Now in its fourth edition, the Ibiza Tech Forum has firmly established itself as the focal point where the present and future of technology meet. This year, the main stage was set in the spectacular Caló de s'Oli Auditorium, where the forum has taken a qualitative and quantitative leap, proving that the island is about far more than its world‑famous reputation as the global party capital.
Euronews spoke to Vicent Roig, mayor of Sant Josep de sa Talaia, the municipality hosting the event, about the strategic role played by Ibiza on the global tech map, and how public administration needs to evolve by harnessing the power of data.
Governing with empirical data, not beliefs
After taking part in the forum’s institutional panel, Roig drew a clear conclusion: public authorities still have unfinished business when it comes to sensorisation. ‘It is one thing to make decisions coloured by political leanings or beliefs, and quite another to make decisions based on hard empirical data,’ the mayor told this outlet emphatically.
For Roig, a municipality wired up with sensors translates directly into an improvement in citizens’ quality of life, thanks to technology that allows local government to move from a reactive to a more proactive approach: ‘Knowing in real time when a rubbish container is full, detecting a water leak immediately so the supply does not have to be cut, or monitoring flows of people using drones and cameras to optimise public safety or efficiently contain a wildfire are just some examples of how artificial intelligence and technology are transforming local governance.’
