Noelia Vázquez

Let’s start by aligning ourselves at the same moment: today, April 7th, is World Health Day, celebrated annually on this date since 1948 as an initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO). This day aims to raise awareness about the major global health challenges and to encourage everyone, wherever they may be, to play a part in improving health worldwide. For companies like Telefónica Tech, this day holds special meaning. Because we feel a profound responsibility to contribute to better health outcomes for all—through technology. Technology as a response to healthcare challenges We face a growing demand for healthcare services, driven by an aging population—21% of the EU's population is over 65—and the rising burden of chronic diseases. This situation is further aggravated by emergency linked to infectious diseases spread and the impact of environmental phenomena, which continue to destabilize an already strained system. So, how do we relieve that pressure? While the answer resists oversimplification, we could cautiously distill it into two essential dimensions: reducing and better managing care demand, and increasing professional resources productivity. Technology is a critical pillar for relieving stress on healthcare services and improving patients' quality of life With technologies like IoT and Big Data, we can streamline and prioritize care, and automate and optimize processes. This is where health and technology converge-technology is understood not as an end in itself, but as a tool to transform not just how we treat patients, but how we understand health altogether. The tangible benefits of technology in healthcare Technology allows us to imagine an improved healthcare environment where: Waiting lists shrink, because procedures are carried out more efficiently, without cancellations or unnecessary downtime. In Spain, for example, the average wait time for non-urgent surgery is 121 days. —IoT-based automation and tracking solutions make it possible to follow every patient through each phase of a procedure, speeding up every step of the process. At the same time, these tools keep both professionals and families informed at all times, resulting in an increase in surgical throughput of over 10%. Remote monitoring of chronic or post-operative patients has become standard practice. This reduces the need for travel, encourages active participation in one’s own treatment, and decreases the likelihood of complications through tight follow-up. —Connected devices and sensors collect real-time data on vital signs—heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, blood glucose, among others—and make it available to professionals through web interfaces. These systems trigger alerts when values fall outside safe thresholds. Diseases are diagnosed earlier thanks to AI-powered tools that analyze large volumes of medical images and data. —These systems can assist in diagnosing everything from dermatological conditions to complex cancers, supporting medical professionals in making timely decisions and reducing the risks of delayed or missed diagnoses due to resource constraints. Older adults experience a better quality of life, for longer, with the ability to remain in their homes. —Advanced telecare solutions, combining sensors, medical devices, and AI, not only ensure current wellbeing but also help detect early signs of deterioration, making it possible to intervene before problems escalate. The good news is that this vision of the future is already beginning to take shape. It will continue to grow as investment in healthcare technology increases and as inequalities in its adoption, by both patients and professionals, close. Digital transformation of healthcare is improving care quality and moving us closer to a more sustainable, patient-centered model. Cyber Security Cloud Connectivity & IoT IA & Data Healthcare's digital transformation: challenges, needs, and benefits December 18, 2024

Global tourism has rapidly recovered post-pandemic, and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) expects that by 2024 it might even surpass pre-pandemic levels. Spain already achieved this in 2023, recording 85 million international tourists, a 1.9% increase over 2019 levels. Tourism is clearly on the rise and will continue to play a crucial role in the global economy, generating jobs and contributing significantly to national wealth. In 2023, the tourism sector accounted for 12.8% of Spain's GDP, marking a historic record. This is undoubtedly good news, but it is essential to remember the importance of managing the environmental impact associated with tourism. This is responsible for 8% of greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change. Sustainable tourism is everyone's responsibility Therefore, it is our duty to promote environmentally friendly and responsible tourism that reduces environmental impact. This means protecting natural and cultural heritage, conserving biodiversity, generating sustainable livelihoods, and improving people's well-being. Technology offers solutions that help authorities carry out this planning, providing information and allowing them to understand the impact of the measures adopted. Cities can leverage digital solutions to promote responsible tourism and preserve their heritage. Technology in sustainable tourism To better illustrate how technology can be our ally in developing sustainable tourist destinations, let's focus on three specific aspects we can address to promote more responsible tourism: mobility management, respect for biodiversity, and protection of cultural heritage. In Spain, many cities see their populations multiply in the summer, straining services and infrastructure that serve a smaller number of inhabitants. During July and August, mobility in some localities becomes very challenging, with streets around beaches, restaurants, and entertainment spots becoming congested due to lack of parking spaces. Smart sensor-based solutions To tackle this, some towns have installed wireless sensors, either on the ground or through elevated cameras. These sensors provide users with information on parking availability and direct traffic to avoid undesirable consequences related to pollution and visitor dissatisfaction. These sensors send real-time information to a