Lahore is the country’s most populous city and its third largest metropolis. The city has been name as one of the world’s smartest cities by several international media outlets and global business leaders.
As part of a national plan to make the country an urban nation, a Smart City project was launched in Lahore. The goal is to transform Lahore into the world’s most advanced city by 2040.
There are five pillars of implementation for this project: e-Governance, Digital Security, e-Commerce, Transportation and Health & Wellness. One of the advantages of making Lahore a Smart City is unlocking its full potential.
A smart city not only improves existing infrastructure and services but also brings about new innovations that will positively impact future growth and development for years to come.
In this blog post you will learn about some of the innovations we have planned for Lahrice as well as some key resources you can use to keep up with our progress and support us in our mission to become the world’s most advanced city.
What is a Smart City?
A smart city is an advance urban environment where digital technologies are used to improve municipal services and enhance quality of life for people.
The concept of a Lahore smart city is about building connected and interoperable systems that leverage information and connectivity to improve the everyday lives of its citizens. Lahore is one of the cities in Pakistan that is actively moving towards becoming the world’s most advanced city.
A smart city is defined as an advance urban environment where digital technologies are used to improve municipal services and enhance quality of life for people.
Lahore is currently implementing five key pillars to make its transformation as a smart city a reality. These pillars include e-Governance, Digital Security, e-Commerce, Transportation, and Health & Wellness.
Smart City Vision and Objectives
The vision of becoming a smart city is to create a digitally empowered society that is protected from cybercrimes, a safe and secure digital environment for citizens, and a thriving digital economy to foster growth and the creation of jobs. The objectives of the city are to drive digital transformation across all sectors of the city, transform the city into a smart city, make the city an attractive investment destination, and build a sustainable and inclusive society.
Internet of Things (IoT) and Networking
Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the way devices are communicating with each other and sometimes with humans.
IoT is a set of devices that are connect to each other to exchange information. With the advancement in technology, IoT devices have become smaller, faster, and more powerful. The technology that powers IoT systems is now also available to be used in Lahore.
Lahore is already relying on the use of IoT for a number of purposes such as traffic control, monitoring, security, and energy management.
Accessibility to IoT technology has increased exponentially in recent years, and now it is easier than ever to acquire the capabilities needed for a smart city.
Although the costs for deploying IoT systems decreased, the latest advancements in technology have made it possible to operate IoT systems at significantly lower costs.
E-Governance in Lahore
The first and most important step towards a smart city is to implement e-Governance.
It transforms the process of filing of documents via a digital platform, thus bringing efficiency and transparency to the process.
The e-Governance system in Lahore is powered by the city’s new website, lahore.gov.pk. Citizens can now easily submit government-related documents and complete tasks that used to require visits to the government offices or submitting forms by post.
The e-Governance platform has a number of features that make it easy for citizens to interact with the government. For example, it has an interactive map where citizens can find important information about Lahore, register complaints, and review permits.
Citizens can now also pay fines, apply for citizenship, apply for a residential or business license, or apply for a marriage license online.
Digital Security in Lahore
The security of the city’s digital environment is of the utmost importance. The e-Governance system can be easily breach or manipulated for malicious reasons. The new website uses modern security standards such as HTTPS, HTTPS mutual authentication, and certificate pinning. MFA uses a combination of a unique code given by the user.
e-Commerce in Lahore
A smart city is more than just investments in infrastructure and technology. In order to truly transform into a smart city, it must also be a place where businesses can thrive. The e-Commerce system in the city will facilitate online transactions using a digitized version of the local currency.
The new e-Commerce platform powered by Microsoft Azure and supported by blockchain technology will be the backbone of the e-Commerce system.
The system will allow citizens to create accounts, log in, and conduct online transactions using their local currency.
The PRS system will allow users to purchase products and services with their local currency. The system will use blockchain technology to create a digital identity for users and prevent fraud. The system will also support digital payment gateways such as credit cards, cashbacks, and digital wallets.
Transportation in Lahore
Transportation is one of the most challenging and complex issues for cities. The success of a smart city depends on how well people are able to move around the city. The new transportation system will use AVs as the main mode of transportation.
These autonomous vehicles will provide convenient transportation for residents by using the new transportation ledger. In addition, the new transportation system will have an integrated real-time ticketing system.
The new transportation system will also have an integrated security system that allows police to follow up on reported crimes.
Conclusion
Lahore is one of the most advanced cities in the world. Through the implementation of a smart city strategy. The city is aiming to become a global leader in a number of different areas. It plans to transform itself into the world’s most advanced city by 2040.
