Calpe is moving forward in its commitment to becoming a Smart Tourist Destination. As part of the Tourism Sustainability Plan for Destinations within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) funded by the European Union - Next Generation, Calpe Town Council plans to implement a smart lighting and irrigation system in the near future, as well as monitoring environmental parameters in order to offer more sustainable and efficient management of the municipality.
The Calpe Town Council has already put out to tender the first two contracts: one for the installation of smart irrigation sensors and the other for the implementation of the three verticals - irrigation, lighting and environment - on the council's Smartcity platform, which are currently being evaluated and awaiting award. It plans to put the contracts for smart lighting and environmental monitoring out to tender in the coming weeks.
This marks the start of the technological actions of the PSTD, which were already included in the Calpe Town Council's Master Plan for Tourism. The smart irrigation project will enable the irrigation of different green areas of the town to be controlled remotely using information recorded by sensors that will measure soil temperature and humidity, solar radiation, wind speed, ambient temperature and rainfall. The aim is to optimise the use of material and human resources in the operation and maintenance of the irrigation area, as well as to reduce water consumption and related costs. It has a base budget of €62,126.03 and is expected to be completed within a year.
Similarly, the smart lighting project aims to install low-energy streetlights and a lighting management system that will enable any faults or breakdowns to be detected immediately, take real-time readings and discriminate lighting needs according to the tourist season and the number of people in each public space. For its part, environmental monitoring will provide information on pollution levels in the municipality, air quality and UV rays, among other parameters, through weather stations installed in public buildings.
These verticals must be integrated into the Smartcity platform, where all the data recorded by the different sensors, weather stations and other sources will be collected, both in real time and for historical consultation. This contract has a base price of €52,000.
‘With these actions, Calpe is taking a firm step towards a more innovative, resilient and sustainable tourism model. The data recorded will facilitate decision-making, as well as improving the response and quality of services provided to citizens,’ said Mireia Ripoll, Councillor for Tourism Planning.