The smart cities project, which will see the lives of Paphos residents transformed by the use of data and technology, was the topic of an information session held at Palia Ilektriki cultural centre in the town last week.

The aim was to show how Paphos municipality is implementing its objectives to transform the town into a smart, digital city, according to an announcement.

The information workshop was organised by the municipality in the framework of the project “Development of smart city applications in the municipalities of Cyprus, Crete and the North Aegean”.

Speaking at the workshop, Paphos Mayor, Phedonas Phedonos, gave an extensive briefing on the actions of the municipality, which are being implemented through tenders and strategic partnerships which are developing the vision for its implementation.

The relevant officials also presented the basic parameters of the project and the benefits that it will bring to the municipality of Paphos.

Under the programme, the integrated operational plan for the conversion of Paphos into a “smart city” has already been developed, and the development of a pioneering application with augmented reality for the promotion of culture, tourism and entrepreneurship, as well as a study on city branding is underway.

The tender will be launched shortly for the supply and installation of Wi-Fi hotspots and touchscreens, it was announced.

The Smart Cities project is being implemented under the Interreg V-A Greece-Cyprus 2014-2020 co-operation programme and is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and using funds from both Greece and Cyprus.

The municipality of Paphos is the lead partner, while the partners are twinned with Paphos and are the municipalities of Chania and Lesbos.

The Smart Cities, which started operating on 01/11/2017, has a duration of 24 months and a total budget of €643,000.