Is Nice the Smartest City in the World? - Part One

www.consultingsmart.co.uk

By Steve Beecroft

Smart Technologies Consultant

Consulting Smart Ltd

The French city of Nice, which sits overlooking the tranquil waters of the Mediterranean Sea, was for many years an Italian dominion and became part of France in 1860. France’s fifth largest city Nice is widely believed to be one of the oldest human settlements in the world, so leading from the front and embracing change is embedded deep in the soul of the city.

This background have created a city that seeks continuous development and improvement. So the emergence of a new and innovative technology that delivers efficiencies for the local administration or provide a richer experience for citizens and visitors is almost always explored. Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) technologies are providing the city of Nice the opportunity to again look at improving the lives of the people that live and visit the city. These technologies include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and contactless Integrated Circuit (IC) chips, like those used in contactless payment cards. When coupled with a Human Interface Device (HID) such as a smart card or mobile phone, both of which are common place in a modern thriving environment, thee technologies can provide a large number of benefits to service providers and service users.

Now Nice is fast gaining a reputation of being a leader in the adoption of new technologies and could well be renamed NFC City such is its appetite to exploit the 360̊ benefits of the technology.

Amongst the Smart Technologies industry London is widely acclaimed the title holder for most technically advanced European city, however Nice is now fast catching up. The recent lull in activity in London and the UK’s seemingly reluctance to fully embrace NFC, and the increased momentum that technology is experiencing, has seen Nice overtake London. Well that is the view of many industry consultants, mostly French consultants it has to be said. Nonetheless they may well be right

Let’s explore some of the recent smart card, mobile and NFC technologies that have been deployed in and around.

Nice, Mobile Contactless City, The Multi- application Scheme

Private sector suppliers Gemalto, a world leader in digital security, Crédit Mutuel-CIC and NRJ Mobile have joined forces to offer contactless mobile payment services as part of the “Nice, mobile contactless city” project. Backed by the French government this project builds on the success for similar contactless payment rollouts in both Caen and Strasburg.

The scheme also includes a number of service providers including local transport in the form of busses and trams, banks, museums, restaurants, supermarkets and local retailers. Information dissemination services will also be available at the museum and university campus via smart posters.

Crédit Mutuel-CIC, the first French bank to launch a mobile banking service, are acting as the payment services provider, NRJ Mobile supplying the NFC enabled mobile phones and telecommunications company Orange will provide mobile services. This allows users to pay for goods and services using contactless, tap n’ go, technology in total confidence, thanks to the dedicated Trusted Services Management module that Gemalto are providing Crédit Mutuel-CIC with.

The scheme will be part of the newly created Cityzi brand name. It is based on an open platform and is governed by a set or technical specifications enabling easy participation for local service providers and retailers. Participants in the scheme can publicise the level of their involvement with a full set of marketing material including a set of Cityzi logos as follows:-

Four logos are available in all:

A logo which shows a service or a contactless mobile device is compatible with AFSCM specifications.

A 'ici Cityzi' ('Cityzi here') logo displayed prominently — in doorways and on cashtills, in the same way as card acceptance logos — in all places where Cityzi services can be used.

A target mark, to show consumers where to hold their device when interacting with a Cityzi service via a poster, billboard or other NFC-enabled object.

An icon displayed on the consumer's mobile device, allowing quick access to the list of Cityzi applications stored on the handset

The initiative is being led by Christian Estrosi, Nice City Council’s, deputy mayor, and is designed to interface with Trusted Service Partner platforms in an open environment. It also complies with the latest European Payment Council (EPC) GSMA standards and will enable the secure, over the air communications..

Whilst the Caen and Strasburg initiatives precede the Nice project they are both smart card schemes so this makes the carefully planned and well phase implemented Nice NFC project the first of its type in Europe and almost certainly the largest.

Public Transport

Veolia, the public transport operator for the Nice Côte-d'Azur urban area, and ConnecThings, location based information provider, have partnered to transform the travel experience of commuters, locals and visitors.

Again some central government funding has been made available for the development abd delivery of Veolia’s BPass+ facility which offer a method of storing and renewing a transport ticketing on an NFC phone.

Initially c3,000 residents will be able to pay for tram and bus tickets using NFC phones or via a 2D barcode.

In the second phase of this project du for launch in Summer 2010 ConnecThings are equipping around 1,500 bus and tram stops with NFC technology, allowing transport users to download travel information direct to their NFC enabled mobile phone

Cycle Rides / Walking tours

Nice is said to be the first city in the world where NFC technology will be deployed within a city area for tourist information.

