Hangzhou launches upgraded City Brain system

Alibaba Group's cloud computing arm, Alibaba Cloud, announced a major upgrade to its 2.0 version of the ET City Brain system on Dec 29, aiming to further explore the relationship between city management, traffic, health and tourism, according to a conference held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Alibaba Cloud's City Brain solution has been piloted at the company's headquarters in Hangzhou since 2017, using artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing technology in urban transport management by speeding up the traffic efficiency of Hangzhou.

At Alibaba's annual computing conference 2018, the company launched the 2.0 version of the system, which is capable of covering all 420 square kilometers of urban areas of Hangzhou.

With the upgraded version of the system, not only will the scope be extended to other districts, but it also allows local citizens to spot available parking spaces nearby simply via the mobile phones, or see the doctor before paying fees in one time.

Wang Jian, Alibaba Group's chief architect and founder of Alibaba Cloud, noted that one of the major breakthroughs of the upgraded solution lies in the establishment of a neutral system through which different departments interconnect and coordinate with each other.

A total of nine preferential measures covering smart tourism, transportation, health, car parking and police services were also released, which are expected to be put into practice this year.