A meeting was held between the director of the company "UTILIKS.UAN", which is the operator of the French company Sigfox in Ukraine ( Sigfox Ukraine ), Dmitry Ozerov, and the rector of Vinnytsia National Technical University (VNTU) Viktor Bilichenko within the framework of the Memorandum of Cooperation signed by both parties on November 22-26, 2021. The meeting was also attended by the dean of the Faculty of Computer Systems and Automation (from January 1 it will be called: Intelligent Information Technologies and Automation) of VNTU Volodymyr Sevastyanov and the head of the Department of Systems Analysis and Information Technologies (SAIT) of this faculty, Vitaliy Mokin, who organized this meeting. Sigfox is one of the world leaders in the field of Internet of Things and smart technologies. Its solutions have been implemented in 75 countries around the world, and about 20 million devices are connected to their network. Since 2021, the installation of Sigfox base stations has begun in Ukraine, and they already cover an area with a population of 10 million people, including a station in Vinnytsia. There are many examples of using their devices: remote collection of data on the consumption of utility resources (water meters, electricity, etc.), monitoring of fire hydrants, monitoring and maintenance of street lighting, data on the integrity of engineering infrastructure, informing about the location of available parking spaces, simplifying authorization for parking, tracking rental bike locations, tracking the working condition of medical devices, monitoring air quality and the state of water and soil, optimizing garbage collection routes, in the construction sector (tracking the hardening of concrete), in the agricultural sector, monitoring food safety, etc.
The Department of Systems Analysis and Information Technologies of VNTU has received unique Sigfox equipment, including a station for deploying a network at VNTU, sensors, microcontrollers, and smart devices. A working group is being formed on the basis of the FCSA (FIITA) to master the work with this equipment. Over time, representatives of other faculties will be able to join it. At the first stage, it is planned to introduce this equipment into the educational process for students and postgraduates. At the second stage, at the initiative of the rector, it is planned to implement a pilot project to install smart utility meters at VNTU in order to optimize energy consumption. At the third stage, students and teachers of the university will be able to develop and implement their solutions based on Sigfox not for educational purposes, but in the real sector of the economy - this direction and terms of cooperation were also raised at this meeting.
It is important that VNTU is the first higher education institution in Ukraine to sign a Memorandum with the company "UTILIKS.UAN" for the implementation of Sigfox technologies for the Internet of Things and smart solutions. It is precisely such technologies that are the future!