platform about parking spaces availability in detailed, including percentages and occupancy times, allowing for decision-making based on historical data. Moreover, with the installation of air and noise quality measurement devices, it is possible to monitor the evolution of environmental parameters. This guides managers toward specific decisions. The installation of these devices allows not only monitoring parameters to inform citizens and comply with environmental and sustainability regulations but also verifying the validity of decisions and actions implemented to reduce pollution and improve air and acoustic quality, such as closing an area to traffic. These tools enable the monitoring and analysis of various parameters that affect tourist resources management and conservation. Smart buoys for improving sea health and bathing water quality Focusing on coastal areas, the progressive increase in nautical activity contributes to the risk of deteriorating seas and oceans' health, which is intrinsically linked to ours since marine organisms produce unique chemical compounds used in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Additionally, as ocean acidity increases, its capacity to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere decreases, limiting its moderating effect on climate change. Smart buoys measure various water parameters through sensors placed on marine buoys. Their goal is to mitigate problems arising from massive boat anchoring, such as coastal degradation, water pollution, and increased waste. A concentrator enables the buoy to send the data collected by the sensors to a platform that managers can then share with visitors to inform them about bathing water quality. Active preservation of cultural heritage Lastly, there are also sensor-based solutions that address the challenge of preserving cultural heritage. Cities can take measures such as controlled visits to sensitive areas and itinerary planning using occupancy measurement solutions, leveraging the data obtained for planning. Furthermore, other technological alternatives focus on the active preservation of cultural assets, responding proactively to potential threats and implementing preventative measures based on data-driven planning. Data-driven technological solutions allow us to proactively defend against potential threats. Through the deployment of wireless and/or wired sensors as needed, any measurable parameter is recorded: temperature, humidity, lighting, presence, vibration, inclination, solar radiation, etc., and sent via the platform to the database. These are continuously analyzed, identifying values that endanger the asset's preservation or are not suitable for effective management. These tools also generate automatic alerts for concerning situations. The desire to travel and the means to do so are increasing, and the upward trend in the sector does not seem likely to change in the coming years. Globalization and technology have been fundamental factors in its global rise. It is precisely technology that can help cities promote tourism that respects the ecosystem and culture while raising visitor awareness about the importance of their cooperation. Telefónica Tech IA & Data Smart Steps: understanding mobility May 23, 2024

The term “smart” has long been popularized as a way of attributing a certain degree of perception and decision-making capacity to things through the application of technology, specifically and mostly IoT and advanced analytics. And although sometimes it may seem strange or even exaggerated its assignment to an environment such as a beach, the truth is that the ability to give autonomy to objects so that they can capture information and even act in certain circumstances, make the adjective acquires quite a lot of sense. Today, thanks to this technology, living in a smart city or frequenting a smart beach can make our lives much more comfortable and even healthier. Beach digitalization Bathing areas can be digitalized through different types of IoT solutions, allowing the measurement of environmental parameters and bathing water quality, a more appropriate management and cleaning of the space and a different experience for the visitor. So, what could a smart beach look like? Let's start by thinking about how to achieve environmental improvement in this area. Environmental factors There are IoT devices that can measure different environmental factors such as air quality, gases and particles; meteorological factors such as temperature, humidity, wind, rain and solar radiation; and even noise levels. Exposure to air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths; 240,000 in Europe and the loss of millions of years of healthy life. The impact of pollution can be measured and assessed using air quality and noise solutions, and measures can be taken to ensure that our beaches enjoy the best possible environmental quality. Bathing water quality This concept of environmental quality also includes the state of the sea water. Sometimes certain buoys are installed in the sea that are also smart buoys. These intelligent buoys include sensors inside and allow recording and monitoring water variables continuously, for information purposes for users, and to improve tourism and environmental management by the authorities. The environmental health of bathing waters has a direct impact on public health and is very relevant for the country's tourism and economic development. At the same time the increase in tourism is a challenge for the preservation of marine biodiversity. Thanks to this solution, the state of bathing waters can be monitored to prevent damage caused by the proliferation of boats or the use of chemical substances, acting effectively if necessary to preserve the health of our waters. Capacity control On a more practical note, who hasn't come across a crowded beach during the months of July and August? The capacity control solutions, using cameras with artificial vision algorithms, provide information on the level of occupation in real time, its distribution by time slots, flow of entrances and exits to the different areas, etc. Capacity control contributes to preserving the quality of the bathing waters, in addition to providing information to tourists and residents on the occupation of the beaches and their danger points. Waste