Urbana World May June

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Volume # 2

Issue # 3

May-June 2016

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URBANA A Smart City’s

Smart Magazine



India’s Leading Smart City Magazine Urbana World is India’s Leading B2B Media on Smart Cities. Urbana aims to serve the industry’s key stakeholders & government officials with daily newsletter, conferences, infographics, interviews, etc. Urbana publishes bi-monthly magazine, daily e-Newsletter & website- containing Policy & Regulatory Regime, Product Launches, Case Studies, Technical Articles, etc.

be i r c s b Su y... Toda Arpita Gupta EDITOR Mail ID : arpita@urbanamagazine.com Phone : +91 90095 55914

Piyush Mishra Sales & Marketing

Prasoon Agrawal PR & Buisness Development Manager

Mail ID : piyush.mishra@eqmag.net Phone : +91 731 4222268

Mail ID : prasoon.agrawal@eqmag.net Phone : +91 96440 94933




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INFOGRAPHIC ON THE GLOBAL SMART CITIES OUTLOOK PG 04-05

INTERNATIONAL City ScaleUp From “Wow!” to “Now!”

40 SMART CiTiES SMART CITY LAB INDIA INTRO

SMART TRANSPORTATION Take Smart Parking a Step Beyond

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27

32

SMART CiTiES Canadian Companies To Help India In Building Smart Cities

INTERNATIONAL Unified Data Framework For Power Sector

SMART CiTiES BUILDING SMART VILLAGES

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34

SMART CiTiES

POLICY + URBAN DESIGN + SUSTAINABILITY


18 SMART ENERGY & WATER Implementation of Integration Management Information System- Water Segment

12

INTERViEW

With Rajiv Bhalla, Managing Director, Barco , India

49 SMART IT

Value-Generation From Open Data In The Smart City Ecosystem

SMART CiTiES

53 41

SMART TRANSPORTATION

Hyundai Motor And Cisco Collaborate For Global Connected Car Project

Smart, Scalable and Resilient Cities that are Sustainable

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SMART CiTiES A Hub of Innovation Emerges in Los Angeles

SMART TRANSPORTATION

CYCLE SHARING: WILL INDIA EMULATE CHINA’S SUCCESS STORY ?

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44

SMART ENERGY & WATER ComEd Improves Reliability and Efficiency with a Single Network for Multiple Smart Grid Services


SMART CITY NEWS

58-69

Prime Minister Launches Smart City Mission Into Implementation Mode

Sterlite Technologies Wins Jaipur Smart City Phase ii Project

Belgrade Gets Smart With Nedap For 3,500 On-Street Parking Spaces

Smart Cities Asked To Pose Projects For Loan Support From World Bank, Adb And Brics Bank

Dell Launches Partner Ecosystem For Government’s Smart City Project In India

Intelligent Charging For Electric Cars: Bosch Software Innovations Presents Apps For Electric Car Drivers

Lucknow Tops Fast Track Competition; 13 More Smart Cities Announced Cii To Collaborate With Vmc For Smart City Project Taiwanese Firms Betting Big On India’s Smart City Project Mp Shifts Smart City Location Following Citizens’ Protest

VOLUME 2 Issue # 3

Gaia Smart Cities Acquires Iot Division Of Netcore Solutions Hyundai Motor And Cisco Collaborate For Global Connected Car Project Rashtrapati Bhavan Transformed Into A Smart Township With Ibm Smart City Solutions

CEO ANAND GUPTA Anand.Gupta@UrbanaMagazine.com

Honeywell’s Enterprise Buildings Integrator Enables Greater Building Connectivity And Intelligence For Today’s Smart, Connected Buildings Singapore Named “Global Smart City-2016”

SALES & MARKETING

PIYUSH MISHRA Piyush.Mishra@eqmag.net

EDITORS

PRASOON AGRAWAL Prasoon.Agrawal@eqmag.net

Owner :

SAUMYA GUPTA Saumya.Gupta@eqmag.net

SUBSCRIPTIONS

INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED

ARPITA GUPTA Arpita@UrbanaMagazine.com

FirstSource Energy Place of Publication :

95-C, Sampat Farms, Bicholi Mardana, Distt-Indore 452 016,Madhya Pradesh, INDIA Tel. + 91 96441 22268 Tel. + 91 96441 33319

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PUBLISHER

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ANAND GUPTA

PRINTER

ANAND GUPTA

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Disclaimer,Limitations of Liability While every efforts has been made to ensure the high quality and accuracy of Urbana World and all our authors research articles with the greatest of care and attention ,we make no warranty concerning its content,and the magazine is provided on an>> as is <<basis.Urbana World contains advertising and third –party contents. Urbana World is not liable for any third- party content or error,omission or inaccuracy in any advertising material ,nor is it responsible for the availability of external web sites or their contents The data and information presented in this magazine is provided for informational purpose only. neither Urbana World ,Its affiliates,Information providers nor content providers shall have any liability for investment decisions based up on or the results obtained from the information provided. Nothing contained in this magazine should be construed as a recommendation to buy or sale any securities. The facts and opinions stated in this magazine do not constitute an offer on the part of Urbana World for the sale or purchase of any securities, nor any such offer intended or implied.

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www.Lntecc.com

Clarity/RDP/06/2016

Build. Automate. Integrate. Smart cities – the L&T way.

L&T's dedicated Smart World & Communication business unit is the ideal choice for building the country's next-gen cities. From infrastructure construction to security solutions, communication networks to telecom and smart infrastructure, we are the only Indian company to have a proven track record across all segments. We offer everything under one roof – focused strategy, robust processes and comprehensive solutions. We provide smart, scalable systems for urban buildings, public safety, water supply, transportation, green energy and emergency response. And, as a Master Systems Integrator, we also integrate the entire range of systems – enabling efficient, effective management of the city. The result: An enhanced quality of urban life for all.

L&T Construction, Smart World & Communication Mount-Poonamallee Road, Manapakkam, P.B. No. 979, Chennai - 600 089 Email: info@Lntecc.com Tel.: +91 44 2252 6000, 2252 8000 Regd. Office: L&T House, N. M. Marg, Ballard Estate, Mumbai - 400 001. INDIA CIN: L99999MH1946PLC004768

A brand of Larsen & Toubro Limited


INTERNATiONAL

Take Smart Parking a Step Beyond

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Real-time-based smart parking develops next to autonomous parking services for cars to the future trends in parking. Parking sensors allow drivers to make smart and time-efficient decisions about parking, and, thus reducing carbon emissions. Could drivers, cities, and parking operators want more?

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leverciti Systems is a parking solution provider that answers that question with a definite yes. While ground sensors mounted in the surface of individual parking spots do ease parking, these have limitations that affect all parties:1. Ground sensors The technology for detecting free and occupied parking spaces is currently focused on the use of ground sensors, in particular magnetic field sensors or a combination of magnetic field and radar sensor or infrared sensor systems, after the use of only magnetic sensors has not proven to be sufficiently reliable. The use of ground sensors presupposes that vehicles are parked directly above the sensor and parking spaces must be demarcated. Also often there are more sensors necessary due to different vehicle sizes and other interference factors (so-called magnetic noise caused by passing vehicles, trams, electric lines etc.). The demarcation of parking spaces has the significant drawback that parking space dimensions must always be provided for the longest possible car, which reduces the number of possible parking spaces significantly. But particularly cities prefer the use of small city cars in their inner city areas!

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SMART TRANSPORTATION • Ground sensors which use magnetic fields fight with a lot of issues regarding noise and other magnetic interferences, that reduce the quality of the detection considerably. • If you use ground sensors you need to mark each parking bay and make sure that cars park exactly over the ground sensor. • If the bays are not marked or if parked cars do not care about the markings, you need a ground sensor every two meters, which means your cost will increase by a factor of 2,5. • Drilling holes in streets is expensive and certainly a logistics nightmare. You need to close down entire lanes, tow away parked cars, etc. • Life time of ground sensors is restricted, which means after a couple of years you need to dig each sensor out and replace it. 2. “Overhead” parking sensors = sensors of the future • Unlike ground sensors overhead parking sensors are installed in a lamppost mast or at a building in order to reach the widest angle possible. • There are overhead sensor that do not use interference-prone systems (radar, magnetic, etc.), but recently developed optical techniques • Overhead sensors can have a range of up to 300 meters and analyse up to 100 unmarked parking spaces • Sensors integrated to modern light fixtures provide a parking sensor solution as well as a parking light solution and can be used to control the amount of lighting needed.

The new generation of overhead parking sensors provide a more effective way to reduce parking time to the absolute minimum and take the idea of smart parking a step beyond.

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URBANA WORLD May-June 2016 11


INTERViEW

Interview With Rajiv Bhalla Managing Director, Barco , India

UW: What according to you is a smart city? B: A city equipped with basic infrastructure to give a decent quality of life, a clean and sustainable environment through application of some smart solutions which gives the basic infrastructure like assured water and electricity supply, sanitation and solid waste management, efficient urban mobility and public transport, robust IT connectivity, e-governance and citizen participation and most importantly safety and security of citizens.

UW : Operational challenges, roadblocks you are facing in executing such projects?

UW: What solutions are being offered by Barco to build Smart Cities? B: One of the keys to smart systems is information. The more data is available, the better solutions will be the result. Combining databases and sensor information from many different players will, therefore, help create a better understanding of the situation at a given moment. Barco, as a leading provider of visualization and networked distribution solutions, is, therefore, an enabler for a smart city. From traffic management, security, and telecom, to utilities and process control systems, Barco provides the necessary building blocks for a highly reliable control room visualization system.

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B: The major challenge while executing such city surveillance projects is of networking integration.

Besides the other challenges like space uniformity, additional modifications, safety and security of the installation part, the main challenge comes with integrating the networking sources.

URBANA WORLD May-June 2016 12


UW: What are the challenges in turning an Indian city into a smart city?. B: The Indian Smart Cities challenge is designed to inspire greater creativity from municipal officials and their partners, more involvement and inspiration from citizens, and the development of proposals that will produce concrete benefits in people’s lives. Therefore, the integration of various Government departments to work together for creating integrated development plans and execution projects is a prerequisite. This will be the one thing that will make or break the entire 100 Smart Cities. The integration of citizens into the process and taking their inputs and participation in keeping the city running smoothly is also a necessary prerequisite and biggest challenge to overcome it.

UW: Smart Hospitals will be an integral part of Smart Cities. Your comments? What smart healthcare solutions Barco is offering for smart cities? B: Smart health care is very important part of the overall Smart Cities solutions since it is directly related to the citizens’ security and safety. The Indian hospital and healthcare industry has potential to be global hub for healthcare services. India is placed among the top three medical destinations in Asia due to the low cost of treatment, quality healthcare infrastructure and availability of highly-skilled doctors. Barco provides an integrated approach to patient care across the hospital enterprise, boosting clinical performance in every department via a connected network of display systems. You will find Barco at every patient touch point, from the imaging exam to the radiology reading room, to specialist consultants and treatment planning, to the surgical or interventional radiology suite to education at the patient bedside

UW: Can you enlighten our readers more about the solutions offered by Barco for Metro City Surveillance project? B: Barco’s universal visualization platform ensures it is possible to collect and collaborate all possible types of sources or data in various formats. Barco ensures full flexibility to display any source type, including video DVI and screen scrapes, collect from a single source or a distributed network of sources, capture low to high-density inputs, display sources locally or on remote displays. Efficient collaboration and decision making are only possible if decision makers have easy and timely access to quality information. Barco now prides itself on collaborating without boundaries, through fast and easy interaction and helping people take more

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informed and faster decisions. Offers full flexibility to configure network access or user management, use standard software or hardware acceleration, integrate the distributed functionality into third party applications.

UW: At which life cycle stage is the Smart Cities market at currently in India (Introduction/Growth/ Maturity/Decline)?

By collaborating, distributing and displaying these solutions, Barco seamlessly integrates existing software and new connections to make a smart city that not just meets day to day requirements but offers solutions for making smarter and better lifestyle choices, Barco offers full flexibility to remotely control displays or sources, distribute and publish sources to any display, include unmanned displays or digital signage, follow up coordinate or monitor data in real time.

B: The Smart Cities market is a long process, currently, 31% of India’s population lives in cities these cities also generate 63% of the nation’s economic activity. These numbers are rapidly increasing, with almost half of the India’s population projected to live in its cities by 2030, there is a long way to go but there’s always a start. I think currently smart cities market is going through the phase of introduction and also part of it comes under Growth which covers the public and private sector both. Public and private sector companies have already started working on the guidelines for smart cities thus enhancing the growth in the market.

