MINHANG has been selected as the first pilot project district for Shanghai's new "smart city" concept. Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) 3G technology is turning the district into a wireless vision of the future, and its benefits go far beyond just techno-geeks. Old and young alike in the district will see their lives transformed. Take a peek into the future and see how education, health, safety and community communications will be revolutionized.


Baby Online

Guo Ling, a white-collar worker in Minhang, was on a business trip to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou in June, but she never lost sight of her four-year-old son back home.

Thanks to the Baby Online system, Guo could watch her son in real-time while he was playing and studying at the Bihuali Kindergarten in Minhang.

Starting last year, the kindergarten installed cameras in classrooms and around playgrounds to enable parents to watch what their children are doing, as they are doing it. Video images are transmitted to parents' mobile phones and computers.

The new system has stirred a lot of interest from parents. No longer will they have to wait and attend parent-teacher meetings to find out how their youngsters are doing. They can see for themselves.

A mother named May Chen praised her five-year-old daughter's kindergarten performance after watching the in-class video. "Dear, you performed really well today, active in playing games and polite when talking with others," the mother told her daughter.

Every two days, Chen said she monitors her daughter's progress in kindergarten. "I can find out if she's happy at the school. I can find out what she's learning. I can see how she gets on with other children," Chen said.

Parenting forums and child-care guidance are also available on Baby Online.

The program, designed by China Mobile's Shanghai branch, has been implemented on an experimental basis at four kindergartens in Minhang.


Alarm Systems

For seniors living alone, security and safety concerns loom large. But for Li Jindi, a 65-year-old retiree living in the Xinshidai Residential Community in Minhang's Gumei area, there's no reason to worry because a smart system is monitoring everything inside her apartment.

"If burglars enter my home, I will be informed immediately," she said.

The secret is the alarm system installed at her home, which relies on the TD-SCDMA 3G technology. The system involves a fixed wireless telephone, sensors such as magnetic door detectors, mobile phones and 3G network.

Two magnetic door detectors are posted at different positions on the door.

If a thief enters the apartment, the magnetic door detectors will detect the abnormal movement and send out an alarm. A wireless telephone will then ring to scare the burglar away. If the resident isn't at home, the system sends a message automatically to the apartment owner's mobile phone, informing him or her that there is an "uninvited guest."

"I find the system very helpful because I don't need to be concerned about burglary when I am out," Li said.

Her sitting room and kitchen have also been installed with electronic systems that can detect smoke and gas leaks and sound an alarm.

At the Xinshidai community in Gumei, 60 households have been installed with the systems.


Electronic Health Tracking

A similar remote service is being pioneered in the field of health. This project allows users to check their medical records no matter where they are, using wireless technology.

Liu Gennong, a diabetic senior citizen living in the Qibao area, asked his son Liu Yue to make an appointment for him at the Gumei community health service center. Rather than making the trip to the center, Liu Yue simply logged onto the website where a platform of electronic health records are available.

The health record of the elderly Liu, including doctors who had diagnosed him, his medical history and health tips for him, appeared on the screen immediately. That was accompanied by information about hospitals and community health service centers across the district.

Within minutes, Liu Yue finished making an appointment for his father electronically.

"It is really convenient and efficient," his father said.

The system can also inform users when to pick up results of medical exams and when vaccinations are due.

To date, the health records of 1.2 million residents have been put online.

The Minhang Hospital for Women and Children also has a pilot project at the wireless frontline.

Its vehicles are equipped with wireless network cards, and netbooks run into residential complexes to provide health checks and consultation for women and children. Results of health examinations can be printed out at the vehicle and be simultaneously transmitted to the hospital records department.

About 95 percent of Minhang residents are expected to have their health records online by the end of 2015.


Community Notice

Community notice boards have always been the principal herald of what's going on in neighborhoods, but TD technology is changing the face of things.

Through the Community Information Platform, local information about such events as planned power cuts or community elections will be at the fingertips with a mobile phone.

The platform is interactive, allowing residents to express their opinions or offer suggestions to local officials. Both sides benefit from closer communications.

If a resident finds a manhole cover missing or sees a tree downed by wind, he or she can transmit photos of the problem via the platform to the relevant authorities.

Recently, a resident detected a gas leak at the Shuangyong Park on Longming Road. He informed the residential committee through the Community Information Platform, and the issue was immediately passed on to police and the gas company. Within minutes, more than 40 officials and volunteers rushed to the scene, and people were evacuated while repairs were undertaken.

Nearly 4,000 residents in Minhang are now connected with the platform, which will eventually be expanded district-wide.


Technology shapes the future

Minhang is stepping up efforts in remodel itself into a "smart" district where communications between residents and officials are more fluid and where the quality of community life can be enhanced by wireless technology.

In the next five years, the district plans to use information technology to improve public service functions, enhance health and safety, provide expanded entertainment and feed valuable information to residents on any subject that interests them - from farm techniques to exercise regimes.

Companies based in Minhang are being encouraged to improve their manufacturing processes through design and production management provided via wireless networks.

An agricultural service information platform will be established to keep farmers up-to-date on the latest in crop advances and marketing. Rainfall and temperatures can be monitored from a distance and advisories posted.

Information technology will also be used to manage road systems and ensure a smoother flow of traffic via global positioning systems and video surveillance.

By 2015, more than 90 percent of households in Minhang will enjoy access to 100 megabyte-per-second broadband.

The district government will also beef up its own performance by linking departments and sharing information via wireless systems.

Efforts to construct a wireless network across the Hongqiao transport hub, the Xinzhuang transport hub and the Xinzhuang Industrial Zone will be accelerated, and construction of 21 3G base stations in Minhang will be finished within the year.

Local official estimate that the number of subscribers to the Internet Protocol TV service in Minhang will reach 180,000 by the end of 2012.

Minhang's Zizhu Science Park, under a recent deal signed with Shanghai Telecom, will install the latest in information technology in the industrial zone.

The park will be covered by a fiber-optic network that will operate at speeds of 1,000 megabits per second and will feature a wireless network. Shanghai Telecom will also provide an intelligent security-monitoring system, an environmental pollution alarm system and a smart card system to the park.

A number of cultural and sports facilities and community service centers in Minhang will have WiFi access within the year.

That list includes: Minhang Library, the Science and Technology Museum, the district archives, the Shanghai City Theatre, the indoor stadium, Hongyuan and Xinzhuang parks, and the Qizhong Tennis Center.