smart Prague,” Krnáčová said.

The delegation also attended a forum organized by the Israeli-Czech Chamber of Commerce, held in the Czech embassy, with companies dealing with mobility, crisis management and security camera systems within the Smart City agenda. There was a presentation on the navigation of free parking places through a mobile application and using an urban CCTV system.

“We have seen many concrete solutions that would work well in our conditions. Some of them could be tested in Prague in the near future, and one of these projects is smart parking,” the mayor said.

Operátor ICT CEO Michal Fišer said the key to the success of smart solutions in Prague is inspiration from abroad and cooperation with the professional public. “Tel Aviv, which is known as a city with a high concentration of start-up companies, has undoubtedly inspired us, in particular, in transferring experience on how best to translate the ideas of the project into reality,” he said.

Prague like to welcome guests from Israel in the future, a City Hall press release stated.