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INTERNATIONAL

City ScaleUp From

“Wow!” to “Now!”

The challenges of enabling large scale solutions in Smart Cities

AuthorRenato de Castro Smart City Senior Consultant / Senior Vice President, Smart Cities At Cred, Inc.

The main argument is that you can leapfrog the traditional phases of the development process. It works perfectly for newbies, cities and companies. It is now faster and much cheaper to get there, it is almost like playing lego when it comes to start pilot projects.

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This article will address the challenges that follow after piloting a Smart City project – how to Scale-it-Up.. If you have done your homework well, things will be easier. At this stage it is not only clear to you but to all stakeholders that your Smart City project is in your city’s DNA. Probably the successful pilot projects that your city managed were due to this initial orientation.

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he city hires an experienced and empowered CDO, Chief or City Digital Officer to quick off the show. And it starts really quickly, a “sampling group of citizens” get connected to the city hall; a fantastic solution for smart lighting is tested in a street or even in a district; car sharing is working well along “some” charging stations; smart meters; smart sensors; smart, smart, smart and successful pilot cases! Officials are glad, private partners are excited and citizens are anxious for the next round.

This was the “WOW!” momentum. Congrats, your city gets its first badge - JuniorSmart City. It is absolutely a good start, but definitely not enough. It is time to Scale it Up, “NOW!”.

Remember, your citizens don’t want a new city but a smarter city. Second point, if for the pilot projects your city got to attract partners to ‘sponsor” and execute it, now it is time to understand how successful the projects were also for them. If it is true, they will be the first one to support you to scale. In the last article I listed 4 tools to SmartUp, so I will start from tool #5 to illustrate the ScaleUp. I will try to illustrate with at least 2 successful cases each one of the next tools, so probably it will be one article for each one of them, following a minimum logical order of implementation.

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INTERNATIONAL Enabling 24x7 full connection in your city

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e all agree that the core of a smart city project is not anymore technology but people. Having a citizen-oriented project is already half way to the success. But we should also agree that the main driver to smart city projects is ICT. It is important to reinforce that the old concept IT (Information Technology) was upgraded with the addition of communication. In this case, communication is related to the ability of not only one-way flow of information but creating an interaction between the two sides : one that wants to inform and the other that is using and reacting to the information.And the tendency is to go even deeper in the use of technology when we reach the IoT (Internet of things) era. Information and communication technology is being used to connect people to people, people to machines and machines to machines. Daily use things like home appliances, bikes

and Cars are being connected. Public Lights are becoming smart and connected; car parking; water meters; you can name it. That said, the first step to scale any smart city project is to enable complete, ubiquitous and full time internet connection in your city. No shadows, not interruptions, no crashes. Internet is becoming as important as a reliable and stable utility supply (power, water or gas) to a city. It is (or was until now) very costly because it implies infrastructure investment. Doesn’t matter if we are talking about satellite, optical fiber nets or mobile 3, 4 or future 5Gs, all known technologies up to now were based on complex and expensive hardware and urban infrastructure. So, if you have not realized about it before, this will be the first big headache in scaling-up. But we are here to discuss about solutions not problems, so allow me to detail two successful cases I visited personally this year:

Case 1 - New York smart growth

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irst one is called LinkNYC in New York. I had the opportunity to visit the project personally last February 2016 and I got really impressed. The main idea behind the project is to replace all the 7.500 to 10.000 old public phones booths with modern wifi kiosks, a new technology developed by Civiq from Massachusetts. According to The Wall Street Journal the project is being managed by a consortium named CityBridge, a joint venture between three main companies: the smartphone chip maker Qualcomm Inc., networking company CIVIQ Smartscapes and Intersection, which is connected to Google parent company Alphabet Inc. CityBridge says it is investing more than $200 million in the project. The kiosks have basically 3 core functions:

PIC 1- WIFI KIOSK USED IN NEW YORK TO REPLACE THE OF PHONE BOOTHS.

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1. Enable free ultrafast wifi connection for pedestrians. Until February, the faster real public free connection I had experienced was in Seoul in 2015, reaching 25 Mbps and believe me, I was really happy! In Italy I pay for 20 Mbps (the maximum offered in my town) and the local operator is obliged by law to assure me at least 10% - 2 Mbps - It is not a joke! So Korea was offering me 11 times faster for free! Paradise, I thought! Back to New York, when I managed the test, 1 week after the launch of service my mobile almost collapsed, 216 Mbps - almost 10 times faster than Korea and amazing 100 times faster than my home connection.

2. Free national calls: As the main idea was to replace the public phones, you can also make phone calls. There is a built in tablet that can be used to call as the old phones, but here the good news , you can call for free any american land number! 3. City Info: The tablet also allows internet navigation. From consulting any city service or to get tourism information again, all for free.

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INTERNATIONAL The business model

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s the old phones, kiosks are being installed in every single corner of Manhattan, less than 50 meters of each other. As state of the arts pieces, each kiosk costs around $30.000 American dollars, so how to afford it? New York is a rich city so they have budget enough to permit such luxury commodity right? Wrong again. The project is not costing a penny to the city hall, or even better, to the tax payers, it is a PPP based in public concession. The business model is based in advertisement. Each kiosk is equipped with a screen, that works as a billboard. Indeed, by licensing the service, New York city become a business partner in the project and will receive royalties from the revenue. The business plan forecasts that in 10 years time the city will get paid over half billion dollars. So, summarizing : Smart City project in large scale + no public investment + new revenue for the city. Sounds like music for any mayor, don’t you agree? Now you are probably thinking: well, it was possible to do it in New York, because it is New York! Besides being the 6th largest metropolis in the planet, whit a metropolitan population, considering Newark, of 19.43 million people, what is fantastic to the media business model, the whole “basic” infrastructure such as optical fibers were already there, so it was a” perfect storm”“to attract the project! Yes, now you are right! According to U.S. Department of Transportation, the costs per meters on all new projects in the U.S from over the past 15 years have ranged from $4,00 to $49,00 American dollars and even more expensive in place like California that can reach over 62 American dollars per meter. So we are talking about some millions of dollars to get level zero of the connectivity were talking about.

Pic 2- ultra speed for free in New York.

Case 2 - The magic box - a “plug-and-play” Internet connection on a national scale

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ood news here is our second case. I was really glad to visit a a company called Athonet located just some few kilometers far from my home. They were not only nominated but won the Global Mobile Awards 2016 in the category of – Best Solution for Growing Smaller or Independent Networks issued by the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona. It definitely caught the whole industry’s attention. Athonet’s CEO is also named as one of WIRED magazine’s ’s 17 Global Influencers expanding human possibility through technology. Interestingly, Athonet has successfully enabled customers worldwide to deploy local internet networks, simply, cost-effectively and in record time. Basically, they can enable a complete full internet network in a vast area with an initial cost less than 5% of a normal investment budget because they have replaced all that expensive hardware I talked about before with simple software running on standard IT servers. Among the projects they have implemented, there two in particular I would like to highlight. The first one was a

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humanitarian service developed during the last big earthquake in Italy in 2012. Within just a few hours they deployed a complete local wireless internet network in the disaster area, 35 kilometers north of Bologna. It allowed the Italian Civil protection teams to run operations using HD live-streaming videos of the disaster area to control centres ,communicating and co-ordinating the activities of emergency personnel and helping save lives. More than 2km radius of LTE coverage was immediately available for emergency response workers. 24 LTE wireless cameras were instantly deployed for video surveillance of key areas and a command and control center was settled. Athonet was awarded a medal by the president of the Republic of Italy for this project. They are now applying this to provide instant ubiquitous coverage for smart cities. A second remarkable project, using the same technology, was managed in 2015. Access, a mobile operator in Malawi, Africa, approached Athonet with the challenge to implement a 4G/ LTE network, the first in the country, in a

matter of weeks to enable them (Access) to launch the latest generation broadband wireless service. Malawi is among the smallest countries in Africa and it is among the world’s least-developed nations with around 85% of the population living in rural areas. The network had to be scalable nationwide, very cost-efficient, IT-friendly and simple to integrate with Access’ existing infrastructure including its CDMA network. In 2011, there were 3.952 million mobiles and almost 1 million Internet users, very few numbers for a country with more than 17 million inhabitants. We can easily figure out how important can be an affordable infrastructure project for a developing country. Without going through all the complexity behind technical terms as Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Home Location Register (HLR), Voice-overLTE (IMS for VoLTE), Voice-over-WiFi (WiFi calling) and LTE Broadcast (eMBMS) and make it simple to understand, imagine a wifi router that you install at home in a plug-and-play connect. Athonet plugs-and-plays on a a city or national scale..

URBANA WORLD May-June 2016 16


INTERNATIONAL

Pic 3- Athonet Cutting-Edge Technology applied in Africa to enable wifi in national level .

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he business model: the big competitive advantage of the system is the low initial costs for the government or company that need to establish city-wide internet networks. It removes the huge barrier to deployment of city-wide networks that comes from the cost of conventional technologies. We come down from 7 or 8 zeros figures to few thousands of dollars. It is a pay-for-use model, where app companies, developers and finally the end-user will pay the bill in a long term perspective. Just to remind you, at the end of the day it will be “us” anyway to pay the bill by taxes, consumption or both. if your city or country still doesn’t have a full internet infrastructure developed, they will add it to a list of concerns that includes public health, education and security. If we consider the traditional expensive infrastructure such as optical fibers, probably internet will not the first priority. So, new solutions in this field are really welcome.

Pic 4- Athonet “plug-and-play”device used after the earthquake of 2013 in Italy.

The new concept of Smart Cities is definitely based in smart citizens and smart solutions. We need to go out of the box to achieve our goals. Be focused, don’t lose track and mainly, keep it simple! It is time to ScaleUp! www.UrbanaWorld.com

URBANA WORLD May-June 2016 17


Smart Energy & Water

Implementation of Integration Management Information SystemAUTHOR Mr. Tejus Kumar, Head – IT, SPML Infra Limited Problem Statement: Karnataka Water Board (KWB) – Dharwad City (Karnataka – India state owned water body) faced higher percentage of NRW close to 53% highest in the country, Highest number of illegal water connections, poor operation and maintenance of the water board staff, poorer customer service. All these parameters led to decrease in revenue collection and also citizens’ dis-satisfaction. Solution: This led to the Deployment and Implementation of suitable Integrated Management Information System consisting of Recording & Processing of Maintenance Requests, Allocation and Scheduling of work orders for preventive and proactive maintenance, Revenue collection, Debt Management, Meter reading and Monitoring of flow measurements. Demand forecasting , Load Analysis & Dynamic Master Planning for forecasting of Network components, Suitable Cash management and financial Accounting, Network Management with ability to do simulation and Digital Terrain Modeling, Graphical Interface with Zoning Facilities for 44,000 water connections with a population of 4,00,000 citizens in Dharwad City. This project was first of its kind of project in India in water sector.

WATER SEGMENT For implementing the above system SPML has developed their own software namely “CITYSONIC” consists of the following modulesa) Billing and Customer Information System b) GIS and Network Asset Management c) Operation and Maintenance Management system

d) Network Analysis e) Demand Management System and Asset Management f) Finance Management System

The firm has implemented CITYSONIC software which consists of above systems integrated on a single platform.

Improvements

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ith the above project implementation, KWB – Dharwad Division was able to reduce NRW to 28%, which is considerably low when compared to other cities of India. Improved customer service was the main aim of this project which was achieved, Illegal connection were traced and regularized. With the help of mobile app citizens were made aware of their bill payments, water supply timings etc. which increased consumer servicing.By maintaining proper pipe network asset of the city which is close to 600 km in length, this led to tracking down and arresting water leakages and also the required old pipe network could be replaced to new system which reduces UFW ( Unaccounted for Water) drastically. By installing Billing and CIS module, effective bills were distributed to citizens in timely manner which helped them to pay their water tax in time and also suitable consumer kiosk was opened across city which helped to set right collection system.

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y implementing Operation and Maintenance system maintenance of the assets were done accordingly such as preventive maintenance, proactive maintenance which resulted in handling leakages, maintenance requests from consumers in methodological way which reduced unnecessary revenue loss to the water board.By using demand management system the water board could analysis the water demand in newly built up areas and provide them drinking water supply more effectively.By integrating Network analysis module, small water hydraulic model could be simulated in the system itself for designing water supply pipe network in newly formed areas. By integrating finance module all the accounting operations were streamlined. Tendering and supplier management were streamlined along with HR management of the employees by introducing finger print bio scan devices for access in the government water board- first of its kind in India. Ware house /store management was streamlined.

