Île-de-France – the first Smart Region in Europe
The Île-de-France region, the most populated in France, has for several years held the ambition of becoming a master in the use of new technologies to develop smarter and more effective services. Its aim is to take full advantage of technology and data to improve the quality of life of citizens, strengthen the attractiveness of local areas, and better meet the needs of Ile-de-France’s businesses. As a result, at the end of 2018, the region launched the “Île-de-France Smart Services” platform to host a set of smart services made possible by better data exploitation. Today, these digital services are very varied: the location of charging points for electric vehicles, information on local areas of nature, calculation of the potential to use solar power, the connecting up of high schools and local producers, etc. Since the launch of the initiative, Wavestone has played a part in this great story of co-construction between public and private players – to the benefit of the region’s inhabitants.
- 10,000 officials
- 12 million residents
- €5bn budget
Developing the largest regional data hub
The Digital, Innovation and Smart Region Department awarded the development of this project to a consortium formed by Wavestone and two subsidiaries of Engie: Siradel and Ineo. The objective: to imagine use cases, manage the platform’s development, and design the technical platform. Wavestone provides strategic support to define the direction and, at the same time, supports the transformations on the management and communication aspects. In parallel, Siradel is involved in the creation of a 3D digital twin of the region which should allow navigation on the current Ile-de-France area and one enhanced with future projects. In addition to these projects, Wavestone is also involved in the design of the platform’s architecture, data protection, and questions of cybersecurity. The Ile-de-France Smart Services platform now aggregates data from the region, local authorities, and private partner companies.
- 200 partner companies
- More than 8,000 datasets aggregated and exploited by the platform
Co-constructing the smart services of the future
After this first phase of framing and setting up the platform itself, Wavestone is supporting the region in the creation of the various digital services, from outline to implementation – with many projects framed, tested, and deployed as the work progresses. In this vein, ideation sessions between the partners and the region take place to draw out new ideas for smart services that meet the needs experienced on the ground.
At the same time, work is being carried out to encourage new players, both public and private, to share their data with the region.
The transformation must also come from within: change and innovation workstreams aim to develop the digital appetites and skills of officials, enabling them to take ownership of this new digital world and generate their own ideas of services to be put in place. To this end, workshops and seminars have been organized for officials on artificial intelligence and blockchain.
- 26 digital services made available to Ile-de-France residents since the launch of the platform
- 150,000 users
My solar potential
In order to encourage action by the public and raise awareness of the region’s ecosystem, the “Mon potentiel solaire [My solar potential]” service enables the assessment of the solar potential of buildings in the Ile-de-France. It’s a way to raise awareness among of individuals and local authorities while also encouraging action! The service, based on 3D modeling done by Siradel, can simulate, for each of the region’s 2.5 million buildings, the energy that could be produced from the sun’s rays. For each building, the useful surface (that available for the installation of solar panels) is shown, as well as the number of panels the area represents. An estimate of the annual production in kWh is then indicated, along with any urban planning constraints associated with the buildings. The portal also offers support for those wanting to take the plunge and get started on the installation of solar panels.
With a new version being released at the end of 2022, the service will have a new user path and will also allow users to find out the solar potential of parking lots in the Paris region.
To design this service, the Ile-de-France Region, supported by Wavestone, brought together no fewer than 80 participants during workshops to frame the project. Inhabitants, local authorities, companies in the energy sector, and associations have all been involved in this unprecedented, co-construction approach – a partnership that has made it possible to bring this large-scale project to life.
