Algorithms and tech sharpen urban management in Qidong district

Xiong'an New Area in Hebei province is using digital tools to make urban governance smarter and create a better living and business environment for residents.

When wind blows or rain falls, when should sanitation vehicles start work? Are vehicles on the roads violating regulations? And how can dozens of tons of waste be sorted accurately? In Qidong district of Xiong'an, the answers can be found on a smart city platform.

Qin Lihong, an official with the district's bureau of urban management and comprehensive law enforcement, clicked on the platform to pull up a past case. A drone had detected vehicles parked in a fire escape passage. Almost instantly, an alert was sent to government workers, who arrived to verify the situation and persuaded the drivers to move. The entire process took about 10 minutes.

The platform incorporates a meteorological model covering temperature, humidity, wind speed, precipitation, visibility, thunderstorms, and gale warnings. It can forecast conditions three days ahead and update the data every hour.

Based on the forecasts, the system automatically generates cleaning plans, covering staffing, sanitation vehicle deployment, cleaning methods, and operating schedules, Qin said.

"For instance, on Jan 17, moderate snow fell. The system detected it in advance and activated snow-removal and deicing mode. All working vehicles were switched to snow-clearing trucks. Snow fell in the morning, and the roads were completely cleared by early afternoon," Qin said.

The district is still under construction, with muck trucks making thousands or even tens of thousands of trips each day. The smart system also helps keep the air and roads clean. "Given tight construction schedules, heavy dust pollution can occur during earth excavation. Spillage from muck trucks can also dirty urban roads. This system enables smart, whole-chain supervision," said Song Jiapeng, another official with the bureau.

Using cameras and algorithms, the system automatically checks whether vehicles have been officially registered. Equipped with Beidou navigation, each truck's route can be tracked in real time throughout its journey.

Potential sources of pollution, including overloaded trucks and speeding, are recorded and sent to officers' terminals so they can be dealt with promptly.

"Since the supervision system was put into operation, living conditions for residents have improved. After all, no one wants to live in a city plagued by dust and mud," he said.

The district is also taking a smarter approach to garbage disposal.

When residents drop off recyclables such as paper, plastic, glass, metal, and textiles, intelligent sorting machines automatically weigh the items and issue cash rebates to users' accounts. Proper disposal of hazardous waste earns green points that can be redeemed online.

"It gives residents tangible benefits from sorting waste, greatly boosting their enthusiasm," Qin said.

As of late June, 27.77 metric tons of waste had been accurately sorted through the devices, with about 30,000 yuan ($4,477) in rebates distributed to residents.

The smart city platform is also improving the business environment by saving merchants time and money when applying for storefront signs.

The traditional paper-based process often meant long waits before stores could open, repeated trips to government offices, and extra costs and delays when designs had to be revised. The platform addresses these problems by offering pre-approval services and streamlining administrative reviews.

After entering basic information such as a store name, business type, scope of operation, and sign proportions, merchants can use the system's intelligent design module to select, create, and edit sign designs free of charge.

Once a design is confirmed, users upload drawings through the intelligent review module. The system automatically provides feedback and optimization suggestions based on relevant laws, regulations, and positive and negative lists. This removes the need to hire advertising agencies while reducing compliance risks, design costs, and turnaround times.

Gao Jingyu, another official with the bureau, said merchants can submit documents via a mobile mini-program, after which law enforcement officers conduct compliance and risk assessments covering sign materials, styles, business licenses, and other criteria.

Once approved, merchants receive notifications to proceed with installation. The entire process takes no more than three working days, a major improvement over paper-based workflow time, Gao said.

After installation, merchants upload photos to the mini-program for officers to verify that the finished sign matches the approved design. All relevant data is archived, making it easier to retrieve when store management changes hands.

As of late June, the new system was receiving two to three sign applications a day, with 103 submissions made since the beginning of the year.

"We originally relied entirely on paper filings. Merchants had to submit stacks of documents, including approval forms, business licenses, sign designs, and rental contracts," Gao said.

"If any paperwork was incomplete or failed to meet requirements, they had to return and prepare the materials again, leading to lengthy back-and-forth trips. Even a one-week turnaround was considered fast."

With businesses facing high rental costs, merchants have welcomed the streamlined digital procedures and greater efficiency, Gao said.