It’s no secret that Be’er Sheva, the capital of the Negev, is also becoming the capital of cyber and hi-tech. Now it has another reason to be proud of – it is also becoming one of the smartest cities in Israel!
Once, when you heard the name “Be’er Sheva”, you would have probably think of camels and yellow desert coloring. But today Be’er Sheva has much more to offer. After all, it is the cyber capital of Israel. As such, it is not at all that surprising it is ranked fourth in the index of smart cities by the Reichman University (IDC Herzliya).
Social Change
In Be’er Sheva, they are going all out and intend to harness technology for the benefit of social change in the city. The ultimate goal is to improve the city’s welfare services. The Be’er Sheva Office of Innovation hopes that through technology, it will be able to improve resident services and lead to eligible populations being able to access their rights. At the same time, Be’er Sheva hopes to improve coordination between the various welfare service providers, which will lead to a significant change, and a considerable improvement of services for those that need and are entitled to assistance.
The Resident in the Center
The Be’er Sheva Municipality has begun an open-data project and an information-based decision-making project – all in order to enhance transparency and participation of residents in the decision-making process. Local authorities often make the mistake of thinking of their residents as customers, when in fact the more correct thinking is to see the resident as a partner. The goal is to motivate residents to take action on issues such as recycling, cleanliness, city security, education and more.
Security! Security! Security!
The city has implemented a “strong” security system, which assists the municipality in managing emergency situations and personnel. The smart control and monitoring systems are including remote control of alarm systems; traffic light management throughout the city; communication networks and other smart systems handled remotely via the municipal control center. In addition, hundreds of security cameras that will be installed in the city will provide information on everything that is happening in it and will also be managed by the municipal control center. Simultaneously, various real-time video analytic systems will operate, track and process important data to improve the city’s security for the benefit of the residents. The project will enable the Municipality of Beer Sheva to optimally manage and evaluate activity on an ongoing basis. This highlights the importance of using technology as a tool for improving residents’ quality of life.
There is no doubt that Be’er Sheva is embracing innovation and caring for its residents by making incredible use of smart digital solutions. All we have left to do is just to say to the Be’er Sheva municipality to keep making the Negev bloom, even in the technological sense. The 21st century is proud of you!”
