ByAngelica Mari,
Senior Contributor.
Flooding in the Jardim Pantanal district, which is located in a floodplain area of the Tiete River. … More
When the rain began to fall in the Brazilian city of Pindamonhangaba on December 1st, 2024, few residents anticipated the deluge that would follow. In just 24 hours, from 7AM of that day to the same time on December 2nd, the city recorded 90 millimeters of rainfall.
For perspective, the entire month of November had registered only 121.5 millimeters – meaning a single day's downpour in the city equaled 74% of the previous month's total precipitation, leaving entire neighborhoods alongside the Piracuama river completely submerged while the Una river flooded the roads that connect the city to the neighboring city of Taubaté.
"I had never seen anything like it happening in my entire life – it was terrifying," said Pindamonhangaba’s mayor Ricardo Piorino, in an interview. In the aftermath of the December floods, Pindamonhangaba is accelerating the adoption of technology to build resilience against increasingly frequent environmental threats and protect citizens from climate-related disasters.
The city located 98 miles from São Paulo has deployed a wide-reaching network of sensors throughout the city that constantly monitor environmental factors including water levels, as well as temperatures. The sensors serve as an early warning system, automatically triggering alerts when they detect rising water levels or dangerous temperature spikes.
"The sensor network has already saved countless lives," Piorino noted. The city has so far directed around 100,000 Brazilian reais (USD 17,100) to the project, and there are plans to double that investment and the project scope within the next 12 months.
"When we made the initial investment in this technology, some questioned the expense," the mayor said about the pushback around the procurement of the technology. "But the fact is that we've already avoided more than 1 million reais in disaster-related costs, not to mention the human lives protected."
According to the mayor, the 35 sensors have been deployed in strategic points so far, but mainly in the poorest areas of the city, where the population is more vulnerable to the impact of climate-related disasters. "We are focusing [the rollout of the technology]
The city's vision extends beyond flood prevention. Pindamonhangaba is recognized as a reference in Brazil when it comes to the adoption of smart city technologies, which have been taking place in recent years in areas such as traffic and waste management. In this new evolution phase focused on climate resilience, the city has begun installing sensors in surrounding rural and mountainous areas for early detection of wildfires. This allows emergency services to contain blazes before they quickly escalate into large-scale catastrophes.
The local authority has also implemented sensor-based systems to address problems such as detecting mosquito populations. By mapping the insects – carriers of dengue fever – targeted intervention at breeding grounds can take place before disease outbreaks occur.
Behind Pindamonhangaba's technological transformation stands iNeeds, a Brazilian startup founded by serial entrepreneur Pedro Cúrcio. The company's flagship software, dubbed Cidade Viva (Living City, in Portuguese), forms the backbone of the city's early warning system, integrating data from the sensors installed throughout the city.
"My purpose is to save lives with technology," Cúrcio said. "Cidade Viva isn't just software – it's a complete solution for urban resilience." The system has already proven its value beyond Pindamonhangaba; in Petrópolis, a city nestled in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro state and ravaged by torrential rainfall, it facilitated the timely evacuation of over 50 residents during a critical landslide risk incident. Equipped with the information stemming from the alerts triggered by the sensors, emergency services were able to send SMS alerts to the population and remove residents from impacted areas.
According to the secretary for technology, innovation and projects in Pindamonhangaba, Rodrigo Leite, the recent implementation of 5G technology has dramatically improved the system's effectiveness. "Reliable, high-speed connectivity is essential for real-time data transmission from our sensor networks," Leite pointed out. "With 5G, we can collect and analyze data instantly, allowing for immediate response to emerging threats."
One of the sensors deployed by riverbanks in the city of Pindamonhangaba, Brazil
However, while connectivity has helped move the initiatives forward, there are also challenges on that front. One of the primary obstacles is the sheer size of the municipality, which spans 733 square kilometers, with a large chunk of the area being rural.
Ensuring comprehensive coverage and connectivity for the sensor network has been a considerable challenge. "The sensors need a connection, and today, since our rural area is very large, there are places where there is no signal, no frequency," he noted, adding this is slowly progressing as telecom providers broaden coverage.