An application launched earlier this year, the NFC Tour Guide of the old city centre, allows visitors to the old city to borrow one of 100 Sagem phones from tourist counters or city offices. Those that already own an NFC enabled mobile are also able to access the service via that handset Alternatively

The city have installed RFID tags with InsideContactless NFC chips to Cityzi branded signposts or walls near a number of attractions, such as museums and galleries. Tourists taking the walking tour of the old city access information about each site they visit based on the tags they wave the phones next to.

It works by the mobile phone detecting the NFC tag, and then downloads the site relevant information from the InsideContactless software running on a server, via the NFC tag. that information at each site also recommends the next site the visitor should visit and provides directions. This helps the visitor to get the most from the walking tour and promotes the old city.

There is even a facility for the visitor to leave feedback on the site or the walking tour in that form of text comments or via the old city’s Facebook site.

To generate some revenue and help fund the maintenance and replacement of the handsets, there is the opportunity for local businesses to advertise their services. By restricting the advertising to local businesses Nice is protecting its investment in regeneration and ensuring the sustainability of the scheme.

Parking

Smart Park, from Monext and VinciPark, provide a richer and more convenient parking experience by implementing cashless and contactless payment, season ticket / membership management, loyalty, GPS functionality and other value added services.

Part Two to follow with NFC developments in Air Travel, Culture, Retail, University and more

Consulting Smart Ltd provide specialist consultancy on the design and deployment of smart card and NFC technologies. For more information on how we can help your organisation realise the full benefits please see www.consultingsmart.co.uk or email us at info@consultingsmart.co.uk

T-Mobile Employees Testing NFC Based Services

The Czech Republic's T-Mobile is launching internal trial operation of NFC (Near Field Communication) technology in order to test the possibility of using SIM cards as an appropriate tool for NFC communication. During the pilot operation, a group of selected employees will use NFC handsets/SIM cards to access the T-Mobile building and their offices, print documents on the network printer and make payments in the canteen.

The first results of the trial operation should be available in the second half of this year.

From a mobile operator's view, a telephone is an ideal tool for NFC technology. Given the areas of use - primarily for identification, but in the future also for payments for example - the security of the entire technology is of utmost importance. Unlike in a number of other NFC tests, T-Mobile has selected SIM cards as secure storage media.

The pilot operation is being conducted at the T-Mobile building in Prague's Roztyly district. Selected employees will use NFC to access the building, print documents and make payments. The trial operation will also focus on improving the user interface in handsets, testing the remote secured NFC data management on SIM cards and connecting this system to the operator's other IT systems. The evaluation of the pilot operation will serve as a basis for the deployment of NFC technology in other projects implemented with external partners.

T-Mobile cooperated on the development of NFC SIM cards exclusively with Gemalto. The telephones for the pilot operation were provided by Samsung; the model used is an NFC variant of the Samsung S5230 Star, a touch-screen smartphone. In the near future, T-Mobile plans to test Gemalto solutions making NFC technology available also on phones that are not NFC-enabled (whereas an NFC SIM card is sufficient).

The other companies participating in the pilot operation at the T-Mobile building are Xerox, provider of printing systems and services; Alimex, provider of the access system; and Eurest, which operates the dining facility and cash-register systems in T-Mobile's canteen.

Biometric security system installed at nursery

from the Evesham Journal

Crown House Day Nursery has become the first nursery school in Evesham to have a new hi-tech security system installed using fingerprint identification for access.

Nursery owner Louise Lees said: “We feel that in recent times the security of your child whilst at nursery has become increasingly significant, and we have acknowledged this by incorporating the use of the biometric technology to enhance our already sound child protection policies.

“Feedback from the parents has been overwhelmingly positive, and they really value the added peace of mind.”

The equipment has been provided by Easy Dentic, an international company renowned for being leaders in the field of biometrics.

Consulting Smart Ltd design build and implement Access control and Registration solutions using smart cards, wristbands and biometrics. For more information click www.consultingsmart.co.uk or email Steve Beecroft our Smart Technologies Consultant, on sbeecroft@consultingsmart.co.uk

How Smart Cards Protect Your Networks and Data

The emergence of the World Wide Web as a global, around the clock marketplace has opened a multitude of new opportunities to businesses which have never before been seen. Computers and global communication networks have brought vendors, customers and markets together in new and beneficial ways. Along with all of the benefits which business has gained from the information age come some downsides. New crimes have not been created by new technology, but rather new technology has given new tools to criminals to commit the same crimes as they always have. The difference is that criminals now have a global reach, just as businesses do. In the U.S. at least, the responsibility for protecting consumers from having their personal information pilfered is placed upon businesses.

