Is it possible to remotely monitor the “health” of the bridge? The answer is yes. The Forth Road Bridge in Scotland is one of many foreign bridges equipped with a network of sensors that relay information about its structural condition. Using the algorithm, the experts know the bridge’s mechanical behavior when it had to be closed because a crack was discovered at one point, costing the local economy more than 1 million euros per day. The corresponding sensor network will acquire, with a time horizon of 2026, at least 250 bridges in Greece, most of which were built 40 to 70 years ago. Smart bridges are just one of the projects included in the Recovery Fund that promise to create the Greece of the future, provided, of course, that the project is completed on time, by the end of 2025, to be successful. .

The sensor network will cover at least 250 bridges in Greece, most of which were built between 40 and 70 years ago.

There are currently a significant number of relevant interventions at the baseline, the benefits of which have not yet been recognized. For example – until measured by relevant studies – it can hardly be assumed that mobile applications (apps) with instructions for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) could increase the number of Europeans surviving a heart attack by 95,000, because an outside observer knew about CPR. It is even more difficult to imagine that a mobile application with CPR instructions is based on information provided free of charge by universities or public hospitals. In open data that is provided by government agencies and relies on everything from GPS navigation applications to platforms for calculating municipal expenses. Another Recovery Fund project is promoting the creation of traffic or regional weather applications using open data.

Significant cost savings and increased government revenues are also promised by the electronic cargo tracking system planned by the Independent State Revenue Administration. Online freight tracking was implemented in Hungary and increased the country’s tax revenue by 1.7 billion euros, reducing VAT losses by 5%. Integral to the puzzle of the Recovery Fund’s ‘next generation’ projects are also smart cities, where the use of technology enables everything from improving safety in vulnerable places like schools to better managing traffic and waste. But what are the most important planned projects that are more or less related to the fantasy film?

smart bridges

Monitoring with sensors and fiber optics

This is a technology that is already being implemented in several countries (for example, in Scotland), allowing you to monitor the condition of bridges. How is this possible? With the help of fiber optic sensors (based, among other things, on total reflection of light), which are to be installed on 100 bridges of the railway network and 150 bridges of the road network throughout Greece, their response to mechanical influences will be monitored in real time. time. Based on the processing of information that will be emitted by the sensors, using a special algorithm, the strength of the bridges will be calculated, which depends on mobile loads and the number of permitted restrictions on the passage of heavy vehicles. This data will be made available to specialist engineers who will be responsible for improving bridge safety and preventing accidents in the future. Most of the country’s bridges were built between 1950 and 1989 and are now nearing the end of their theoretical life. For example, the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland is equipped with sensors that record wind speed, ambient temperature and how the bridge reacts when heavy vehicles pass. The processing of all this data creates automatic reports on which preventive or planned maintenance actions are based. The usefulness of sensors is even greater in suspension bridges, where, according to experts, in many cases the classic follow-up inspection is not enough to detect damage.

open data

Free continuous flow of information

Those less aware could hardly have guessed that the term “open data” is associated with €1.7 billion in cost savings at the level of the European Union (2020 data). It is a continuous stream of information that public authorities provide free of charge to anyone, including, for example, data on traffic, construction sites, weather and government spending. Considering that at the EU level, traffic congestion affects 1% of GDP, the importance of open data becomes clear. Therefore, the Ministry of Digital Governance has included an open data policy in the digital transformation book, and a project included in the Recovery Fund provides for the creation of open data applications by region. For example, the region of Attica, through a special platform, has information on infrastructure, costs, transport and healthcare (for example, a waiting list for doctors for specialization). The concept of open and editable data is relatively recent and dates back to 2009, when government agencies gradually began to freely dispose of a large part of the amount of information they produce.

Smart Agriculture

Satellites in the service of farmers

Since information plays a key role (also) in agricultural production, smart farming will collect data on all parameters that affect crops, such as weather, water and soil. In essence, from the air, via drones and satellites, and from the ground, with the help of special sensors, farmers will be provided with valuable information about any factors affecting the crop. To this end, most of the agricultural digital transformation projects that have joined the Recovery Fund provide for the establishment of a nationwide infrastructure of 3,050 data collection stations, the supply of approximately 50 drones, and the development of 15 infrastructure support centers to be created. The information will be used through a special platform that farmers, research centers and regions will have access to. The goal of the project is to create a smart agricultural platform from the central state. It is no coincidence that the American Biden administration is going to spend 22 billion euros on the introduction of smart practices in agricultural production. In recent years, startups in Greece have developed a number of precision farming-focused applications. For example, a Greek startup has created high-tech sensors that monitor food storage conditions (wheat, corn, rice, flour, etc.) by sending measurements of temperature, humidity, oxygen, etc. to avoid product spoilage or deterioration.

hyperradar

Earth and Air Observation System

Abroad, the term “satellite mission” is used to describe the planning process for Earth observation satellite missions, which is also the name of a project that is part of the Recovery Fund. But what exactly is its object? As part of an international competition, which is expected to be announced in the near future, the Greek state will procure a high-tech radar, which is expected to be placed in a mountainous area in Greece. This system will provide the most effective surveillance of Greek airspace, as well as real-time data needed in the event of natural disasters or illegal activities. That is, it will detect any activity over the territory of Greece, providing observational data from different sensors. This information can be used by researchers studying the impact of climate change on the area, the military and civil protection in the event of natural disasters. Receiving data in real time or with a small time delay is made possible by the large number of satellites in orbit. In this direction, Greece is expected to launch a national program for the creation of small satellites, which will be used, at the initial stage, to provide secure communications services for government agencies.

Digitalization of transport

Electronic cargo tracking

Online traffic monitoring, promoted by the Independent Government Revenue Authority (AADE), is estimated to have significant benefits for the government and businesses. For example, Hungary, according to the Association of Business and Industry (BSE), increased tax revenue by 1.7 billion euros and reduced VAT losses by 5% in the first year of implementing a similar system. Freight forwarders since the Middle Ages, according to a study by the consulting company Deloitte, on behalf of their clients (for example, shipping companies, road carriers), take on the organization, storage and transportation of goods. Their control and tracking, the preparation of the necessary documents, such as printed invoices, mediation between importers-exporters and transport companies, and, in a broader sense, managing … document flow is the activity of forwarders. At the moment, AADE, as envisaged by the project, which was included in the Compensation Fund, is launching the digitization of the consignment note at the first stage, and is also contributing to the creation of an electronic goods tracking system for domestic road transport. Product description and code, place of loading and unloading, date and time of start and end of transportation, and method and purpose of transportation are some of the elements that will be recorded in the planned transport digitization platform.

Cities of the future

Apps from… sci-fi movies

The American film Minority Report is set in the futuristic city of Washington, DC in the year 2054, where crime does not exist because technology prevents any type of criminal activity before it occurs. The projects included in the Recovery Fund for the Technological Modernization of Greek Urban Centers may not have much to do with the eradication of criminal activity, but they include a number of digital applications that are reminiscent of a sci-fi movie. For example, in the municipality of Athens, using smart sensors, it will be possible to control the degree of filling of waste bins in order to use the waste truck fleet for the intended purpose. A Digital Business Oversight Center is also underway to deal with more serious incidents that may occur in places such as schools. This will be possible due to the receipt of information about what is happening through cameras, sensors, etc. In Rhodes, it is planned to create a fire protection system with smart cameras and sensors, as well as a number of intelligent systems that will manage pedestrian crossings, the energy needs of buildings and the movement of vehicles. On the island of Hippocrates, a network of sensors is yet to be set up in schools to monitor air quality, pollutants and possible building vibrations.