ISTANBUL, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The authorities on Monday spoke of transforming Istanbul into a smart city by means of high technology and innovation.
"The secret of creating a sustainable smart city, where energy is used in an efficient way without any loss, lies in high technology and innovation," Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said at the inauguration of an expo on world smart cities in Istanbul.
Kadir Topbas, mayor of Istanbul, echoed. "The solution lies in the transformation of the conventional systems into smart ones by using the driving power of high technology and innovation," he said.
Almost one fifth of Turkey's population of 79.814 million live in Istanbul, which accounts for over 30 percent of the national income, according to the latest data.
As part of the efforts to turn Istanbul into a smart city, the municipality recently launched several user-friendly applications, including mobile traffic, mobile navigation, smart buses and smart bus stops that can all be "easily accessed."
"With every system we create, we also aim to increase the life standard of Istanbulites," said Topbas.
Among the planned projects, power generation from the garbage collected across the city drew close attention at the fair.
A Turkish company, in cooperation with the municipality, seeks to generate power "in the very near future" out of gas produced from the garbage, a company official told Xinhua.
On display at the fair were smart transportation systems with alternative traffic solutions, smart banking systems, smart environmental systems for healthier life, smart security solutions including alternative surveillance systems, and waste to energy projects.
"All of them are developed in a way to obtain the largest energy saving," a municipality official said.
More than 10,000 representatives from over 100 global and local companies were joining the four-day event, while some 3,000 business people were present as well seeking cooperation and partnerships, according to press reports.