While some will blame the computer itself for crimes involving identity theft, it is usually not the computer but rather the way in which the victim has made use of it which is at issue. Their lack of attention to network and computer security has offered access to criminals – right into their home or business. After all, if we never lock our doors, would we blame the contractor who built our home for a burglary? In a corporate environment, it is typically employees, including IT staff who are really at fault.

About 70% of data breaches at businesses can be laid at the feet of people within the company. Employees using weak passwords or making the egregious mistake of writing down their passwords in plain view allow unscrupulous employees and others easy access to company information. Employees know that the quickest way to find a password is to sit at someone’s desk; quite often, employees will tape passwords on notes on the monitor, to the desk (or underneath it) or in desk drawers, often simply labeled “passwords” or worse yet, on the desktop of their computer in an unencrypted document. Keep in mind that if a security breach happens through the use of a legitimate user name and password, it is very difficult for your IT staff to catch. Poor password management on the part of your employees can give criminals complete access to sensitive corporate data.

IT departments try to reduce the risk of data breaches through the implementation of stronger security policies. There are six basic rules of password security which they commonly use. These are:

LENGTH – Passwords should always be at least eight characters long. The longer, the better as long as you can remember your password.
RANDOMNESS – A password should be difficult to guess. Use combinations of numbers and letters; words, dates and so on.
COMPLEXITY – Employ a mix of numbers, punctuation marks and lower and uppercase letters in your passwords.
UNIQUENESS – Use a unique password for each user account.
ROTATION – Passwords should be changed every two to three months.
MANAGEMENT – Never let anyone see your password. And never, ever write it down.

The conflict which is going here is between IT departments and other employees. As IT departments make security measures more complex and difficult for employees, they use weaker security habits to increase the ease of access for themselves. Employees will nearly always forgo security for the sake of convenience.

One way to avoid this conflict is to adopt token based password management. These sorts of systems include:

Security:
o PIN protected smartcards which lock data after a predetermined number of failed attempts at access.
o Passwords are never stored in computers, where hackers and snoopers can find and use them.
o Passwords can be as long as 20 characters, with all 96 possible characters on the keyboard being available to use.
o Each website, encrypted file and network can (and should) have its own unique, complex.
o Since your passwords are never typed in, a keylogger cannot record them.
o The card can be encrypted so that only the software used to manage the cards can access the data on them.

Convenience:
o The management system for these cards can handle logins for different accounts, files, applications and networks.
o The management system can launch a web browser, navigate to the appropriate login page and take care of authentication, all with a double click.
o Users never have to remember (or type)passwords.
o Users will have their passwords on them at all times.
o These cards can be carried in a wallet or even used as an employee ID badge.
o Passwords will not be written or stored where they can be found.
o Cards can store over 100 different passwords and their associated account information
o Login sites are saved to the card.

Portability:
o Passwords are available to users at any workstation once their smartcard is inserted.
o The card can be used in the office or at home or from another remote location. These sorts of smartcards are great for students and others as well.
o Smartcards are ideal for employees who work remotely but need secure access to the company network.

It takes more than just a password to make your network secure, but with the use of security tokens, passwords are no longer the weakest link in a company’s security scheme. Tokens have been developed by security companies for a variety of different applications – companies can evaluate these offerings on the basis of form, usability, the amount of modifications which will be required in their infrastructure, ease of installation and of course, cost. Some smartcards offer advances security but also mean that a lot of back-end server work must be done in order to implement them. Others are easy to set up and use, but are a risk if they are lost or stolen.

Business owners are required by the Privacy Protection Act to keep customer data secure. While no one security measure can provide total security, proper password management should be part of every company’s overall security strategy.

“May your data be secure and your identity be your own.”


Dovell Bonnett is the author of “Online Identity Theft Protection For Dummies(R) – Power LogOn Edition”, founder & CEO of Access Smart (access-smart.com) and the host of IDProtectionExpert.com. He provides security solutions to businesses, campuses, and mobile employees.

Football Clubs and Councils Collaborate with Smart Cards

Week in the Life of a Football Supporter with a Residents Smart Card.
Part 3 of 8

Wednesday
Sam follows his usual routine into work using the “Residents and Supporters” smart card on the bus and to access his office building. Today is Sam’s birthday and direct from the football club CRM to his mobile phone via text he has received a 2-4-1 offer to eat in the restaurant at the stadium so at lunch time Sam meets his wife for lunch. The offer also states that if he pays for the meal with the closed purse on his “Residents and Supporters” smart card he will receive treble loyalty points. Sam tops up his e-purse on his “Residents and Supporters” smart card by text message. Sam redeems the 2-4-1 offer and pays for the meal with the closed e-purse on his “Residents and Supporters” smart card.