All this this has led to increase in revenue collection to the water board. When SPML took over the per month water tax revenue was INR 36 Lakhs per month and as of today it is close to INR 95 Lakhs with other way means an increase in revenue by-

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250%

URBANA WORLD May-June 2016 18


SMARTCiTiES

A Hub of Innovation Emerges in Los Angeles Access to Real-Time Data Sets the Los Angeles GeoHub at the Forefront of Innovation - By ESRI

Los Angeles has always been attractive to innovators and emerging trends. It’s where the Southern California sun produced the motion picture industry, lured a plethora of professional sports franchises, and fuels the technology startups that litter Silicon Beach.

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arrying on a tradition of innovation, the City of Los Angeles has partnered with geographic information system (GIS) technology leader Esri to support the city in its mission to become a smart community. Together, Los Angeles and Esri executed a project in less than six months that is now more impactful for business, government, and information seekers than any feature film, extended playoff run, or social media app: GeoHub.Championed by Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, GeoHub is a platform that enables smart communities. Local government, the private industry, software developers, nonprofit organizations, and the public use GeoHub to access the city’s live location-based data. Individuals save time by no longer needing to locate data in disparate systems—they now have access to more than 500 datasets that are integrated with existing business systems. Users can visualize and pull insights from data via online maps using Esri’s ArcGIS software. In turn, the city have improved collaboration internally and with outside agencies, such as Los Angeles County and Caltrans, helping all entities deliver better government services and

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achieve operational efficiency. GeoHub feeds data from hundreds of sources, using location as the steel thread to connect and bring context to data via a location-as-a-service (LaaS) platform. Rather than downloading copies of static data, GeoHub enables users to access live, continuously updated information straight from the source. As a result, users can create, consume, and visualize dynamic applications that immediately refresh as the source data updates— without writing a single line of code.At the center of Los Angeles’ bid to establish itself at the forefront of smart city innovation and open data is a mayor who sees his city burgeoning in the arts, industry, and new ways of thinking. To ensure his city reaches its full potential in a progressively technological era, Garcetti is betting on GeoHub’s ability to tie the city, its businesses, and citizens together with authoritative information to impact the way they interact and do business. In making real-time data available and accessible publically, not only is Garcetti demonstrating informational transparency and an inclination toward operational efficiency, he’s giving Angelenos a larger role in their government. Additionally, affording increased access to data invites partnership between Los Angeles and communal organizations, both for and not for profit.

“Los Angeles is known as a place that thinks big. We are known for our curiosity. We are known for our innovation, [GeoHub] will help us reinvent the way that we deliver services and broaden our ability to engage residents and businesses to improve the quality of life in their city.” - Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles mayor at the GeoHub launch on January 29 at the city’s La Kretz Innovation Campus.

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SMARTCiTiES

Time for Real-Time Intelligence

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onsistent with an increased reliance on intelligence in government, City of Los Angeles departments employ GIS regularly to track assets and influence decision making. Despite GIS being critical to modern municipal analysis, it is not uncommon for data and technological services to be isolated and not shared across departments. Through Los Angeles’ smart communities initiative, GeoHub’s makes departmental data accessible online immediately to increase efficiency and remove informational blind spots. As Los Angeles unites its datasets across city departments, staff are in a better position to address emergencies or issues such as housing shortages.

“Imagine if police officers, firefighters, emergency workers, and first responders all had access to the city’s data for every specific place at anytime, anywhere,” said Garcetti. “Public safety personnel could make critical, real-time decisions based on solid, map-based data. And GeoHub makes that possible.”

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The mayor described how his fire department can benefit from the data portal: “Let’s say a firefighter with an iPad or a mobile device is called to respond to an emergency like an earthquake. Well, thanks to GeoHub, he or she could just pull up more than the 911 data for that call. They could find important facts, like building inspection status, location of the nearest fire hydrants, sewer lines, streetlights—any information that would make it easier to respond to an emergency.”

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SMARTCiTiES

Networking the System

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mart cities that make full use of up-to-date GIS intelligence signify a change of guard in governance. Speaking at the GeoHub commencement, Esri President Jack Dangermond detailed how Angelenos can be better served by the city switching to data-driven decision making via GeoHub instead of the traditional approach of decisions being dictated by the top of an organizational food chain. “I can search for maps, I can mash up or combine maps, I can get insights, I can make better decisions, GeoHub flattens out a shared infrastructure of content.” - Said Dangermond If information and feedback flow freely among all parties involved, the basis of the network-based model, then decisions on policy are made more democratically, which benefits both department stakeholders and the public alike.

Open Data Means Open for Business

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hen Mayor Garcetti envisions the impact that a hub of innovation can have on the City of Los Angeles, it isn’t limited to just government operations. With GeoHub at its helm, the city is poised to form partnerships with established businesses, startup companies, academia, nonprofit organizations, and other nongovernmental entities. Startups with an eye on data represent some of the more exciting opportunities. Not only do they bring the prospect of economic development, but collaborating with their work brings the potential to drive insight toward some of the more pressing issues in Los Angeles. An actual partnership budding from the city data portal involves La Kretz Innovation Campus, the site where the GeoHub launch

took place. Located in the northeast side of Downtown Los Angeles at the heart of a flourishing Arts District, La Kretz is a clean technology incubator owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Here “cleantech” startups, policy makers, engineers, and scientists, collaborate to develop energy solutions in support of the Los Angeles green economy directive. The spatial insight made available through GeoHub open data offers ample opportunity for anyone vested in resolving city issues—such as air quality, traffic congestion, public safety, or street cleanliness—to turn reliable information into real world solutions. This information can, in turn, be used by developers for their own monetization; city data and open APIs are intended for apps that will make their way to market.

“What I’ve said to tech leaders is, ‘Use LA as a platform; this is the best platform anywhere in the world. We are open for business.”

- said Garcetti

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iNTERNATiONAL

Visualizing a New Government

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he power of open, real-time data might not be novel to data scientists or GIS experts, but its incorporation in government as a business intelligence platform is a new horizon for many others. GeoHub caters to introductory learners with a straightforward user experience that makes searching and visualizing data simple. Whether the information pertains to an area such as business, parks and recreation, infrastructure, transportation, or safety, web mapping apps within GeoHub promote transparency by design and enable individuals to take an active involvement in their government. Open data applications have already begun to impact the way Angelenos see their city. For example, Street Wize is an app that displays both current and impending construction and building permit activity throughout the city so departments can better coordinate construction while individuals can make plans to avoid congestion ahead of time. The app Vision Zero applies open data to depict areas with high concentrations of traffic-related injuries and deaths—its goal is to eliminate both by 2025 altogether. Clean Street Index, an app driven by the Los Angeles Sanitation Bureau, maps and ranks all city roadways and alleys in terms of cleanliness; it informs the public about the cleanliness of city streets while also impacting how a near $1 billion budget will address daily waste management operations and long-term strategies. Mapping transparency in transportation, Road to 2400 visualizes the 2,400 lane miles of streets the city is was able to pave on a 2,200-lane budget annually since 2014.

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Opening the Doors to Innovation The use of real-time open data portals like GeoHub represents a new age of opportunity and intelligence for smart communities. By consolidating disconnecting datasets into a single LaaS platform, the City of Los Angeles has made considerable strides in operational efficiency and progress as a safer, smarter city. When citizens take hold of information made available by open data driven applications, they become more entrenched in impacting governance. The data consumed by these applications can ultimately be construed into limitless forms; and the opportunities Los Angeles affords its startups are sure to usher in a prolonged era of high-tech innovation.

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SMARTCiTiES

BUILDING SMART VILLAGES

- By Uday Devanagundy, Founder - The Learning Isle

The India Smart Cities Challenge is underway at full swing. It is only a matter of time before Smart Cities start popping up in the Indian landscape. The whole objective of this initiative is to lay the foundation for a progressive, future-ready India.

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hen Smart Cities develop, the residents of these cities, owing to their digital knowledge, will become smart by default. Some might take longer than others, but the urban populous has a clear incentive and opportunity to embrace Smart City facilities. Urbanites make up about 40% of the Indian population. However, 60% of the Indian population resides in villages. If our goal is to make India ready for the future, villages and villagers must become smart. A majority of the villagers in India are uneducated and do not have a major incentive to become literate. Literacy in the current scenario implies traditional language literacy, digital literacy and smart literacy. As a society we have not made a sustained effort to make village literacy a reality. With smart cities and villages on the horizon, it is imperative that we take up this effort with urgency.Village literacy (traditional, digital and smart) is not a straightforward exercise and is one replete with challenges. As we venture out to villages with a mission to educate, we must be prepared to convincingly address the concerns listed below (and many more).

What incentive do villagers have to be smart if their basic day-to-day needs such as food, water and shelter are not met? What will prevent villagers from migrating to cities in search of better opportunities? What incentive do villagers have to learn smart skills that might be 7 to 10 years in the future? Will the time investment that make in learning these skills help them earn more money? We may not have all the answers right-away, and that is OK since this is as much a learning process for us as it is for the people we want to educate. One way to address these concerns is by showing villagers immediate benefits of smart education, coupled with a long term literacy plan, and backing the literacy programme with corresponding infrastructure development.All this education must be offered free of cost to villagers. Only then will any villager welcome the education effort into this/her village without bias. Too many villagers in the past have been promised services which have never been delivered, which is one of the reasons why villagers treat paid services with suspicion.

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SMARTCiTiES THESE 3 PHASES OF EDUCATION IS DESCRIBED IN THE REST OF THIS EDITORIAL

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he first phase of education is instant gratification. The goal of this phase is to address the villagers immediate needs, wrapped in a digital literacy package. Examples of some of the immediate needs are bank access, weather information, commodity values (grains, vegetables, etc.), train and bus information etc. Since basic digital literacy is required to avail these facilities, initiating villagers into the digital literacy programme becomes easier. In order for the villagers to be even more convinced, basic infrastructure development such as electricity and network connectivity must be initiated alongside. A sample view of how the various needs are presented on a tablet is shown below:

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SMARTCiTiES

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n essential part of digital literacy is traditional language literacy. The language of choice today for most websites is English. As such, villagers must be introduced to English. In this phase the villagers are taught the English alphabet and basic computer words. In the first phase, education is carried out prompts, and visual and auditory aids such as a reading/talking website. This allows villagers to use existing technology without being tech-savvy while providing inroads into the next phase. The second phase is Continuing Education phase which focuses on language and web literacy. The goal of this phase is to teach villagers basic English and teach them how to navigate the internet. The English education required is not the conventional school education of grammar, parts of speech, prepositions and such. English here refers to just enough English knowledge to surf the web and hold small meaningful conversations – termed as Essential English. As the villager students become proficient in English, the learning aids introduced in Phase 1 can be slowly weaned out. As the villagers start to understand small English sentences as part of their English literacy, comprehending information presented in the websites will become easier. They will not be able to understand long complex sentences in the website, and this is OK, since most websites are written in simple English. If the villagers choose to further their English knowledge, they should be able to do so independently using resources on the web, now that they are comfortable in navigating it. Armed with digital resources and a basic knowledge of English, the villagers should now be ready to enter Phase 3 of the education. In this phase, we focus on the Smart villages. The goal of this phase is to show villagers what Smart villages provide and how it benefits the villagers and their future generations. By the time villagers enter this phase of education, the basic infrastructure should already be in place, and Smart Village implementations should be clearly visible around them.Smart Village developments include smart meters for power and water, green energy generation, e-governance portals, local community portal, smart transport systems etc., all of which will eventually be available through online web portals.However, just providing these services, which include installing sensors, connecting the sensors to the network, and presenting the state of the

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sensors on an app (or web interface) is just the beginning. Think about a scenario when one of the sensor, or a network node, or an app itself fails. How does a villager proceed to fix the failure? The key additional aspect, therefore, is to make the village self-sufficient and self-serviced in order to truly makethe village smart. As an example, if there is a problem with one of the smart meters in the village, the villager should have the basic skills to detect, isolate the cause of the problem and fix it. A similar analogy can be made for education too – educate and few villagers first and make them the focal point for educating the other villagers. Such measures will reduce villagers’ dependence on external people, helping them become self-sufficient. Implementing these three phases of smart village education needs contribution and commitment from many different agencies – government, NGOs, corporates, and individual volunteers. Each agency has an equal responsibility to make sure villages and villagers are ready to embrace the smart revolution at the appropriate time. The investment, time and material, has to start at the earliest since building the infrastructure and educating the villagers is a time consuming process which requires a long term vision and commitment. The infrastructure requirements range from creating transport avenues (laying roads, providing bus and goods services), laying pipes to supply clean water, laying electricity cables for power, ensuring network connectivity through wired or wireless networks, providing computers, laptops, tablets for education, constructing small community centres for villagers to assemble, providing

manpower to educate villagers, putting place-holders to create smart sensors, urban planners, software service providers and so on. The possibilities and opportunities are endless, and together as a team, we need to make clear, quantifiable, value-add decisions to make smart villages a reality. The above presentation of requirements might come across as one where the government has a majority of the delivery responsibility. After all the ownership of building roads, laying water pipes and electricity cables lies with the government. But, this is not entirely true. Government is only one aspect of the Smart Village equation.Smart Villages will increase e-commerce to and from villagers, laptop and tablet businesses will have more demand, builders and raw material suppliers will also benefit. NGOs can reach out to a wider audience easily, and help the rural population improve their standard to living.