management Mass influxes of people can sometimes lead to the undesirable consequences of poor cleanliness. The possibility of accurately monitoring the filling status of litter garbage cans through the installation of wireless devices will make it possible to optimize waste collection and above all to make an early detection of incidents such as the overturning or misplacement of litter garbage cans, improving waste management in the area and contributing to the creation of a cleaner and more sustainable environment, improving the tourist's experience. Interactive information kiosks The incorporation of interactive touch-screen kiosks with different content on the beaches also helps to facilitate tourists' stay by offering information on points of interest, the possibility of creating customizable tourist information that can be downloaded or sent by email, a digital street map with geolocation or an interactive calendar of events. Tourists are more informed with the interactive kiosks and can provide feedback through satisfaction surveys, which allows the city council and tourism service providers to adapt and improve their offerings. These kiosks are specially designed to remain in outdoor spaces exposed to weather changes and resistant to vandalism to which it may be subjected. Conclusion Smart beaches are an increasingly widespread reality that take advantage of digital technologies to improve environmental quality, safety, accessibility, and visitor satisfaction. These solutions create a more sustainable, efficient, and attractive environment, which encourages tourism and economic development in coastal areas. However, it is also important to remember that smart beaches do not substitute or replace the intelligence and responsibility of those who enjoy them, but rather complement and enhance them. So, enjoy the beach this year. And if by chance or choice you end up at a similar beach to the one described, enjoy its benefits and remember to always wear sunscreen. IA & Data Smart Tourism Destinations: Resource optimization and experience personalization September 27, 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay and the healthcare field has found an ally in this technology. Not only for the detection of different types of cancers or in the diagnosis of diseases. AI has also arrived in the Emergency Department, where it has helped to streamline routines, automate processes, and anticipate patient flows. The Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre (Madrid) alone attended 257,308 people in 2019 in the emergency department, of whom 10% were admitted. In other words, the emergency area of a hospital is one of the most demanded and where timing is a vital aspect in human terms. However, it is one of the healthcare areas where health professionals are constantly faced with delays in patient care, saturation of the service, limited resources, etc. This results in dissatisfied patients and stressed workers.. The technological solution of Telefónica Tech and 3M Telefónica Tech and 3M Health Information System (HIS), a leading multinational company in solutions for the healthcare sector, have launched a pioneering technological solution with predictive capacity, using artificial intelligence, aimed at optimizing the planning and management of Hospital Emergency Service resources in the Spanish market in order to improve the provision of services. The differential value of this solution is that it has been created jointly by a team of health and advanced analytics professionals specialized in the emergency service. It is the only one that includes predictive capabilities. "This pioneering initiative allows emergency healthcare professionals to make better decisions and even predict the future needs of the service, thanks to the application of artificial intelligence. This will undoubtedly result in better patient care," explains Carlos Martínez Miguel, director of Solutions and Services at Telefónica Tech. '360 Platform' to manage the emergency service The solution offers a complete view of emergency department operations, integrating different key indicators (occupancy, activity, pathologies, procedures, etc.), so that healthcare professionals can speed up data-driven decision-making and develop better planning. This is especially true given that each patient who comes to the emergency department of a hospital has totally different peculiarities. This is where AI is able to establish patterns of action. A scorecard, 'Platform 360', collects important information on each emergency department visit. In addition to a series of indicators so that they can be visually consulted from any point and device. The integrated indicators are: Records and daily activity. Detailed analysis of demand. Study of patients by typology (hyperfrequency, Covid-19, flu, etc.). Daily visits. Quality and data control. In addition to all this information, the solution incorporates a module that shows the prediction of daily visits to the emergency department one week in advance in order to improve waiting times and optimize the sizing of the service. In addition to anticipating possible admissions in order to optimize the human and material resources of the hospitals. AI Suite to facilitate access to Artificial Intelligence To the above solution must be added Telefónica Tech's AI Suite tool, a non-code platform for automating machine learning processes that democratizes access to AI, making it easier for each hospital to develop its own analytical models without being data experts. This initiative can improve the planning of each week's staffing, according to the hospital's needs. This is achieved through historical and daily activity status, a prediction of daily service pressure, and a complete analysis of demand and patients by pathology. Some of the advantages that AI will provide in hospital emergency departments are better coordination of the service to avoid delays in patient care due to a lack of healthcare personnel; the organization of potential referrals to other hospitals in the event of excessive demand; improved planning and staff dedication by knowing in advance the possible peaks of activity; and a more efficient use of resources. Cyber Security AI of Things Cyber Security challenges and solutions for IoT medical devices September 7, 2023