Koelus and Sagulpa transform two historic markets in the Canary Islands into Smart City benchmarks

Deployment of private LoRaWAN® networks, installation of 275 IoT devices, and integration of all data into an advanced management platform to revolutionize the citizen experience in local commerce.

Context

The Municipal Markets of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, such as the Mercado Central and the Mercado del Puerto, are iconic venues that blend history, local community and shopping. However, in today’s increasingly digital world, these traditional markets must adapt to remain relevant, competitive and sustainable in a context characterized by the growing dominance of large retail outlets and digital platforms.

To achieve this, Sagulpa, a municipal entity established by the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council, has launched a pioneering smart digitalization project. As part of the FEDER Canarias 2021–2027 program, the initiative aims to transform these markets into connected, efficient environments focused on the consumer experience.

Challenge

The main challenge of this innovative project was to transform two historic markets into smart spaces while preserving their daily operations and distinctive identity. Several key issues had to be addressed to achieve this:

1. Digitizing an existing infrastructure without carrying out complex or invasive construction work.
2. Deploying a scalable, energy-efficient IoT (Internet of Things) network in complex urban commercial environments.
3. Ensuring public ownership of the data generated and integrating it with the city’s Digital Twin and municipal Open Data portal.
4. Enabling citizen-focused functionalities, such as personalized promotions and real-time contextual information.

Solution

Aritium, through its new commercial brand Koelus created to expand its technological innovation beyond the healthcare sector, designed and implemented a comprehensive technological solution based on:

• The deployment of a private LoRaWAN network in each market using multiple Aritium Box, units. These wireless communication boxes, designed by Aritium, integrate a LoRaWAN Gateway, a mini UPS, and a smart plug to ensure system operability even in the event of a power outage.

• The installation of 275 IoT devices, including people counting sensors, motion detectors, door contact sensors, geolocation beacons, lighting sensors, temperature, humidity, and air quality sensors, ultrasonic level sensors for waste bins, and digital information screens.

• The integration of all data into Aritium Platform, an advanced platform for remote, real-time monitoring and management of IoT devices.

This infrastructure, based on the long-range, low-power LoRaWAN communication standard, allows for rapid and simple deployment of the network and devices, while offering a high level of scalability and flexibility to integrate future technological solutions that respond to the evolving needs of the city’s municipal markets.

Benefits

The successful implementation of this project has positioned Koelus as a key player in the urban digital transformation of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, demonstrating how innovation can drive the competitiveness and sustainability of local shopping.

Among the most significant benefits achieved by the Mercado Central and the Mercado del Puerto are:

• Knowledge: attendance, environmental conditions and visitor behaviour monitoring.
• Efficiency and cleanliness: optimizing collection times for waste bins, preventing rubbish from spilling over and keeping public spaces cleaner.
• Energy savings: automation of lighting and climate control systems based on actual occupancy, door and window status, air quality, temperature, and humidity.
• Smart communication: personalized promotions, smart dynamic signage, and digital interaction with users.
• Data governance and interoperability: seamless integration with the municipal digital ecosystem, full public ownership of data, and complete traceability.

Through this initiative, Koelus and Sagulpa have turned two historic markets into Smart City benchmarks, reinforcing their role as vibrant, modern spaces aligned with the future vision of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as a smart and connected city.

About Sagulpa

Sagulpa (Sociedad Municipal de Aparcamientos de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, S.A.) is a publicly owned company of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council, responsible for managing public parking, regulated street parking, urban mobility, and city-focused innovation.

Today, Sagulpa is driving a comprehensive transformation towards a smarter, sustainable, and better-connected city through digitalization projects, sustainable mobility services, energy efficiency initiatives, smart traffic management, and new technological solutions aimed at improving citizen wellbeing.

For more information, visit www.sagulpa.com, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Koelus

Koelus is the new commercial brand of Aritium, a leading company in healthcare innovation, created to expand its experience and technology to other key areas aof application such as Smart Building, Smart City, Smart Industry, and Smart Agriculture

It specializes in the development of advanced technological solutions that integrate IoT and Artificial Intelligence to optimize infrastructures, automate processes, and achieve significant energy savings across multiple sectors.

By combining cutting-edge technology with a strong commitment to nature and sustainability, Koelus offers a new way to understand and transform our environment in an efficient and sustainable way.

For more infomation, visit www.koelus.com, Twitter and LinkedIn.

LoRaWAN® is a mark used under license from the LoRa Alliance®.