Corporates and MNCs, which traditionally adopt schools to improve and educate can be encouraged to adopt villages and participate in their growth. In a nutshell, developing Smart Villages is in everyone’s interest, even for those who look at financial angles and consider simple nation-wide social responsibility not a good enough reason. URBANA WORLD May-June 2016 25


SMARTCiTiES

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he listing below is a summary of requirements for Smart Village education. Needless to say, the providers in the table below is not exclusively limited to any particular organization and it would be of significant benefit is more providers come forward. Requirement Tangibles Infrastructure: Roads, Network cabling Equipment: Computers, tabs Education material Educators Smart equipment Intangibles Convincing villagers Sustenance

Description

Provider

Provides the base for developing connectivity to villages Primary education medium on which education will be delivered Content creators and software app developers to package the content Teachers who visit villages in the early engagement stage, and local resident teachers Sensors, smart meters and such required to enable smart technology

Government

Show villagers the benefit of Smart education, and answers questions such as “Is this the right age to learn?” Ensure long term commitment and consistent feedback mechanisms

Govt., NGOs, corporates, volunteers

Govt., NGOs, corporates NGOs, volunteers, corporates NGOs, volunteers, corporates, villagers Corporates

Govt., NGOs, corporates, volunteers

Investing in creating smart villages and villagers will ensure that progress is unified and inclusive of both cities, villages, and their respective residents.And the investment must start today. Only then, as a unified nation will we progress. And a unified nation should be everyone’s business.

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SMARTCiTiES

Canadian Companies To Help India In Building Smart Cities - By Nicole Lunstead

Over 600 Canadian companies are active in India, & many of these companies have products, technologies and services that can contribute to developing world-class urban spaces.

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In 2015, bilateral trade between Canada and India rose to $8.2 billion CAD. There is however, much more potential.

nfrastructure and the built environment is one of a number of sectors with great potential for collaboration and growth. This was recognized by Prime Minister Modi when, in April 2015, he traveled to Canada and held a number of discussions with leading Canadian infrastructure companies, experts and government representatives to learn how Canada and Canadian companies can contribute to India’s urban development goals.

Homegrown Smart Communities

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ne significant advantage Canada has in the infrastructure and built environment space is its experience in building “Intelligent Communities”. The Intelligent Communities Forum (ICF), a global network of cities and regions headquartered in New York, describes intelligent communities as “those which have – whether through crisis or foresight – come to understand the enormous challenges of [globalization], and have taken conscious steps to create an economy capable of prospering in it.” The ICF also conducts an annual ranking of communities in terms of their broadband connectivity, knowledge workforce, innovation, digital inclusion, and marketing and advocacy. Canadian communities consistently rank as among the most intelligent and sustainable in the world, with the city of Toronto ranked as the Intelligent Community of the Year for 2015.

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ccording to the Intelligent Community Forum, Canada is second in the world only to the United States when it comes to developing intelligent communities. In 2015, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked three Canadian cities - Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary - in the top five most liveable cities in the world. Such liveability is defined by many “smart” factors including environment, mobility, connectivity, governance and quality of life. Canadian companies have contributed significantly to the development of world class cities in Canada and around the world. Canadian companies have developed the expertise needed to build intelligent communities, and are now able to export it abroad.

Public-Private Partnerships

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key factor in the development of world-class infrastructure in Canada has

been its model for Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), which is widely recognized as one of the most efficient and effective in the world. Having a robust PPP framework has been critical in the development of Canada’s thriving urban centers. In addition to the infrastructure created, Canadian companies have developed significant expertise in implementing projects on a PPP basis. Since 1993, over 220 PPP projects have been completed in Canada at a value of over $74 billion CAD (360,000 crore rupees).

Government to Government Support for Sustainable Urban Development

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n support of their cooperation on infrastructure, the governments of Canada and India have established several formal cooperation mechanisms related to both road and rail transport. Since

the signing of the Canada-India Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Road Transportation in 2012, Canada and India have been working closely to improve the exchange of information, and to share of best practices between their respective private and public sectors. In April 2015, during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Canada, a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the rail sector was also signed, largely focused on safety and heavy haul applications. Given the scale and geographic diversity of Canada’s landscape, Canadian companies have acquired extensive expertise in the design, construction and operation of transportation-related facilities. Canada is also a leader in intelligent transportation systems including those related to traffic management, Global Information System tracking, weigh-in-motion technologies, rapid transport systems and multi-modal transportation.

“Canadian companies are innovative and offer the highest levels of service and quality. Whether it be products and services related to sanitation, water, architecture and design, or intelligent transport systems, Canadian companies can deliver exceptional quality. Already, several Canadian companies are actively engaged in India’s Urban infrastructure space including city development and planning, designing world class buildings, installing state of the art water and sanitation systems, or lighting India’s railway stations with LED systems”. - Nadir Patel, Canada’s High Commissioner to India, Speaking about Canada’s infrastructure expertise and its potential to contribute to India’s urban development plans.

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SMARTTRANSPORTATION

TRAFFIC AND ROAD CONDITIONS MONITORING IN MALAGA - By Libelium

Málaga, Andalusia, Spain

Urban traffic is one of the main problems affecting the quality of life of residents in cities and metropolitan area. Current city models, with a very distributed layout and an urban population in constant growth, contribute to an ever increasing number of daily trips.

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esides problems with pollution, safety and energy consumption, providing a sustainable way of mobility for citizens to arrive to their destinations requires new ways of managing urban traffic. Wireless Sensor Networks are now more than a promise to develop and implement real systems. Using this technology as a base, a research group from the University of Málaga has developed an Urban Information System to gather relevant information about city environments, particularly relative to traffic. The group is composed by Alfonso García, professor of Systems Engineering and Automation department, Juan JesúsFernández, main researcher and Juan Martín and Miguel Martín, R&D engineers.

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Wireless Sensor Networks to collect vehicles information Accurate information is one of the first requirements to achieve the goal of sustainable mobility. Acquiring precise and timely data about travelers movements is the first step to look for an optimization of the available means as infrastructure. While a wide variety of sensors are available, they usually need modifications on the roads and nearby areas (for instance, burying cables), and thus construction works and road closures are a part of any deployment. In addition, most of these sensors provides only vehicle counting and, while some types allow for vehicle identification (opening the way to trend monitoring and estimation), they need means for processing, as in the case of video cameras. This is an investment to add to the construction and deployment works.

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SMARTTRANSPORTATION Sensor nodes communication With the support of a research grant from the regional government (Junta de Andalucía), the Urban Information System (UIS) is a rapid deployment system focused on providing information about traffic, using a set of sensors to gather information about vehicle counting, vehicle identification, noise levels, dust (particle matter concentration PM10), gases concentrations, humidity, etc. The system is implemented as a Wireless Sensor Network, with different types of nodes, with power supply independence from the grid, and allowing an easy and inexpensive deployment around an area of interest. The chosen area was a section of the Highway A-357 in Malaga (Spain), with a speed limit of 100 km/h and the surroundings of a roundabout with different entries and exits within a short distance. The Urban Information System (UIS) is based on hardware and software provided by Libelium. For instance, Waspmote Sensor Platform, Smart Cities board, gases board, gases sensors, ultrasound sensor, dust sensor, noise sensor and Bluetooth modules are only a few of Libelium solutions integrated in the system.

“Thanks to Libelium we have been able to focus on the application development instead of the issues related to hardware”, argues the researcher manager. The deployment comprises sensor nodes and coordinator nodes. These are some of the sensors installed: • • • • •

Bluetooth Node Ultrasound Node Laser Node Gases Node Environmental Node

These sensor nodes send the information gathered periodically to a manager node – the Meshlium Gateway – which is also called the coordinator node.. The ZigBee protocol is used for communication among nodes. This protocol has been selected because of its efficient energy consumption and acceptable data transfer rate.

As far as data is concerned, the information collected by the coordinator node is always available through two wireless protocols: WiFi and 3G. There are two ways to access to the information gathered by the coordinator node: • Direct access via WiFi or 3G: the data acquired by sensor nodes are obtained and processed in the coordinator node. Later, these data can be seen by a laptop or a computer using WiFi or 3G. • Real Time: The coordinator node must synchronize with a computer working as external server, via 3G. This computer acquires and monitors data sent by sensors, processing the information and allowing interaction with an operator.

One of the key features of UIS is vehicle identification. Bluetooth nodes acquire the MAC (Media Access Control) of Bluetooth devices located in vehicles traveling on the selected urban area. The Bluetooth node detects also the device type (mobile phones, hands free, laptop, etc.). In this way, the MAC address of a particular Bluetooth device is unique, so it can be used to identify the vehicle carrying the Bluetooth device. The car tracing can be possible through the detection of the same MAC by different Bluetooth nodes of the UIS platform. If a difference of time exists between different intervals of detected Bluetooth with the same MAC, then a trip between a certain origin-destination pair has been identified.

Nodes used in the deployment

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SMARTTRANSPORTATION

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his process is used to calculate the Origin-Destination matrix. The O-D matrix is a powerful tool for traffic management, containing the information about the way vehicles are moving between different points of interest. It is noteworthy that privacy rights are preserved, since MAC addresses are not linked to any individual. But a total count of vehicles is needed to calculate the O-D matrix. UIS uses ultrasound and laser nodes for that purpose. The first of them detects vehicles crossing the sensors beam. The second type sweeps the driveway analyzing the existence of vehicles. The advantage of a laser node with respect to the ultrasound node consists in the capability to detect a vehicle and the lane it is using.On the other hand, ultrasound node has a simpler, cheaper and faster installation.It can be positioned in any street element, while the laser node needs to be placed at a height of 7 or 8 meters.The UIS has been tested in different real-world scenarios. Since it is based on a wireless network, different layouts can be easily adopted to cover different road configurations. The real areas can be shown in the SCADA interface.

Diagram of the wireless sensor network

A powerful tool for city managers

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his project presents a wireless sensor network designed to characterize urban traffic parameters. In particular, vehicle counting and identification are the key to obtain information about origins and destination of trips in the area under study. This data allows the calculation of the origin-destination matrix in real time, providing city managers with a powerful tool to adapt

traffic planning to real demands. Up to now this matrix required an extensive field work linked to roadside interviews and needing weeks or months to be completed. The system has been validated in real conditions. Transmitter nodes have been tested separately and data about detection using ultrasound and Bluetooth have been obtained. The complete system have also carried out

proving its capability to calculate an origin-destination matrix in real time, with acceptable accuracy. The UIS is possible to be deployed by a wider geographical area, as a city. Besides, calculations can be refreshed in real time through the SCADA system, allowing traffic managers to obtain an information that up to this moment required weeks or months.