When Sam returns to work he uses the “Residents and Supporters” smart card to access his office building.

After work Sam decides to go to the gym he uses the “Residents and Supporters” smart card for the bus journey and once at the gym, which is a council leisure centre, Sam uses the “Residents and Supporters” smart card to gain entry to the centre as it is also his membership card for the leisure centre. Sam also uses the “Residents and Supporters” smart card inside the leisure centre to register his use of the gym and again use of the swimming pool. Sam then travels home on the bus using the “Residents and Supporters” smart card for the journey home.

At home Sam logs on to www.yourfootballclub.co.uk and checks the balance on his loyalty account and discovers that he has an additional 350 points for topping up, paying in the restaurant and also a bonus for his birthday. Sam has also been given additional points for participating I physical activity at the gym, this is an PCT initiative to promote healthy living and combat obesity and help reduce the pressure on the local NHS. The scheme is supported by the Local council and the football club. (14)

THE END

If you want to see what Sam can do with the "Residents and Supporters" smartcard during the rest of his week follow, then us on Twitter http://twitter.com/SmartStadia and you will get a tweet when each day goes live.

Football Clubs and Councils Collaborate with Smart Cards

Week in the Life of a Football Supporter with a Residents Smartcard.
Part 4 of 8

Thursday
Sam follows his usual routine into work using the “Residents and Supporters” smart card on the bus and to access his office building.

At lunch time Sam goes to town and buys a CD from a local music store and some accessories for his car from a national motor factors retailer using the EMV payment on his “Residents and Supporters” smart card.

Sam has study leave in the afternoon and travel home on the bus using his “Residents and Supporters” card, and collects his Business Management course books and course work . At home Sam logs on to www.yourfootballclub.co.uk and checks the balance on his loyalty account and discovers that he has an additional 160 points for the EMV transactions at the local music store and the national motor factors retailer. As these transaction are using the EMV payment facility they attract a slightly lower rate than transactions using the pre pay e-purse on the “Residents and Supporters” card.

As Sam is registered as a mature student studying at the stadium he is allowed free access to the WiFI within the stadium conference suite. Sam drives to the stadium early, for his second study night of the week, as he is meeting a study buddy there. On arrival at the stadium Sam presents his “Residents and Supporters” card to the parking barrier which opens as it knows from the CRM that Sam is studying tonight and is entitled to free parking. Sam uses the “Residents and Supporters” card to log on to the network using dual factor authentication and the system recognises Sam is registered with a sight impairment and has stored visual preferences to help him read the text. The system is set to Sam’s preferences. This same function could be used to change language for those whose first language is not English.

Once the evenings study is over Sam leaves the car park again using the “Residents and Supporters” card to open the exit barrier.

When Sam gets home he again checks his Loyalty Points balance and sees that, just as he did on Monday evening he received 50 point for attending college, this is part of a local “back to work” programme run by the council and supported by local businesses. (12)

THE END

If you want to see what Sam can do with the "Residents and Supporters" smartcard during the rest of his week follow, then us on Twitter http://twitter.com/SmartStadia and you will get a tweet when each day goes live.

Football Clubs and Councils Collaborate with Smartcards

Week in the Life of a Football Supporter with a Residents Smartcard.
Part 2 of 8

TUESDAY
Sam follows his usual routine into work using the “Residents and Supporters” smart card on the bus and to access his office building. At lunch time he goes in to the local library and borrows a book relating to his Business Management course. He uses the self service desk and presents the “Residents and Supporters” smart card to register the loan of the books, the card is also acts as his library card.

Sam decides to go straight to the football club from the office and meets his friend outside the stadium, where Sam realises that he has forgotten his ticket. However Sam is not concerned as he simply goes to the club shop where they read his card and confirm he was issued with a valid ticket and validate the access control system to accept the card. (In reality Sam did not need to do this as when he used the card to ID himself online the previous day when purchasing the tickets, the card and the barcoded ticket were automatically added to the access control system as valid for entry for this game. The system however would only accept the first form i.e. card or ticket for entry, once one form had been used the second would be automatically rendered void this is for security and revenue protection purposes.)

