Stay updated with industry news by liking and following us!The city of Jönköping in southern Sweden is conducting a pilot project utilizing LoRaWAN technology, managed by the Stockholm-based startup TH1NG, to manage services within its population range. Founded in 2018, TH1NG provides IoT solutions for smart cities, including broadband access and IoT platform as a service (PaaS). Currently, the company serves approximately 40 municipalities in Sweden, including Jönköping.This technology is compatible with LoRaWAN connectivity as well as 5G, NB-IOT, or private networks. Its software platform is designed to provide a wealth of historical, real-time, and contextual data regarding the conditions of buildings and public spaces, including lighting, weather, and water control.Faced with the challenges of an aging population in Sweden, Jönköping has about 367,000 residents spread over 11,495 square kilometers. As in many countries, Sweden’s population is aging, leading to a decrease in the working-age population, which is one of the main challenges municipalities like Jönköping face, as stated by Björn Hättström, the IoT project manager for the city.
According to data from the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR), Sweden needs to hire 410,000 people by 2031 due to demographic changes and retirements. The population aged 80 and over is expected to increase by nearly 50%, which means that the demand for elderly care will increase the need for hired personnel by more than 30%.In light of these challenges, municipalities are striving to find new ways and solutions to meet future demands, Hättström said. The municipalities in the county have already hired “digital strategists” responsible for the digitalization efforts of the municipalities. In the region, the strategists collaborate through a common network to explore digitalization issues.In January 2021, four municipalities launched a two-year pilot project to explore applications such as tracking water temperature, water levels, snow depth, and occupancy in swimming areas and picnic areas. An IoT platform for the entire county was born, and in 2022, TH1NG was awarded a contract to provide the IoT platform for Jönköping to supply sensor data to other IT systems.While TH1NG offers an open IoT platform as a platform as a service (PaaS), the county government can run the technology on local servers.By October 2023, over 400 tests have been completed and approved, and in November, TH1NG became the approved supplier of the IoT platform for Jönköping. The open IoT platform is now fully available for use by 55 organizations covered by contracts.So far, hundreds of sensors have been installed and activated, with dozens of IoT projects underway in the region, Hättström stated.The phased expansion of the IoT network aims to find sustainable benefits and applications that align with the concept of a smart society.One example is the weather stations located at 12 selected sites in Jönköping, which are typically the first to experience freezing.Hättström said, “In addition to providing weather data, these weather stations can accurately indicate whether salting or snow removal is needed. This service has resulted in significant cost savings.”Recently, the Jönköping municipal government has begun exploring irrigation control for municipal football fields based on smart sensor data. With the help of these sensors, the government will save water during warm summer months while avoiding overwatering and fertilization, the government reports.“The driving force behind our project is innovation, and the benefits stem from the numerous ideas proposed by our municipal staff,” Hättström said. He added that the integration of smart solutions brings together professionals from different municipalities and organizations.He further stated, “The ambition of the IoT project is to create a symbolic bonfire where collaborative discussions generate new ideas.”“The current ideas aim to create a more sustainable society, enabling decisions to be based on factual information.”For the county government, one challenge is organizing data and rules related to its use for department managers. Although TH1NG has already provided training for about 150 employees of the organization, Hättström noted that more training lies ahead.Knowledge transfer is crucial for the successful implementation of the project. Many efforts in the county aim to showcase the project, including organizing “IoT Days” and conducting IoT roadshows, which include visits from municipal leaders to each community.Meanwhile, the water and sewage department in Habo municipality plans to replace water meters with wireless water meters using LoRa communication.In Jönköping, the technology office plans to equip several properties with smart thermostats, temperature sensors, and CO2 meters to improve air quality and achieve cost savings. The plan is to integrate the sensors of the IoT platform with the municipal monitoring and data collection (SCDA) system for property management.“Jönköping has a long-term IoT plan with the ambition to realize and materialize the opportunities brought by IoT technology,” Hättström said.Meanwhile, TH1NG is expanding its presence in Northern and Western Europe. In December 2023, the company acquired the IoT platform provider IIOOTE. This acquisition allows TH1NG to expand its presence in Sweden and Germany.In addition to these regions, the company also plans global expansion, including North America. Eriksson stated, “We are also considering other countries and engaging in discussions with different companies in countries like Norway and Finland, but this is just the beginning.”▼ Event Recommendation ▲
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