SCADA visualizer

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Unified Data Framework For

Power Sector

-By Pratik Ghosh

Today smart systems are generating huge volume of data which has changed the dynamics on how business process and analytics is done. Power sector is a massive producer of time-based or telemetry data which are mission critical from generation, transmission, distribution and trading. Add to that the new generation of smart grids with automation system having numerous sensors embedded in the existing power grids for controlling and monitoring. www.UrbanaWorld.com

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INTERNATiONAL he volume, the variety, the variability, the velocity of heterogeneous data collected from these sensors have all the characteristics to qualify as Big Data. With the availability of low cost storage and processing devices, it has now become possible to get data at small time buckets for further analysis. We can capture time streaming data from devices for interpretation current system or to predict future events with higher accuracy.The grid can become more intelligent by processing and deriving information from the data. There are various applications available in the silos of power sector which are generating data of various formats and nature. As this data becomes ’Big data’, the storage as well as the processing becomes crucial issue. This demands a unified data framework, which can handle both data and the processing capabilities required for smart-grid data analysis. This paper brings out the necessity of designing a unified data framework at utility level which is suitable for storing and performing data analytics for legacy and future applications. Today’s modern technologies in information and communication systems provide computing power which can process these humongous wave of data to extract insights for efficient operation of the power sector. More sensors can be deployed across the grid that produce heterogeneous datawhich are then collected at various levels. The existing and legacy systems have to be upgraded to handle the data storage and management. The unified data framework needs to be designed to store, manage and analyzethe data to reveal the knowledge of unseen patterns which are hidden in these datasets and utilizethem for making strategic, tactical and operational decisions. The framework also needs to define interface for various data mining or data analysis methods like Pattern Matching, Classifications, Training and testingsets, Decision trees, Support Vector Machine (SVM), Clustering, Regression Analysis to name a few. The framework has to be defined so that the legacy systems and modern systems can co-exist. The framework should be scalable and flexible to adapt and interface the future protocols and systems. Grid data are broadly classified into Generation data, Transmission data, Distribution data and Consumer data. The framework

should define methodology for datacentreto define intelligent data networks from all aspects of the system, be it technical, commercial, operational, maintenance, collection and other stake points to make the grid more intelligent, robust and smart. In power sector, electricity is generated from different sources like coal, water, biomass, tides, wind, solar, nuclear etc.The generated power is then fed to transmission lines and transmitted to substations. Substations then distributes the power for real time consumption. The power is then distributed to be consumed by Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Transportation, Emergency services and governmental services, etc. Smart and connected meters at customer end points broadcast utilization data to the service providers at regular interval of period. IP-based smart meters and appliances enable the data flow in grid in more fast and efficient way. At each interconnect there are controlling and monitoring tools which are generating real time data of the grid, substation and the power state. The data can be used to extract the dynamic state of the power plant and processed for fault analysis and diagnostic system. Load forecasting for huge economic and industrial consumers can be performed as a vital part in optimizing electricity consumption. The data history and pattern analysis can be used for forecasting and prediction system. The network can be used for the demand side management and plan for future generation based on forecasts. This will help utilities save millions in revenue.The application range of intelligent output can be numerous if we design the framework adaptable and flexible for current and future requirement. Data analytics upon sensor and operational data from grid and utilization systems should be precise. The framework should allow users to define mechanism for filtering and cleaning the raw data in order to evaluate the data in necessary time buckets. These datasets will grow to hundreds of gigabytes the framework needs to be designed with power and flexibility to meet all such requirements. The framework should support numerous processing techniques like batch, stream, iterative processing. Thus we require such a framework to store this vast distributed data and to perform all these types of analysis.

To achieve this, we not only need to upgrade or modify our existing systems in power sector but also need policy level changes to ease the flow of data across the sector. Let us all move towards a unified data framework which will support the efficient management of the power sector in India. www.UrbanaWorld.com

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SMARTCiTiES

POLICY + URBAN DESIGN + SUSTAINABILITY

-BY Sheila Sri Prakash, Founder - Shilpa Architects

Human behavior responds to the built environment. Urban Planners and Architects shape and influence societal aspirations through the design of spaces. Rome was not built in a day, so it grew organically and sedately over centuries.

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he infrastructures in all such cities have become obsolete and inadequate. Retrofitting and revamping existing cities is more difficult and expensive. Green field cities like Amravati or those planned along the new Delhi-Mumbai corridor are easier and comparatively cheaper to be smart. There is no definition for a “smart city.” There are no metrics or standards to objectively conclude the extent to which a city meets expectations. There is agreement that it is simply about stress free living in a city that showcases its cultural identity. This requires the coordinated efforts of multiple stakeholders and layers of unobtrusive technology provided by many institutions that serves people dependably, safely and efficiently. On the other hand, the mind set and participation of the people in the envisioning, implementation and maintenance of systems and infrastructure can alone make the achievement of smart living a reality. Central to the smart initiatives are the roles of Urban Planners and Architects. They are basic to the process of establishing good practices for creating environments that supports wholesome living conditions to citizens. Just as design and engineering a beautiful and efficient building is to the wellbeing of its residents. There is no choice but to rely on technology for rapidly raising living standards. Recognizing technol-

ogy as an enabler to achieve happy living conditions is fundamental. However smart cities cannot be about expensive technologies in electronics and communication alone. The dangers of relying on proprietary technologies will make investments prone to rapid obsolescence and costlier upgrades. Successful strategies of international cities cannot be adopted without moderation as India is a land of diversities and each region is rich in heritage and cultural uniqueness. Our federal democracy challenges continuity in political ownership of development ideas, consistency in focus of bureaucracy to plans and non partisan commitment of institutions; all of which need to be aligned with peoples’ aspirations to achieve smart living. Every city has needs that are unique to make it “smart”. These can be termed as the primary objectives, but holistic sustainability is about overall balance in an edifice that is constantly tugged by forces of varying intensities and directions. Primary objectives are inevitably interlinked with other requirements that need to be aligned to improve livability. For instance, if connectivity is the primary objective, then other parameters like infrastructure, safety and cultural uniqueness become concomitant. They need to be balanced and augmented to achieve holistic connectivity. The absence of clear definitions for smart cities may not be a bad thing ei-

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SMARTCiTiES

ther. This fuzziness could actually help the ground up strategies to evolve and crystallize. Large investments are required for achieving over-arching objectives. So are transparent frameworks with professionals to handhold the objective evaluation and implementation of strategies. It is about building accountability among all stakeholders to each other, to achieve smart environments economically and inclusively as a team. Reciprocal Design Index (RDI) seeks to address these challenges through a scientific process of establishing indices, benchmarking performance and institutionalizing a process of comparing and ranking cities. The concept of the Reciprocal Design Index was initiated at the Global Agenda Council on Design Innovation in 2012 at the WEF Summit in Dubai. RDI is a synthesis of Urban Design Indicators to measure the performance of cities in achieving holistic sustainability. RDI enables policy makers, authorities, professionals, academics and financial institutions to evaluate and monitor development plans, to compare and rank the livability of cities. RDI would be a synthesis of social indicators and urban design indicators. Cities of the world, as categorized according to the World Bank’s measure of Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, become comparable. Moreover,

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the social and urban design indicators of a given city can be compared with the country’s indicators and/or to that of the segment of countries to which a particular city belongs. Holistic Sustainability will emerge as the new paradigm for Urban Design and Architecture. This topic builds on years of research and the evolution of insights from the authors’ practice of designing townships that thrive as vibrant communities. Society is riven by disparities that divides people by caste, colour and creed. Education, earnings and opportunities are more factors that separate citizens into classes and segments. For cities to be inclusive and address its socio-economic and generational disparities, a community should utilize local arts, culture, heritage and materials to meld locally driven economic engines so as to sustain urban centers for the long term. Arts, culture and heritage are powerful tools for homogenizing and bringing together people. This perhaps is the bind that defines indo centric values of unity in diversity. These parameters are in addition to environmental sensitivities. As an active proponent of these sensibilities, urban societies around the world are in dire need of design thinking to address socio-economic issues, which are a fallout of short-sighted urban design and architecture principles.

In the last decade of the previous millennium, the world woke up to the grim realities of global warming, GHGs and climate change. Europe led the world to understand the pandemic threat and the danger to planet earth and all humanity. USA ignored these warnings for long, and China rose to become the highest polluter among nations. Sustainability was narrowly defined as protecting the environment, and the green movement was launched. Developing countries saw this as a sinister move to curb their aspirations, and that the cause for the problems were the developed nations for over two centuries.

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he world is now aware of the balance that is sought by developing countries striving for economic development as against the developed countries that are striving to reduce carbon emissions. The impact of climate change affects everyone, and natural calamities do not play favorites. However the poorer nations are impacted more. Cities of the developing world will face staggering problems of destruction, and they are going to spend trillions of dollars to combat the problems of their exploding populations. The Reciprocal Design Index is a tool to measure and rank cities

It is broadly recognized that the pillars for sustainability are : 1. Governance – as defined by Transparency, Participation, Rule of Law 2. Society – as defined by Health, Education, Infrastructure, Public Realms 3. Economics – as defined by Earnings, Opportunities (inclusivity), Skills (empowerment) 4. Ecology – as defined by Elements, Environment, Resources 5. Culture – as defined by Income Distribution, Arts, Heritage

for their Holistically Sustainable attributes. The time has come for this approach to help political leaders, administrators, fund managers and planners to find the right solutions in a harmonious bottom-up and inclusive manner that will address the needs of stakeholders in a transparent and efficient way as they fight poverty, education, hygiene, aspirations and growth. Ultimately, the RDI would facilitate a common language of comparability across policy domains, cities and countries. The developed world is more sensitive to preservation and the higher needs of life. The less developed

countries riddled with poverty, hunger and subsistence are challenged by basic needs of humanity. Problems of unsustainability are of a greater magnitude and dignified living is acutely stressed. Indicators for sustainable living therefore are different across clusters of nations. As nations raise standards of living, their populations’ sensitivities also rises. Countries migrate from one cluster or grouping to another as they improve or get demoted if they regress. Within a cluster, nations are ranked for holistic sustainability and the cities in them can be placed on different points of the spectrum.

The Concept of RDI is: • To provide the general public, governments, bureaucrats, academia, professionals, city planners and financial institutions a guideline to benchmark urban agglomerations for assessment, development and investment; • To challenge conventional thinking about city development and make the stakeholders in city development accountable to each other in their inter disciplinary networking and partnership to make cities a better place; • To provide a guideline for development of holistically sustainable cities that are safe, inclusive and equitable; while addressing the challenges of climate change, environment degradation and ecological protection; • To kindle among citizens the competitive spirit to engage in dialogues to benchmark their cities with the rest in the country, and objectively evaluate their performance to rank them as a community; • To provide the city councils and bureaucrats a guideline for providing migrants and citizens a wholesome environment • To challenge city planners and architects to create and implement plans that improve the performance of cities or meet desired outcomes in ways that are cost effective, •To enable institutions fund and monitor the implementation of holistically sustainable development plans that are efficient and smart.

RDI is intended to serve a two-fold purpose

1.Sustainable Transition to a Smart City

2. Performance Standards for Continuous Evaluation

“The RDI would strive for a balanced approach to establish, document and incentivize sustainable design. It would also offer an objective accreditation system of reciprocity indices that can be monitored, compared, and recognized.”

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CYCLE SHARING: WILL INDIA EMULATE CHINA’S SUCCESS STORY ? -By Shreya Gadepalli, Regional Director for the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP)

When it comes to public cycle sharing systems, India doesn’t need to look too far. China, in just under a decade, has outpaced European cities that gave birth to the idea half a century ago. Today, all but four of the 20 largest systems in the world are in China— ranging from 8000 to 80000 shared cycles. Unfortunately, India has none. (With excerpts from a toolkit developed by the author for the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India)

What is cycle sharing?

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ycle sharing is a healthy, non-polluting, and flexible form of personal public transport—a great option for short trips and as a feeder to other public transport options. Cycles are securely stored (or docked) at a closely spaced network of stations. With a smart card or another form of identification, a user can check out a cycle from any station, use it for a short ride, and return it at any other station of the system. For a small membership fee (annual/monthly/daily), users can make unlimited free trips, as long as they return the cycle within a stipulated time (typically capped at 30-45 minutes).

Is cycle sharing a new concept?

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ot really. It started as an experiment half a century back in Amsterdam with fifty cycles. Since then, the idea has evolved and expanded while retaining the basic essence. Advances in information technology gave a big boost to the idea and lead to a massive growth in the last decade. Today, there are over 1.3 million shared cycles in over a 1000 cities around the globe. More systems are starting every year. Cycle sharing has demonstrated its ability to re-energize cycling— transforming the image of cycles from lowly tool to cool mode. In many cities, it has also lead to the creation of large networks of safe cycling facilities.

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Where does one start?

