Projects in T-City

Many exciting and useful projects in T-City ensure that Friedrichshafen’s quality of life and location is increased long term with the help of state-of-the-art telecommunications and information technology.

Telecommunications applications for practical use are being developed and tested in Friedrichshafen through 2012 with the aim of rendering life a little bit easier, more convenient and interesting for its inhabitants and creating fertile ground for innovations by companies. The projects put future visions into practice and make T-City a model for a well-networked society. The individual projects and services relate to different areas of life in the city and can be broken down into six comprehensive project fields:

• Learning and research

• Mobility and transport

• Tourism and culture

• Citizens and the state

• Business and work

• Health and support

The "learning and research" project field features the Edunex education platform. This service, which is available to many schools, includes flexible access for students and teachers to a wide range of content, such as for preparing lessons or completing homework.

Under the "mobility and transport" project field, the GPS mayday call system makes it possible to automatically locate people out on the water in distress. In an emergency, they can alert the relevant rescue coordination center by simply hitting a key on their cell phone.

Projects that are not just beneficial to Friedrichshafen's residents but also to its visitors are covered in the "tourism and culture" project field. The tourism portal enables trips to Friedrichshafen to be conveniently planned online. New visitors to the city can also easily and independently obtain information on services and tourist offers from the multimedia terminals in the city center. Ten of these terminals have a facility for the hearing impaired to make telephone calls via a sign language interpreting service. SZ NEWS, the web-based infotainment channel from the Schwäbische Zeitung newspaper, offers all T‑Home Entertain customers the latest news and videos from the Lake Constance region and around the world. What is more, the digital photo frame, with its built-in mobile communications module, receives digital photos via the T‑Mobile network.

With eGovernment, the "citizens and the state" project field aims to simplify administration processes for Friedrichshafen's residents. Instead of having to turn up at the public hall in person, they will soon be able to handle many issues online.

Innovative solutions in the area of mobile working are part of the "business and work" project field. With the Paper, Pen & Phone system, mobile employees can transmit handwritten information, with no media discontinuities, to their company's servers – from virtually anywhere in the world. The system eliminates the need for the subsequent scanning and manual entry of agreements, notes and forms. Smart metering, which is also part of the "business and work" project field, enables Friedrichshafen’s inhabitants – thanks to intelligent energy meters – to conveniently read their electricity and gas consumption online and identify power-hungry appliances in their home.

In the "health and support" project field, the Motiva telemedical system makes everyday life easier for patients suffering from heart problems. They can use this system to send vital data, such as their pulse, blood pressure and weight, via a mobile measuring device from their home to a medical care center – which means patients save time and effort whilst still receiving the same quality of care.