IoT for digital resilience in Kyiv
The project started as a simple parking app for Kyiv residents. Then the war broke out in Ukraine and now the citizen app has evolved into a communication channel to create digital resilience in difficult conflict conditions.
There is no shortage of challenges when it comes to building a robust and secure IoT infrastructure in a city. Also, doing this in the midst of a raging war puts many things on edge.
During the third and last day of the smart city fair in Barcelona, IoT Sweden arranged a panel discussion together with Kiev. Catrin Ditz moderated the event and began by talking to Oleks Maistrenko from the city of Kiev. Before the war broke out, Kiev had built a digital infrastructure and had a citizen app that could be used to buy bus tickets, find parking spaces and the like.
– We could never have guessed that this app would become part of Kiev’s digital resilience. Today, the app is used for completely different things, says Oleks Maistrenko.
This involves, for example, receiving notifications about where there are pharmacies with available medicine, where there are free and available shelters, and more. So a completely different area of use than the original idea with the application.
Manage contingencies with IoT
Digital resilience is about systems being able to handle digital threats, disruptions and unforeseen changes. In Kyiv, the use of IoT applications has played a crucial role in building the city’s digital resilience. A key factor is being able to access real-time data.
– There are so many variations of sensors that can be connected and used for many different things. We use sensors to measure sound, air and flows of people, for example, says Oleks Maistrenko.
The variety of sensor solutions is also a challenge as there are several different systems to be managed and tested (with unpredictable scenarios in mind). Some sensor solutions to measure ecological parameters are also hampered by missile impacts that cause both sound and air changes.
Relying on data is critical
A key word for success with the Kiev project is to create trust in the data that is generated. Oleks Maistrenko believes that it has been absolutely crucial that users trust the information displayed in the app. The residents are not interested in the technology but in getting help with various needs they have.
Another crucial part of the resident app deals with cyber security. Oleks says that the system is exposed to many attacks every day. The city of Kyiv has a security center that works systematically on cyber security issues.
– Safety has proven to be a critical aspect that could have been prioritized higher from the start, he says.
Kyiv participates in international fairs and cooperates with other cities and universities to exchange experiences around IoT and smart social solutions.
– It means a lot to us to collaborate with other countries and cities around this issue. At the same time, I hope that no other cities will have to experience what we are experiencing right now, concludes Oleks Maistrenko.
The panel also included Maria Holm from the city of Stockholm, Britta Duve Hansen from the city of Helsingborg and Morten Holst from the company Innocode.