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bove everything else, cycle sharing requires political will and policy support to succeed. Some of the largest and most successful cycle sharing systems in the world—such as those in Paris, London, and New York—are a result of active championing by the mayors of those cities. London’s hugely popular cycle-sharing scheme is a result of two of its former mayors, Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson, who were determined to increase cycling in London. The London story also gives us insights on the best way to implement a cycle sharing programme— through public-private partnership. While the London scheme is overseen by the city’s transport department, Transport for London, it is sponsored by Santander Bank (originally sponsored by Barclays) and operated by SERCO, a private company, on a six-year contract with service level benchmarks. The system that started with 5000 cycles in 2010 has expanded to 11,500 cycles today, serving 5-7 trips per cycle everyday. Successful implementation of a cycle sharing system requires meticulous planning and oversight on the part of the government. Private sector participation can bring several advantages, including access to capital and technical expertise. But, constant oversight by the public implementing agency is necessary to ensure that the system meets high service quality standards. The contracting structure should create the right incentives by rewarding good work and penalising poor performance. In order to evaluate the operator’s performance, the implementing agency needs access to real-time system data.

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SMARTTRANSPORTATION What are the features of a good system?

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o begin with, a system should have at least a 1000 cycles with a coverage of five square kilometres or more. Anything smaller is unviable and almost always fails. For instance, Smartbike DC in Washington DC failed to exist with ten stations and 120 cycles. It shut down in a year. Capital Bikeshare replaced it successfully with 1100 cycles connecting a 100 stations. Today, the system has three times as many stations and 2500 cycle. The most successful systems have over 5000 bicycles; the largest ones have even more. The system in Hangzhou, the world’s largest, has over 80000 cycles. Cycle sharing stations should be spaced closely—in a grid of 300m or less—so that users can get a-near-doorstep service. A fully automated system removes the need for staffing at a station. The number of docks in a system (where cycles are locked) is 1.5 to 2 times the number of cycles in operation. A typical station has 12-15 docks. Stations at some important locations, like public transport terminals, can be larger, with 30-50 cycles placed inside an enclosure, accessed through one or more automated control gates. Technology plays a key role in cycle sharing—from safeguarding cycles from theft, to giving real time information to users as well as operators. Chips embedded in a smart card or tag (issued at the time of registration) allow users to unlock cycles from automated stations and docking points. Users get information on station location as well as availability of cycles through web based portals and mobile applications. Operators use the data collected to redistribute cycles from saturated stations to empty ones to ensure availability at all locations. Data also helps in planning future expansion of the system. The overall appearance of the cycle is a key element in the branding of a cycle sharing system. It should project a sleek, modern image. Cycle should have specially designed parts and sizes to discourage theft. Operators must conduct regular and frequent maintenance of cycles. A cycle with a flat tyre or a broken chain is of no use. Users should be able to notify an operator if a cycle needs repair with just a push of a button at a station. For instance, the maintenance team should clean the cycles and inflate tyres every alternate day. Once every fortnight, things like drive chain lubrication and functioning of brakes should be checked. Once a year, a full overhaul is recommended.

What cycle sharing is not

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ycle sharing is often confused with cycle rental systems. Cycle sharing is a technology-based self-service system that differs in significant ways from the traditional commuting or tourism-oriented rental services that are present in many parts of India. Shared cycles give the user flexibility to pick and drop a cycle at any station, encouraging short trips and providing last mile connectivity. Rentals are small scale businesses with pricing models that encourage longer trips. Users have to return the cycle where they picked it up from. Cycle sharing systems are also not a replacement for large-scale cycle distribution schemes. These programs, generally aimed at rural users, have a strong focus on poverty alleviation. It is important to recognize that cycle sharing is not necessarily for the poorest of the poor, but an alternative for short trips done by paratransit, bus, or walking. Many low-income residents already own and use cycles because they cannot afford to use any other mode, even public transport. A critical aim of cycle sharing is to attract new users who would not otherwise use cycles. By broadening the cycle user base and raising the profile of cycling in a city, cycle sharing can build a constituency for improved cycle infrastructure, which benefits all cyclists, rich and poor alike.

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What is the future of cycle sharing in India?

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Over the past decade, there have been over a dozen experiments—all of them very small in size—in various parts of India. Some were non-profit enterprises; others were commercially driven. Many were, at best, cycle rentals; others were just advertising contracts in the garb of cycle sharing. It would be a fair to say that there is not a single shared cycle in operation in India at present. n 2012, on behalf of the Ministry of Urban Development (Government of India), the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) prepared a planning toolkit for India cities on public cycle sharing systems. The Ministry has been actively encouraging cities to adopt this idea. A positive sign is the large number of cities that were selected in the first round of the India Smart Cities Challenge identified cycle sharing as a key initiative in their proposals.

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Cycle sharing is an idea whose time has come in India. Many Indian cities are at an advanced stage of planning, or even implementation. According to calculations by ITDP, the top hundred Indian cities should have invested by the year 2031 in over over six hundred thousand shared cycles-along with many other sustainable transport facilities—to become truly smart. It remains to be seen if India will emulate the success of its neighbour, China!

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PUBLIC CYCLE SHARING CYCLE PARTS

INTERNATiONAL

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SMARTCiTiES

SMART CITY LAB INDIA INTRO -BY Rahul Tomar, CTO Urban Logistics Matthias Brunner Smart City Lab India is a triple helix collaboration initiative which is aiming at development, delivery and export of smart ICT and mobile based services and products in the following priorities area - Smart Cities, e-Health, Social e-learning, Transport, Energy & Environment, Agri food and Manufacturing & Logistics. Smart City Lab India is actively promoting FIWARE technology, cooperation of Indian companies, universities and clusters with relevant counterpart.

“ Addressing the specific pain of metropolitan society (cities, government, citizen, University & corporates) and providing well defined solution to relieve from the pain for various stakeholders is my goal. Smart City Lab India is committed to OpenSource in general, specifically to FIWARE as technology. “

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- Olaf-Gerd Gemein, Founder, Smart City Lab India

mart City Lab India is the first of it’s kind that is building an open source community with FIWARE technology for developing new and innovative solutions for making cities smart. Today the latest technologies are leading us into a new digital revolution resulting in generating new generation of context aware applications that will hosted in the cloud, connected to the IoT and able to analyze data on large scale. Cities are striving to earn a spot into this global and competitive market and must quickly get on board this train to survive. This is where FIWARE open source software platform can help them by easing their transitions to a innovative businesses and solutions. FIWARE will help cities to build and manage innovative apps and services by making complex processes simple, cost effective, high quality and secure. All of the FIWARE tools are already available and ready to use on Smart City Lab India, the free experimental environment where developers and web entrepreneurs can find the means to build their projects and test their applications with real data and real users. With open source everyone has their doubt of having insecure data. That is flatly not true. These days open source software is regulation compliant. Today open source is ready for enterprises and cities.

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Not only this there are other major benefits with open source and among them one is open source avoids single vendor proprietary lockin. There are many great analytics and ERP products which are built on top of open source platforms and widely used in all major cities and industries. For Smart City Lab India it is very important to encourage partners to provide services, applications and hardware that makes it easier for customers to consume the platform. Partners building solutions ranging from mobile telephony systems to cybersecurity or new analytics and reporting solutions. Smart City Lab India themselves do not offer these kind of solutions. The role of Smart City Lab India is to offer supplies a stable and highly scalable platform to run these applications on top of. We educate our partners, cities, customers, help them identify use cases that are best suited to the big data platform and really roll out successful deployments. Smart City Lab India through it’s network and infrastructure partners has develop to reach ecosystem to accelerate the innovative ideas of citizens. How ? First the Smart City Lab India offers the infrastructure resources which entrepreneurs need to develop their solutions. They can deploy these solutions or services to one or more nodes within Smart City Lab India and even create their private network depending on the resources they need. Entrepreneurs are not alone our experts will help them to migrate their service and solutions to platform and train them how to get most out of it. Then each Smart City Lab node has access to business experts and mentors. Entrepreneurs need real user feedback to validate their ideas and make decisions. Smart City Lab India opens the door to communities of testers and even early adopters. Smart City Lab is a platform for India to take benefit from FIWARE global Smart cities ecosystem and preparing the Indian cities for the future while capturing the first benefits today. Consider FIWARE as the operating system of smart cities. Join this open standard platform and start making India smart now.

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SMARTCiTiES

Smart, Scalable and Resilient Cities that are Sustainable -By Nermin K. Ahmad, MD, CSRspace

Investing in Smart Cities means investing in one of four critical components for the city of the future, and presents a key opportunity when planning for the sustainable growth of emerging cities.

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town or a community that is set to grow is the time to plan for a city geared to be smart, scalable, resilient and thus sustainable. Smart technology provides access to data, that if mapped appropriately and analyzed across sectors, can help improve the quality of life in urban areas, while reducing the cost of services, as well as the impact of population growth on local ecosystems and the natural environment. Informed and integrated upfront planning allows communities to emerge as viable cities, spending less on correcting legacies from bad planning and uncontrolled growth, and more on services appropriate to the present and immediate future. When each element of the master plan is mapped, associated data needs and key performance indicators (KPIs) identified and layered into the map, using smart technology and sensors to automate access to actual data translated into information, planners and decision makers can make informed decisions and engage in focused consequence management. This also means that responsibility for consequences – good or bad – is allocated and can be tracked to the established KPIs along with expenditures and outcomes. There are no quick fixes. A key foundation for tomorrow’s city is the need to professionalize its planning process, and base development on a coherent master plan, that evaluates the potential for growth over a 30 – 50-year timeline and builds a smart city platform around this. Not only must projects be identified across sectors and traditional silos, but they need to be designed to be matched against appropriate sources of financing – local, public, and private; through loans, grants and as part of corporate social responsibility programs. Growth should be measured, controlled, and desired.

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SMARTCiTiES

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ost cities today have grown organically, through an ad hoc accrual of citizens, of services, and concerted efforts to meet specific needs – with little effort to guide or shape desired outcomes over time. Cities cannot be expected to suddenly grow to meet expectations established by smart city platforms that are not tailored to their specific needs. However, they can grow in synchronicity with tailored smart platforms that support planning across sectors to meet citizen priorities. Smart technologies enable people to live, work, grow, eat and play in the same safe spaces. Examples include:-

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

MICRO-GRIDS

It is not reasonable to expect cities to thrive if a majority of the inhabitants are either unemployed or underemployed in a rapidly changing global job market.

Electricity supply needs to be fully rethought. National or private electric companies can no longer control electricity supply, let alone consistently meet demand. It is time for a collaborative rethinking of how electricity is sourced, distributed and paid for.

• Job opportunities increasingly depend on reliable access to electricity and internet. • Jobs can be sourced globally, from anywhere, using smart technologies. • The need for centralized factory and office space is changing, especially with goods that can be designed remotely and produced on 3-D printers.

WASTE REDUCTION

The concept of just in time delivery of goods for purchase will be transformed by smart technologies. • Shops will no longer need to warehouse goods within congested city centers. Increased on-line shopping will lead to a rethinking of supply chain logistics management. • Transportation of goods into cities will be limited. • Waste will be reduced as the only items brought into the city were bought for consumption. • Packaging will need to be rethought.

• Schools, hospitals, large work campuses, and other major electric users should establish micro-grids for an as-

TRANSPORTATION This sector is being revolutionized. Expectations and needs are changing. Smart technology promotes ride-sharing and sourcing, and increasingly employees can work remotely from localized, off-site hubs. New approaches to planning for public and private transportation are needed to enable mixed use of roadways. • Traditional and modern vehicles (push carts, tricycle, bicycles, low emission buses, trams, metros, pedestrians and of course cars) need to be accommodated. • Roads must be built to absorb storm-water more effectively. • Thoroughfares must be wide enough to account for future needs, while recognizing that changing work habits

WASTE MANAGEMENT

WATER MANAGEMENT

Smart technology will help understand the composition of the waste coming into the city, and used by citizens.

Smart management of water resources needs to be undertaken locally – as well as watershed wide.

• Household waste - maximized waste recovery, reuse, recycling and composting(which can be a source of jobs and income). • Special waste streams – e-waste, medical waste, and other specialized wastes – are identified and separated. • With an integrated waste management plan built across the specific sectors of an emerging city, less than 20% of the waste material will be disposed of (land filled, turned to energy, exported).

