IplanRio was at the heart of discussions on the future of smart cities during Rio Innovation Week, the largest technology and innovation event in Latin America. Representing the company, president João Carabetta participated in the roundtable “Smart City Hall: Data, AI, and Democracy at the Center of Digital Transformation” on Wednesday afternoon (08/13).

The panel was moderated by the Undersecretary of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Bernardo Ainbinder, and featured Gabriela Gervason, Coordinator of Citizen Relations, and Rafael Wanderley, Director of the Innovation Laboratory at the Municipal Secretariat of Economic Development.

Bernardo opened the conversation by contextualizing the current state of technology in the public sector. Gabriela then presented initiatives that are changing how citizens interact with city governments worldwide through simple communication tools like WhatsApp. The second project, currently in the testing phase in the capital, is the Virtual Citizen, which uses Artificial Intelligence and cameras from the Rio Operations Center (COR) to identify problems and trigger solutions even before the public requests them. Another example is the online scheduling system for the Unified Registry (Cadastro Único), which is already operational, eliminating in-person lines and making life easier for thousands of people.

Rafael Wanderley spoke about the Centro Box Rio, a project created in 2022 that is now entering its third cycle. The initiative creates a controlled environment to test innovations aimed at public spaces, such as drone delivery, electric charging stations, and solutions from startups that need support to be implemented.

Closing the panel, João Carabetta presented his career path at Rio City Hall, which began at the Municipal Secretariat of Transportation, and highlighted how technology now allows for meeting multiple demands with greater agility and precision. He explained the process of creating the Municipal Data Lake, which centralizes and organizes data from different agencies, allowing for the automation of processes and a reduction in response times for citizens.

“Organizing and integrating data is essential for us to make quick and assertive decisions. Today, with the Data Lake, this process is automatic, which directly reflects in the improvement of services and the citizen experience,” emphasized Carabetta.

IplanRio's participation in Rio Innovation Week reinforces the company's role as a protagonist of digital transformation in Rio de Janeiro, combining technology, data intelligence, and innovation to build a more efficient, connected, and democratic city.

‍