A total of 59 mayors from 29 nations are set to attend this year’s Smart City Summit and Expo to discuss the development of “smart” city infrastructure and the Internet of Things, the Taipei Department of Information Technology said on Wednesday.
The expo, which is to run from Tuesday to Friday next week at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, is to feature exhibitors from the US, Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and several Southeast Asian nations, the department said, adding that it is the world’s largest exhibition on smart city development.
The summit, which is to take place on the first two days of the event, is to feature 54 mayors discussing their cities’ innovative services with their Taiwanese counterparts, the department said.
With a focus on the theme of “smart cities as a venue for Internet of Things field testing,” participants are to discuss topics ranging from “Taipei smart city” and utilizing smart technologies to attain sustainable development to the relationship between innovative start-ups and smart cities and the role of public participation in a smart city, the department said.
A highlight of the event will be exchanges between the Taipei City Government and Malaysian and Indonesian delegates, who are attending to learn about innovative city infrastructure developed by Taipei, it added.
On the final two days of their visit, international delegates are to be taken on a fact-finding tour of Taipei covering innovative city services for administration, public housing and information security, as well as policies to boost entrepreneurship, the department said.
Event co-organizer Taipei Computer Association said that more than 20 domestic and overseas firms would participate in a forum on telecoms assuming more prominent roles in the Internet of Things age by upgrading their services, such as by introducing packages for consumers who use wearable devices.
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