• Local actions have repercussions throughout the watershed, on ground as well as surface water. • Flooding increasingly is a major concern, as are polluted waterways and dropping ground water tables. • Smart technologies enable us to better track water issues, understand where to locate intakes and outfalls watershed wide. • Water must become a resource that is valued and protected as opposed to being squandered. • Waste water systems need to be rethought to mitigate against what is in fact loading water today due to

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sured electric supply, with an ability to sell excess electricity to the surrounding community (periods of low use often correspond to increased communal use). • Instead of investing in costly electric supply and delivery projects, electric companies should evaluate how to profitably use what they have in collaboration with micro-grids, using smart technologies to manage flows.

may change the nature of rush hour. Why should a smart city be confined to pre-electrification, agrarian rules (when people woke with the sun and returned home by dark). Electricity and the internet enable changes in when people chose to work, not just where. • Extra-wide meridians with trees for shade will bank land for future use, improve the local air-shed, and receive local compost to improve soil quality. • Light fixtures that reduce light pollution of the night sky can be incorporated. • Vehicle trip management will improve air quality, and with that health. • Major health benefits come from being able to bike or walk to work and to local stores.

increased population, heavy farming, industrial and indiscriminate use. This includes all the chemicals and pharmaceuticals dumped into waterways, whether actively or through excretions. • Smart sensors allow each community to ensure that the water it receives leaves as clean or cleaner. • Green buffers and wetlands can be used to mitigate flooding and help reduce the pollution load in waters around the intakes and outflows. These would be designed for active flood containment and absorption. • The locavore movement is part of sustainability, where land buffers are used to grow foods for local consumption while protection communities from flooding.

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SMARTCiTiES HOUSING STOCK

HEALTH

Real estate specialists know how to profitably build communities for different income levels. New types of neighborhoods need to be created to include smart design features and be:

Changing how people live, with an eye to reducing stress; air and water pollution; and increasing opportunities for healthy lifestyles will help improve health. Building communities with well-clinics, targeted to neighborhood demographics will help further. Healthier communities mean less pressure on hospitals, doctors, and a reduction in the need to build centralized mega-health systems that cannot meet local demand effectively.

• Inclusive of economic strata; • Safe and friendly for the elderly and children; • Include parks and safe spaces to walk and sit in, yet provide easy access to transport options. • Promote housing stock which reflects cultural preferences and takes advantage of design features to maximize natural cooling in summer and heating in winter. • Encourage neighborhoods with water scarcity to incorporate options for water-use reduction and reuse (low water toilets, grey water, pink water, and underground cisterns). Developers can create and support local jobs – when a housing estate is proposed, while the plans are being approved and the environmental permits obtained, smart platforms can be used to advertise for required materials– plants for landscaping, tiles, bricks, ornamental features – so that local companies can plan and scale production. This reduces the need to transport basic building material long distances and creates local job opportunities that can be advertised on a job sharing website in the community.

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CSR space (www.CSRspace.net) has learned through experience that when city planners react to needs, and build infrastructure based on increasing pressure for services and infrastructure, and to meet galloping socio-economic and cultural pressures, mistakes are made, and scarce funds squandered. Our work with all stakeholders in a community to plan a desired future allows meaningful and desirable change to occur. One of our key discoveries has been that most communities have their unique vision of the type of place they hope to live in. Another is that most governing bodies do not have the professional capacity needed to develop a holistic master-plan for that future. We intervene to facilitate the discussion, bridge the gap in knowledge, and create the integrated master planning framework.

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SMART ENERGY & WATER

STORY By- Silver Spring Networks

ComEd Improves Reliability and Efficiency with a Single Network for

Multiple Smart Grid Services • Top 10% (ComEd’s2014 reliability performance among comparable U.S. utilities)

• $2 billion (savings over 20 years from an upgraded, stronger electric system, fewer power interruptions and greater operational efficiencies)

• $175 million (Customer savings due to outage avoidance)

• 1.2 million (Avoided customer interruptions due to distribution automation in 2014)

• 65% (expected cost reduction for operations, maintenance and energy from the smart street light pilot)

• $50 million (reductions in electricity delivery rates for 2016 due to cost management and operational efficiencies)

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CASESTUDY

“Silver Spring Networks continues to be a great partner for ComEd as we continue our deployment and operations of both their smart meter and distribution automation solutions. Their multi-application technology not only demonstrates its flexibility in support of these two core use cases, it also is being evaluated for additional smart city applications.” - Rich O’Toole, Director - Customer Strategy, AMI for ComEd

BACKGROUND

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ommonwealth Edison (ComEd), a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation, provides electrical service to more than 3.8 million customers in Chicago and northern Illinois, operating as the state’s largest electrical utility. Set in motion by an Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act (EIMA) by the State Legislature of the State of Illinois, ComEd is undergoing a 10-year, $2.6 billion Infrastructure Investment Plan, investing $1.3 billion to strengthen its electric system and another $1.3 billion to add new smart grid technology.

THE CHALLENGE

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ith the passage of EIMA, ComEd was required to improve its overall system reliability. In order to reach the goals outlined in the law, ComEd decided to leverage a common network for multiple applications, including advanced metering infrastructure (AMI),distribution automation (DA) and smart city programs. With a modernized communications infrastructure, the utility would be able to increase grid reliability by identifying problems faster, optimizing business processes,automating problem resolution and reducing truck rolls. Adopting a smart grid strategy based on a single, unified network, ComEd identified the following benefits for its customers and the State of Illinois: • Minimize impact of power outages by reducing outage frequency by 20% and duration by 15% • Improve customer satisfaction by empowering customers with more information about their energy usage and providing better service • A positive impact on the state economy by creating more jobs as a result of smart grid investments

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n addition, ComEd anticipated streamlining internal processes and increasing overall efficiencies with an integrated, standards-based platform. ComEd projected lower long-term operational costs through a gradual reduction in meter reading and field services operations. By creating a highly secure smart grid foundation, ComEd’s AMI system would also support future applications, such as advanced rate designs and distribution operations asset optimization. In all, ComEd expects $2 billion in savings over 20 years from an upgraded, stronger electric system, fewer power interruptions and greater operational efficiencies.

THE PILOT

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ver a three-year period, ComEd conducted due diligence to research and select a smart grid technology provider. Following an extensive evaluation process, ComEd selected two-way communications from Silver Spring Networks, integrated into GE and Landis+Gyr meters. The AMI pilot, including 131,000 meters, leveraged Silver Spring Networks’ SilverLinkTM, an integrated set of solutions for networking, control and application enablement, as well as solution-specific AMI hardware, software and services widely implemented and commercially proven at scale. As a result of the pilot’s success, ComEd choseSilver Spring Networks’ end-to-end IPv6 SilverLink Network Platform for deployment to all 3.8 million Illinois customers. Relying on Silver Spring’s secure and standards-based foundation for delivering smart grid services, ComEd could unlock customer benefits more rapidly, as well as easily integrate future technologies and applications. Increased business efficiencies expected from the project included a targeted reduction of $30 million in uncollectable expense, a 90% reduction in consumption of inactive meters and a 50% reduction in unaccounted energy use.

ADVANCED METERING (AMI) SOLUTION

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omEd’s integrated AMI solution provides two-way communications between customers and ComEd, enabling applications such as automated billing,remote disconnect and connect service operations, a customer web portal with real-time consumption information, AMI-based outage management, meter hazard discovery, revenue assurance and dynamic pricing. Silver Spring’s mesh radio frequency network ensuresreliable communications for ComEd’s full-scale deployment. As illustrated in Figure 1, the network consists of smart meters at customer homes and businesses and network infrastructure including access points and relays. The intelligent devices collect information and communicate with ComEd’s IT systems for billing, customer information and outage management.

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iNTERNATiONAL

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s of December 2015, ComEd installed 1.8millionsmart meters. Due to meter acceleration, all 3.8 million ComEd customers are expected to have smart meters by the end of 2018—three years ahead of the original commitment, resulting in increased customer savings of approximately $170 million. ComEd’s investment in AMI hardware is already enabling a variety of advanced applications that deliver value to the utility and the customer. ComEd implemented Silver Spring’s analyticssolutions—including the Operations Optimizer application—to enhance grid

resiliency and increase operational efficiency. The applicationallows operators to leverage vast amounts of data from multiple internal and third party sources for a unified enterprise analytics solution covering numerous use cases. Silver Spring’s analytics solutionenables operatorsto improve hazard detection and revenue assurance through actionable insights and workflow automation capabilities. This has significant implications for operators, who can now leverage data and proven pattern recognition techniques for proactive rather than reactive problem resolution. They can use analytics as virtual “eyes-in-the-

field” to identify and track cases of meter tamper, meter malfunction and theft. The results have been immediate. With an average accuracy of over 95%,the softwarehas dramatically improved ComEd’s ability to remotely detect incidents of theft and meter malfunction. ComEd’s investment in AMI infrastructure has already delivered significant and measurable value. With the flexible and adaptive capabilities of the Silver Springs’Operations Optimizer application, operators are equipped with powerful tools and insights they need to continue to unlock future gains for ratepayers.

DISTRIBUTION AUTOMATION (DA) SOLUTION

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omEd is implementing a fiveyear DA plan to improve outage management through better targeting of restoration crews to fault locations, enhanced asset tracking and faster power restoration through the automatic detection of faults and rerouting of power around the faults. ComEd leveraged itsSilver Spring network infrastructure to deliver two-way communications for 6,100 DA devices, including the migration of more than 3,000 DA devices from a legacy Utilinet 900 MHz system onto a Silver Spring mesh network. The Silver Spring network transports SCADA communications to control and monitor reclosers and other grid hardware in the fieldand delivers the DA network management traffic to the SilverLink Control Platform, hosted by Silver Spring Networks.

As of December2015, ComEd’s smart grid network supports more than4,965 DA devices. www.UrbanaWorld.com

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INTERNATiONAL

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omEd has enabled additional gains by combining its investment in DAhardware with the Silver Spring Operations Optimizer application. ComEd leveraged the software’s advanced analytics capabilities to unlock additional gains in outage management capabilities while reducing costs related to on-site investigation. Operations Optimizer uses analytics to improve asset tracking of critical hardware across the DA network. Whereas legacy systems require trained field technicians to identify cases of meter-to-transformer mismatch, Operations Optimizer empowers ComEd to remotely discover and proactively solve problems, also improving ComEd’s asset tracking capabilities. Operators have discovered that approximately 5% of meters have incorrect transformer listings. The analytics have also improved workflows, resulting in an 87% success rate in remote identification of meter-to-transformer mismatch without costly truck-rolls. The implications for distribution automation are significant. Operators are gaining improvements in outage management, distribution transformer load management and transformer/feeder-level analysis.The Silver Spring solution also supports the high bandwidth and low latency requirements of the most demanding DA applications, giving ComEd the ability to add other use cases in the future.

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SMART CITY SOLUTION

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n 2015, ComEd began extending the use of its mesh network to support a smart street light pilot for 750 of the 176,000 ComEd-owned fixtures in the Chicago land area. The program equips energy-efficient LED lighting fixtures with Silver Spring’s wireless monitoring and controls, leveraging the same smart grid network infrastructure used to support AMI and DA. The pilot is testing advanced functionality including remote control and scheduling the lights, outage and maintenance alerts, and public safety support. ComEd is providing the two pilot villages, Lombard and Bensenville, with access to central management software that allows them to monitor the status of streetlights for outages or proactive maintenance and allows them to adjust dimming levels in real time from a mobile device. ComEd expects this project to reduce costs for operations, maintenance and energy by up to 65%, improve mesh resilience, provide an ‘anchor’ for other smart city applications as well as improve customer satisfaction.

BENEFITS FROM SMART GRID DEPLOYMENT

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ince the SilverLink Network Platform supports multiple smart grid applications, it enables ComEd to run integrated DA, customer programs, smart city, AMI communications and asset management on a single, unified networkwhile supporting the unique network performance requirements of each application.The addition of new nodes, such as street lights communications, serves to strengthen the overall network to benefit existing and future applications. By building upon a common network, ComEd is also maximizing the impact of its investments in analytics solutions. ComEd’s modernized IT infrastructure integrates multiple data streams from internal and third party sources, enablingseamless data transactions for enhanced visibility and control across multiple business units. Operators can now leverage proven algorithms and robust role-based workflow management tools to generate actionable, predictive insights for enhanced operations and program management.

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iNTERNATiONAL ComEd’s smart grid investments are improving the strength and reliability of the electric system and providing benefits across multiple areas: Fewer and shorter outages saved customers $175 million

Reduces electricity delivery rates by $50 million

Improves asset tracking for critical DA hardware

From 2012 to 2014, ComEd avoided more than 3.3 million customer interruptions with smart switches that automatically route power around potential problem areas, including 1.2 million avoided interruptions in 2014 alone. Outage avoidance saved customers an estimated $175 million from 2012 to 2014.