Sam’s friend arrives and they both enter the stadium Sam with the “Residents and Supporters” smart card and his friend with his own barcoded ticket. In the stadium Sam and friend both get a drink and something to eat. As Sam has the “Residents and Supporters” smart card he goes straight to the cashless payment queue which is shorter than the cash queue and to boost take up of the new “Residents and Supporters” card there is a discount on all product when paying by the pre pay e-purse. Sam pays using the closed e-purse and he is served quicker than his friend who is paying with cash and saves money. Sam then receives a text message from the football club Events Team thanking him for entering the stadium early and offers him a bogoff offer on the new line in pasties from a local bakers if he uses his closed e-purse for payment.

Sam and friend watch the first half during which Sam tops up his e-purse on his “Residents and Supporters” smart card by text message. Then at half time he takes advantage of the bogoff offer.

After the match friend Sam uses the “Residents and Supporters” smart card for the bus journey home. At home Sam checks his loyalty account and sees a total of 125 new points from the purchases and entering the stadium early. (10)

THE END

If you want to see what Sam can do with the "Residents and Supporters" smartcard during the rest of his week follow, then us on Twitter http://twitter.com/SmartStadia and you will get a tweet when each day goes live. Alternatively if you would like to find out what the costs and benefits associated with multi application smartcards in a football club or local authority environment would be please click >http://www.smartstadia.com

Football Clubs and Councils Collaborate with Smartcards

Week in the Life of a Football Supporter with a Residents Smartcard.

Part 1 of 8

BACKGROUND
Our fan, Sam, is a typical family man looking to improve his future prospects. He is thirtysomething and married with two young children. He lives with his family in rented accommodation with the local council appointed housing association. He works full time 9-5 with the local council as HR officer and is also a part-time mature student studying Business Management two evenings per week.

Sam goes to almost every home game and around 5 away games per season, but he is not a season ticket holder, he cant afford the one off cost and does not know about the budget plan payment terms. He usually meets friend before home games at a local pub as he believes it is too expensive to eat and drink in the stadium.

Sam Has a “Residents and Supporters” smart card issued by the local football club but as a Joint venture with the local council. The card is a Football Club Membership Card with a closed purse for use in the stadium and the club shop in the town centre. It also has a Europay / MasterCard / Visa (EMV) payment and is Local Authority Smart card Standards e-Organisation (LASSeO) & Integrated Transport Standards Organisation (ITSO) compliant, so it can be used to gain access to council provided services and on local transport. The card has also been developed and encoded in accordance with the emerging Football Association standards for smartcard technology in stadia.

MONDAY
Sam logs on to www.yourfootballclub.co.uk and checks the fixtures for the coming month, decides to purchase two tickets for tomorrow nights cup game, he will take a friend from work who has never been before. Sam keys in his “Residents and Supporters” card number into the purchase screen. Sam then chooses to pay for the ticket with the EMV payment. Once the purchase is complete Sam check his Loyalty points balance and it have increased by 200 one for each ticket. Then he chooses the “print at home” option and prints both barcoded tickets, then sets off for work.

The bus arrives and Sam gets on and presents his “Residents and Supporters” card, which stores his ITSO compliant monthly bus ticket to the reader.

On arrival at work Sam presents his “Residents and Supporters” card to the access control reader at his office building to open the door, because the card is Sam’s staff pass it allows him access to his office and it also has his photo on it. At lunch time Sam is busy so decides to have something quick at the staff restaurant. Most of the staff have council issued cards for Access ID and to pay for food but Sam’s can use his “Residents and Supporters” card in the staff restaurants of which there are three across the whole council. The e-purse used in the council restaurants, unlike the prepay e-purse used in the football club, is not part of the loyalty programme at all and thus Sam’s spending in any on the three restaurants do not accrue any loyalty points. However both e-purses reside on the “Residents and Supporters” card.

At 17:00 Sam leave the office and travels home on the bus again using his “Residents and Supporters” card, which stores his ITSO compliant monthly bus ticket.

Monday is one of Sam’s two nights at college so Sam drives to the football club where the course is being held in the conference facilities. On arrival at the stadium Sam presents his “Residents and Supporters” card to the parking barrier which opens as it knows from the CRM that Sam is Studying tonight and is entitled to free parking. Once the evenings study is over Sam leaves the car park again using the “Residents and Supporters” card to open the exit barrier.

When Sam gets home he again checks his Loyalty Points balance and sees that he received 50 point for attending college, this is part of a local “back to work” programme run by the council and supported by local businesses. (9)

Part 2 of 8 due very soon