Hefei concentrates on creating "Urban Brain" 2.0

The ‘Urban Brain’ functions like a central command system to integrate and interconnect data for assisting the construction of smart cities. Through scientific analysis, it efficiently allocates public resources, continuously enhances the level of social governance, thus provides new pathways for promoting sustainable economic and social development. On June 30^th, the Municipal Data Resource Management Bureau reported that the "Hefei Urban Brain Construction Action Plan (2024–2025)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Action Plan") has been officially issued. According to the Action Plan, by 2025, the Hefei Urban Brain will be further optimized and enhanced. The functionalities of the data center, foundational capabilities, and intelligent command center will become increasingly refined, and the comprehensive service level of data resources will progressively improve.

Enhancing Urban Intelligence

In 2021, the "Hefei Urban Brain Construction Plan (2021–2023)" was issued. Over the past three years, the city's digital foundation and smart applications have achieved new advancements, steadily progressing towards the modernization of the urban governance system.

In the summer, Chaohu Lake boasts clear water and green shores, attracting numerous visitors. Data shows that since 2023, the water quality of Chaohu Lake has consistently reached and maintained Class III, marking the best level since monitoring records began in 1979.

Even the slightest changes in air quality and water conditions in Chaohu Lake are recorded in real-time by the "smart brain" at the backend. Through data analysis, it provides a scientific basis for decision-making in the governance of Chaohu Lake.

A city's "intelligence" is reflected not only in its level of urban governance but also in the everyday lives of its citizens—

Before their daily commute, the most time-saving route is already pre-planned based on the current congestion level of main roads, with available slots of parking lots around their destination shown on the citizen’s app. For mandatory tasks like withdrawing the housing provident funds, the 24-hour online service platform with simple guidance ensures accessibility and efficiency for everyone. In today's Hefei, every aspect of citizens' lives benefits from the speed and convenience brought by digitalization.

As of now, Hefei has established the largest quantum metropolitan area network in the country, with the highest number of users. The city's unified government cloud system supports 83 business systems. The data platform integrates nearly 200 business systems, with over 35 billion data entries collected and 262.6 billion data exchanges shared cumulatively. It has developed 3,800 government information capability interfaces, with over 300 million cumulative calls. The "city lifeline" system covers 137 bridges and 7,316 kilometers of pipelines. The engineering project approval management platform is fully implemented, reducing the number of approval items to 61 and the approval time to within 70 working days, a 65% reduction in time limits.

Creating "Urban Brain" 2.0

According to the "Action Plan," during the construction of Hefei's "Urban Brain" 2.0, the focus will be on enhancing infrastructure support, deepening the comprehensive utilization of data resources, and developing intelligent and efficient digital applications. These efforts will aim to further leverage departmental collaboration to promote the construction of comprehensive, cross-departmental scenarios, thereby enhancing the public's sense of gain and happiness in the context of smart city development.

"The new round of the plan is not simply about replacing the old with the new, but rather a continuation and upgrade of the previous plan, ensuring that the achievements of the Urban Brain' construction are deepened and expanded," said an official in charge from the Municipal Data Resource Management Bureau. The "Action Plan," following the overall requirements of "intensive construction, interconnectivity, and collaborative linkage," aims to address key aspects of the "City Brain," promote the in-depth application of established systems, and summarize and promote innovative models.

Addressing Shortcomings and Upgrades

For addressing current gaps, the focus will be on deepening the application of new technologies such as quantum networks, large models, commercial encryption, and cloud-native technology in government scenarios. This will support the development of new scenarios and the cultivation of related industries. The goal is to advance the "one network support" for industrial services, and to develop "brain" systems in areas like scientific innovation services, industrial data, and financial integration, thereby enhancing the smart support for key industries.

Through the integrated construction of "cloud-network-data" and a unified foundational platform, the plan aims to enhance the foundational support capabilities. Clear objectives for "low-code development" and "lightweight deployment" of application systems have been set. Building on the achievements of the previous phase, the focus will be on key areas to develop comprehensive, multi-department collaborative application scenarios such as "one matter" and "one map," thereby improving the capability for coordinated and intensive construction and application.

Emphasizing innovation in technology, data, scenarios, business, funding, and institutional aspects, the plan will leverage reform and innovation to promote model reforms and process optimization in key areas like urban management, operation, and services. This approach aims to further enhance the efficiency of smart city construction and accelerate the comprehensive digital transformation of the city.

"We will accelerate the interconnectivity and business collaboration of systems to improve the efficiency of government operations," the official explained. The proportions of "full-process online handling," "intelligent handling," and "joint handling" will be significantly increased, with plans to establish 100 "intelligent handling" items, 30 "verbal handling" items, and 100 items handled via bank self-service machines. Additionally, the focus will be on scenario construction to further connect data, improve systems, and deepen applications, addressing 10 pain points and bottlenecks in government services and planning 20 new cross-departmental scenarios in urban operations.

As stated, the "Urban Brain" has become a new platform for enhancing the precision and intelligence of urban governance, providing strong support for the safe and orderly operation of the city. The plan includes an extended focus on unleashing the multiplier effect of data elements, further strengthening the construction and application of the Urban Brain, continuously promoting the modernization of the urban governance system and capabilities, improving the city's business environment, and allowing citizens to enjoy more and better digital life benefits, thereby contributing to high-quality economic and social development.

Author: Li Runyuan

Source: <http://ah.anhuinews.com/hf/news/yw/202407/t20240701_7659629.html>

Translated by Xiong Yuxi