The city administration of Alcalá la Real in the Spanish province of Jaén—a popular tourist destination—is using a variety of measures based on intelligent information technology to promote sustainability in the community. As part of this strategy to become a true smart city, Alcalá la Real has chosen MOBOTIX AG for their video solutions.

The Solution: Intelligent Sensors Protect Living Spaces

As part of the smart city project, a traffic management system was introduced at the most important locations in the city in cooperation with Vida IP, a renowned MOBOTIX distributor in Spain. A network of 13 high-resolution IP cameras and an additional 11 infrared spotlights have been installed at 6 different locations. The system was subsequently expanded and optimized to include industrial zones and important access and exit routes. This smart city project was a resounding success. Demand for MOBOTIX products has grown enormously, and more cameras have been installed in holiday homes in Fortaleza de la Mota and Las Cruces. The cameras were not just used to control entrances; they were also perfect for ensuring areas did not become overcrowded during the pandemic — as was the case in September 2021 at the San Mateo trade fair site.

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Benefits for the City Council and the Citizens

An important factor in the success of MOBOTIX—and the associated increase in cameras installed—is the superior image quality, which has allowed the police and the Guardia Civil to clarify the circumstances of some traffic accidents. “On seeing the recordings from MOBOTIX, a judge no longer needs witnesses,” says Ramírez. In addition, work for the city administration has been considerably improved as a result of this seamless traffic control.

Conclusion: Smart Technology for a Safe Future

“MOBOTIX video systems are very versatile and offer a wide range of useful solutions. One example of this is reading license plates, which was crucially important for the smart city project: Other examples include counting people, detecting movements or creating heat maps to identify high-traffic areas,” says Inma Mudarra, City Councilor for Digital Management and Transparency in Alcalá la Real. “We started the smart city project from the perspective of safety and traffic control, but we are now also using the technology in the context of the pandemic to reliably implement and enforce the necessary measures. And we’re certain that won’t be all. We will continue to work actively to benefit of all the advantages MOBOTIX AG offers.”

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The MOBOTIX technology offered us integrated functions, such as reading license plates, which was essential for the project we were planning. We also need to highlight its versatility: It can handle people counting, license plate tracking, motion detection, heat maps and many of our other requirements.

Inma Mudarra, former City Councilor for Digital Administration and Transparency in the city administration of Alcalá La Real