The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be a good test of information technology for Russia

"The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be a good information technology test for Russia," said Dmitry Shepelyavy, Deputy CEO of SAP CIS.

Dmitry Shepelyavy has 18 years of experience in the Russian software and information technology market.At 100+ ForumRussia, Dmitry took part in the plenary session and spoke about the cities of the future: from infrastructure to services for citizens.

SAP presented the Smart Stadium and Smart Airport projects at the exhibition of the latest achievements and technologies in construction, which was held for the first time as part of the 100+ forum. It was about "smart projects", intelligent programs and digitalization in various sectors of the economy that our journalist talked to Dmitry Shepelyavy.

- Explain to me, an ordinary citizen, what is your smart city project?

- The first is the management of housing and communal services, in particular, energy efficiency, based on electricity consumption sensors and profiles of residents, taking into account, for example, the schedule according to which they are accustomed to turn on and off the lights. This includes transport management: traffic lights and lanes, intelligent parking. A smart city is also about proper tourism.  For example, in Barcelona, with our help, an intelligent system has been implemented that helps a person determine where there is a crowd of people and where, on the contrary, it is empty and you can enjoy the views of the city or sit in silence. She will also think over the most convenient route to be able to visit wherever she wants, and at the same time not stand in queues. This is also data-driven medicine, a "smart" solution that works with a large amount of medical data and with certain algorithms.  So, for example, your condition is analyzed – blood pressure, pulse, how long have you visited a doctor, general medical history, and the system, taking into account all these parameters, can warn you in advance about any problems or risks. Let's say he advises you to visit a doctor and do an ECG, as there will be an increased likelihood of a heart attack.

Of course, construction can also be part of a smart city. It's no secret that construction delays often occur due to inadequate planning or logistical problems. Basic management of transport logistics, vehicle sensors, its load speed, as well as information about the availability of materials at one construction site and the absence at another – all this will help plan the process so as to avoid delays and downtime.

Security, by the way, is also part of the smart city system. Most cities are starting to use the concept of a "smart city" from there. There are surveillance cameras and alarms on buildings. For example, cameras in Moscow began to work on face recognition, and our capital is not in the forefront here. China has the lead in this area. As an example, 25 criminals were caught at a sporting event there only because cameras captured faces in real time and compared them with a database of law enforcement agencies.

- Are such projects expensive from an economic point of view? What is their payback?

- Of course, they are repayable. However, if we talk about medicine or safety, then, in my opinion, this is generally outside the financial zone, as it concerns people's lives and health. If we talk about commercialization, ecology is a great example. For example, the collection of fines from companies that illegally dispose of garbage has increased significantly in Moscow. Using satellite data, such actions are very easy to track, and the offending company automatically receives an impressive fine.

- In your experience, is there more budgetary (state, regional, municipal) or private investment in such programs?

- Now it's the budget, and this is the situation not only in Russia, but also in the world as a whole. Most of these projects are initiated by the authorities and funded by the state, usually starting with security projects and tourism programs.

- At the 100+ forum, you are presenting the Smart Airport and Smart Stadium projects. Tell us more about them.

- The Smart Stadium project was shown using the example of an existing facility, the Alliance Arena, located in Munich (Germany). It is one of the most famous and largest stadiums in Europe. Here, the entire life cycle of the stadium is combined into a single digital concept. On the way to the stadium, a person can use a special mobile application to assess whether they are in time or not, the workload of certain entrances so as not to stand in line for a long time, and the schedule of the match itself. Plus, it's also a system that helps manage the entire infrastructure, analyze the workload of certain areas, the safety of people, the operation of equipment, and much more.

"And the airport?"

- In both cases, the main thing is human comfort, as well as optimization of internal processes - crowd control, terminal operation, and equipment operation on the airfield. In other words, it is the optimization of human and transport flows for maximum efficiency, convenience and safety. And all this in real time, with the possibility of rapid response, minimizing errors related to the human factor.

- Are there any requests from Russian cities regarding the Smart Stadium in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup?

- We have contacts with the organizers. It seems to me that the World Cup will be a good test for information technology.

- And what projects are already being implemented in Russia?

- An energy efficiency project is planned in Surgut, with the active support of Surgutneftegaz. A strategic agreement has been signed with the Tyumen Region, where the topics of housing and communal services and medicine are designated as the main ones. In particular, to improve the quality of medical care, it is planned to use the capabilities of big data mining based on SAP Predictive Analytics. The processing of accumulated medical data will make it possible to identify patients at risk. As a result, medical staff will be able to improve the quality of early diagnosis of diseases and create effective prevention programs, and the regional government will be able to optimize budget expenditures.

In Russia, the digital technology course is now supported at the state level, and the Digital Economy program has been adopted, which was developed and supplemented by scientists, experts, and representatives of the business community. Federal executive authorities consult, listen, and make final decisions. But the program itself is written by practitioners, specialists in a specific field.