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Athens, Greece

Microsoft helps Athens become a smart city

Microsoft helps Athens become a smart city

The municipality has collaborated with ATCOM and Microsoft to launch Project Athena

On 15 June, the Municipality of Athens revealed that the Greek capital will soon become a “smart city” thanks to the launch of “Project Athena”. Named after the goddess Sophia and Athens, the new initiative will use technology and innovation to overcome urban challenges.

Focusing on cleanliness and accessibility

In a press release, the city reported that the project will first work on combating two key issues that are faced by residents and visitors, namely cleanliness and accessibility. To deal with these problems, the municipality will rely on the strategic placement of innovative sensors which will collect data on street and air cleanliness, accessibility for pedestrians and people with disabilities, noise pollution, temperature, and humidity.

Currently, 10 of these sensors have been placed in Kotzia Square and in the area of Kolonaki. More specifically, they have been installed inside waste bins to measure their levels and on pedestrian crossings to detect accessibility problems.

The data collected will then be analysed by the municipality and other competent bodies which will use the information to improve their operations and resolve issues faced by residents. Taking a case in point, the sensors will allow cleaners to update their waste collection routes based on the data gathered from the smart devices.

Using innovative technology

Project Athena will be executed in collaboration with the Greek digital business agency ATCOM and Microsoft. Theodosis Michalopoulos, CEO of Microsoft for Greece, Cyprus and Malta, commented on the cooperation: “The city that serves its citizens and offers them a high quality of life is smart first and foremost.

I am very happy because, with our cooperation with ATCOM, we offer to the Municipality of Athens those technological tools that will support important aspects of its operation, such as cleanliness or accessibility. The Athena project shows us that collaborations like this one with the Municipality of Athens, give birth to innovation that focuses on the person and their needs."

With the implementation of this project, the Greek capital will join over 240 European cities which have used innovation and technology to address contemporary urban challenges and become “smart cities”.

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