Despite the successes in connected locations, Cúrcio at iNeeds also acknowledges the hurdles relating to the widespread adoption of climate-resilient technology. "Many municipalities lack the funding and resources that are needed to implement even basic emergency response capabilities," he said.
"They're too reliant on federal and state resources, which often come with bureaucratic delays – and when they realize, the [natural disasters have occurred] and they are already too late."
To address this challenge, Cúrcio is advocating for legislative changes which would mandate that a percentage of city budgets be allocated specifically for climate initiatives. Simultaneously, he is working to forge partnerships between local authorities and national organizations like CEMADEN (National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters) to broaden adoption of smart city technologies.
View of the scene after a mudslide in Petropolis, Brazil on February 16, 2022. – Large scale … More
As Brazil's federal agency responsible for monitoring and alerting authorities about potential natural disasters, CEMADEN provides critical macro-level data and nationwide coverage, but local initiatives like those in Pindamonhangaba offer complementary and detailed information that enhances overall effectiveness.
"The integration between national systems and local sensor networks creates a more complete early warning system," explained Cúrcio, adding his technology doesn't replace CEMADEN's work. "Rather, it builds upon it by providing hyperlocal data that national systems can't capture," he noted, adding that this integration illustrates the power of multi-level cooperation in addressing climate threats.
The collaborative approach has found success in the state of Paraná, in the south of Brazil, where the authorities have prioritized technological solutions for environmental disasters. Due to its mountainous geography and climate characteristics, the state coexists with areas susceptible to extreme weather events.
The sensor-based technology being rolled out across the state is aimed at detecting landslides and acting in a complementary and integrated way with national and state systems. "Innovation is a strategic tool for addressing society's major challenges. When it comes to environmental disasters, such as landslides, the use of technology becomes essential to anticipate risks, protect lives, and optimize government actions," said Alex Canziani, Paraná's state secretary for innovation.
What stands out about smart city technologies is their ability to transform data into action, according to Canziani. "[Technology] moves us from reactive to proactive approaches. This paradigm shift is extremely relevant for the public sector," he pointed out, adding that having state and national systems that can communicate with each other is essential to make the approach work.
"Interoperability between [state and national] platforms is a central point, so that monitoring and response teams have a more complete view of the situation in real time, and this enables faster and more accurate decisions," the secretary noted.
However, Canziani said there are hurdles around scaling climate technology. "One of the main challenges we face has to do with local infrastructure, especially in regions that are hard to access and have limited connectivity," he pointed out, echoing the situation also faced in cities like Pindamonhangaba.
"We also need to ensure technical teams are properly trained to operate and interpret the generated data," he added. Another sticking point relates to the coordination with municipalities, to ensure state and local authorities are on the same page, Canziani said.
"Despite these challenges, we believe that the benefits outweigh the obstacles and that it is possible to build a scalable solution adapted to the reality of Paraná," he pointed out.
As extreme weather events become more frequent, evolving approaches to early warning systems, real-time monitoring, and emergency response infrastructure have become essential rather than optional for authorities at all levels in Brazil.
While the initial investment in these technologies is substantial, authorities moving forward in that front acknowledge the long-term benefits far outweigh the costs. "With severe weather events becoming more frequent and intense, the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to climate disasters has become fundamental to urban planning and governance," said Piorino, the mayor of Pindamonhangaba.
Rapidly evolving case studies in smaller cities such as Pindamonhangaba and states like Paraná suggest there's potential for expanding these solutions beyond Brazil, according to iNeeds' Cúrcio.
"Climate change is a global challenge that requires local solutions adapted to specific contexts," he said. The company is exploring opportunities in the United States, Europe, and Africa – according to the company's founder, lessons learned from the approaches pioneered in Brazilian cities with different profiles of weather-related challenges can help communities worldwide prepare for the growing climate crisis.
For now, as Brazil continues to face intensifying climate challenges, the technology-driven approach of some Brazilian governments illustrates how urban centers can adapt and protect citizens. By combining sensor networks, real-time data analysis, and collaborative partnerships, these places are developing the infrastructure needed to build resilience in an increasingly uncertain climate future.