Urban management app nearly ready to go

Chinese city residents are welcoming a new urban management system to redefine their identity as the owners of the city.

The system, with a design based on the internet of things, mass data and most importantly the involvement of citizens, was wheeled out by an R&D center co-established by the China Center for Urban Development, Huawei Technologies Co and iSoftStone Information Technology (Group) Co at an achievements exhibition for the last five years.

Aimed at handling problems in the blind corners of the city, the system, which will serve as a bridge between urban citizens and municipal management units, can help the government make swift and effective plans by better utilizing the monitoring system and the internet of things.

With the app already available on the mobile app stores, urban residents living in the covered cities can upload photos of the management flaws, such as illegal parking and emergencies, through the app. The system will then give the best order by analyzing factors like location and traffic conditions to related government units.

"The plan varies from city to city but the core of all plans is the same, which is the involvement of the citizens," said Li Tie, head of the China Center for Urban Development at the National Development and Reform Commission. "We drew the plans in accordance with the present infrastructure conditions of the cities in China, and some cities are ready to apply the system in the coming years."

According to the center, the system is now at the end of its test stage and ready to be put into practice.

Opening in Beijing on Monday, the achievements exhibition of the last five years presents many of the successes achieved in various fields in the last half-decade to welcome the opening of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.