ComEd intends to reduce its rates for delivering electricity by $50 million for 2016, resulting from multiple factors including strong cost management throughout the company, as well as operational efficiencies that are being realized from having a stronger, more reliable grid with fewer outages. This is resulting in a decrease of about $1 on the average monthly residential bill starting in January 2016.

Operators have also improved their ability to proactively discover meter-to-transformer mismatches remotely. The algorithm is highly accurate, achievinga 98% success rate in identifying and correcting mismatched assets. In total, the software estimates that 5% of meters are associated with mismatched transformers.

Improved reliability, now in the top 10% ComEd’s reliability performance is now in the top 10% of comparable U.S. utilities. 2013 and 2014 were the company’s best performances on record.

Storm recovery performance increased more than 30% Despite more intense weather events, storm restoration performance has improved by greater than 30% as compared with 2011 for storms affecting more than 200,000 customers due to storm hardening work and storm restoration improvements.

Enhances discovery of metertamper and theft With Silver Spring analytics, ComEd has significantly improvedthe efficiency of its revenue assurance operations. Using AMI data and proven algorithms, investigators have been able to increase the accuracy of remote theft detection to more than-

95%

Reduces the cost of street lighting by 65% ComEd expects the ability to monitor and control fixtures will reduce costs to manage its streetlights by up to 65%, due to increased efficiencies in operations, maintenance and energy use.

Supports economic growth In addition to benefits to ComEd customers, ComEd’s smart grid program is also delivering benefits to the state of Illinois through job creation. ComEd work related to the smart grid program has resulted in more than 3,600 full-time equivalent jobs in Illinois as of the end of 2014.

A FLEXIBLE FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE

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ilver Spring Networks’SilverLink solutions serve as a foundation to add future smart grid applications. In addition to its new street light pilot, ComEd is exploring analytics, grid efficiency and restoration acceleration applications. With a standards-based smart energy infrastructure, ComEd can easily integrate new smart services and solutions, driving additional benefits for its customers in the future.

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SMART IT

Value-generation from Open Data in the SMART CITY

ECOSYSTEM

AuthorAnveshi Gutta Smarter Cities Consultant IBM (* Views expressed in this article are strictly personal and do not necessarily reflect IBM’s point of view)

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In my previous article (Jan-Feb 2016 issue), I published my views about how governments/Smart Cities can (and should) conduct due diligence in identifying the relevant datasets from their blackbox databases and open them up. This included identifying attributes of open data and mapping the data to a 5-star rating. Having touched on the significant potential that Open Data holds in the evolution of the Smart City ecosystem, it is obvious that the transaction is only complete when there is adequate demand being generated at the consumption side for the commodity at hand.

owever, what is important to note about Open Data in the Government/Smart City context is that the demand side of the equation involves substantial dynamics. There are 2 very critical aspects of demand – drive consumption and, more importantly, drive value-generation from open government data. The illustration above captures this journey succinctly.

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Driving Data Consumption In a simplistic view, all this requires is for government entities to make a few commitments and honor them at all times. • Commitment to provide fresh data at all times • Commitment to bind the data service with a Service Level Agreement (SLA) • Commitment to maintain data quality at all times • Commitment to ensure data anonymity

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he key to data consumption is to provide the Data Consumer sufficient evidence to instill trust in the relationship. As is observed with any relationship, an honored commitment is the best way to drive this. Hence, it becomes essential for Data Provider agencies to step lock with consumers at all times. One of the key concerns most consumers have is the governments usually are high-handed and set the rules of the game. Here is a scenario – A flourishing start-up has built a rich mobile app and open API for a service that brings together datasets from 3 different government agencies and combines that with data gathered from 2 other private entities. The app sources government data from an open data portal hosted by the government/Smart City. The app has been in the market for about a year and has seen a good uptake because of the uniqueness of the service it offers. The start-up has been making healthy revenues through the mobile app and the open API that renders this service. One of the Data

Provider agencies has done an internal study and has put in a regulation which restricts the contours of data that is shared outside the government entities. Following this, what if the agency decides that – • A certain dataset that was being used by the start-up will not be made available from the next quarter • The dataset refresh will be done only once every quarter instead of monthly • The nature/quality of data shared will change from the next refresh onwards • The dataset access will be blocked completely with immediate effect The flourishing start-up will have no choice but to rework their innovative service around these new changes, provided that is feasible and practical. Unlike a B2B relationship where both parties have almost equal say, a G2B relationship is steered by one party - the Government. It is to be recognized that the lack of transparency has an adverse impact on the public trust in the objectives and motives of

Generating value from Open Data

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nce the trust between the Data Source entities and Data consumers has been established, it is mostly up to the data consumers to tap into the data and generate value that was unseen for various reasons. More often, the value generation comes from the fact that the data consumers are able to correlate various datasets – government data, private data, and proprietary data – and render use cases that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Having said that, the governments can still play a substantial role to positively influence the larger ecosystem. As an example, in one of my earlier articles I had mentioned about the 5-star rating by Tim Berners Lee. One of the key aspects of open government data – ranging from 1-star to 5-star – is that the data consumer agency should be able to further license the data without restrictions on use as part of the public domain. Public data should be released such that it enables free re-use, including commercial re-use. The possibility to distribute data without restrictions will encourage consumption and generate new avenues in the city ecosystem to leverage the intrinsic value of open government data. This will spur further innovation. Another way that Governments/ Smart Cities can play an active role in encouraging the community to innovate based on open data is by ensuring that datasets of real value are being made available. While the government may have thought through the data that can be opened up, it is only at the consumption stage that the lacunae in the nature or quality of data becomes apparent. Governments/Smart Cities should establish a mechanism by which the citizens can submit their concerns about existing datasets or place requests for more relevant datasets. The government will be able to know the pulse of the consumer community only when such a closed loop exists. At the end of the day, the value of open government data is only realized when then data consumers can generate experiences (through mobile apps, open APIs et al) that enhance the living experience of the residents. Governments have an active role to play all through the Open Data journey – from data identification to value-generation. With large initiatives of this nature, it is essential to keep receiving encouraging signs for the government entities to stay engaged and for the Open Data initiative to sustain over a long tenure. Hence, it becomes essential to ensure that the data consumers are also constantly engaged and their expectations are reasonably met.

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the government. Open Data consumption is not a one-time task but a continual process that requires objective commitment levels from the data source entity over an extended period of time to gain the confidence of data consumers. It is time governments get the balance right in the G2B relationship – as an example, they should come out with clear SLAs that govern the relationship. This is a common practice in any B2B and B2C relationships. Another area that the governments need to work on is to influence and create the perception that they are doing enough to protect individuals’ rights to privacy and confidentiality of the data held by them. The last thing a data consumer would want is to be entangled in legal issues because the data was not anonymized1 or pseudonymised2 adequately/accurately at the source. Governments should be able to confidently state that the data is anonymized to an extent that it rules out any chances of a reconstruction through the Mosaic Effect3.

Flipping Sides – Tapping into external Open Data

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he transformation towards the establishment of an Open Data Platform, as detailed earlier, not only drives ease of operations within Government but also promotes innovation from the larger ecosystem. This can be achieved by encouraging participation of Private Entities and General Public to tap into the Government datasets and thereby, creating citizen/resident experiences that would have otherwise been impossible, considering the limited resources at Government’s disposal. While this scenario considers the value that external stakeholders can generate by leveraging Government data along with non-Government data, the converse of this scenario has significant potential and can generate unique value as well.

The converse is this – • • •

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Government is not the data provider but it is the data consumer. External stakeholders (Private entities, Citizens, Third parties) are not data consumers but are data providers. Government taps into the value of Government data + Non-government data.

he illustration below extrapolates the 3-stage transformation journey that I had mentioned in my previous article and appends a fourth stage that I call the “Analytics-driven Decision making Platform (ADDP)”. This ADDP can, and ideally should, co-exist with the Stage 3 of the transformation journey, viz the Open Data Platform (ODP). The idea is for the government to tap into its inhouse data and correlate that with public data that is available to it (Open Data) and generate value through analytics on the integrated whole. The public data that can be brought on this platform include Quarterly/Annual filings by firms and individuals to Social feeds by residents/citizens/visitors about government services, weather data, media reports etc. Since the in-house data is not going out of Government boundaries, the concerns around data privacy and security are no longer relevant. Such a platform encourages government employees to innovatively think of ways to tap into the data from the larger ecosystem and leverage the same to deliver efficient and effective operations and more importantly, a positive people experience. So, they are not just doing the mundane daily routine but are being given an opportunity to be innovative and push their boundaries – something that you would rarely associate with government workforce. Of course, this requires a cultural shift that needs to happen alongside the commissioning of ADDP.

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The most significant value of an ADDP initiative is using the analytics to make informed policy decisions and also drive course corrections in real-time. A business scenario of such a platform has been depicted below. The scenario shows Data at Rest (Historical data sitting in the Databases, Datawarehousesetc) and Data in Motion (Real-time data about events, incidents, status) from different entities like Government, Corporate, Citizens, Media houses, Weather etc.

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It is obvious that if this broad spectrum of incoming data has to staged on the ADDP, one has to be considerate of the Four Vs of data – Volume, Velocity, Variety and Veracity. The platform should be able to gather data that is unstructured or structured, real-time or static, machine readable or non-machine readable, clean or nonsensical and from thereon identify data that is relevant in a certain government context. This needs to be facilitated by a reliable Big data platform with strong analytical capabilities.

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SMART IT

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ere’s an example – Imagine that the Transportation Department(either at a Smart City level or a broader Government level) wants to make a decision whether the subsidized transport services that have been operational for last couple of years should be continued from the coming financial year onwards. Traditionally, this would be done by tapping into the department’s historical records to see the success and outreach of the scheme in terms of its adoption rate across the country. While this is an important parameter, combine this with -

(a) what the citizens or the transport service providers have been saying about this scheme on social media (b) what the media houses have been writing about it (c) correlate that with improvement in revenue generated through advertising on the vehicles (d) correlate that with financial burden on the exchequer tracked by the Ministry of Finance (e) combined with what a leading consulting firm has published about the “Mobility Experience” in the region.

Such aggregation of datasets from various sources gives a holistic view that can then be analyzed by drawing correlations between various perspectives and provide insights that would otherwise be unavailable. The Government, viz their internal workforce, should be entrusted with the responsibility to identify the nature of datasets that are required to achieve the comprehensive picture. The government employees are best positioned to identify the lacunae in existing information and with the ADDP platform, the get a rare opportunity to be creative and innovate.

Between Stage 3 (ODP) and Stage 4 (ADDP), governments would ideally want to adopt the ODP approach first but there is no stringent requirement to do so. So, while it is not absolutely necessary to have ODP and ADDP done in a sequential manner, these initiatives are complementary and should ideally co-exist. Each of the four stages of the transformation journey brings unique value as they are realized.

It must be noted that governments worldwide are yet to reach this stage of informed decision making through a data platform. However, in this age where gigabytes of data are generated at the wink of an eye, there is immense potential in such a platform. While ODP initiatives has been picking up steam worldwide and are widely published and talked about, there are very limited initiatives to establish an ADDP and the known few are in their nascent stages.

This ADDP stage requires a huge transformational shift internally but the incentive to get there is unprecedented.The need is to establish an ecosystem where all stakeholders participate and play their role towards delivering an enhanced living experience.

Anonymised Data – Data relating to a specific individual where the identifiers have been removed to prevent identification of that individual 1

Pseudonymised Data - Data relating to a specific individual where the identifiers have been replaced by artificial identifiers to prevent identification of the individual 2

Mosaic Effect – The process of combining anonymized data with auxiliary data in order to reconstruct identifiers linking data to the individual it relates to 3

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SMART TRANSPORTATION

HYUNDAI MOTOR AND CISCO COLLABORATE FOR GLOBAL CONNECTED CAR PROJECT Hyundai Motor Company is accelerating developments in connected car technology by collaborating with Cisco, a worldwide leader in IT and networking equipment. The cooperation is part of Hyundai Motor’s wider strategy to establish an industry-leading connected car platform through collaboration with leading technology partners.

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yundai Motor will initially focus on the next generation of in-vehicle networks at the core of connected car technology, optimizing the transmission and reception of data within the vehicle. The technology will not only transmit and receive data faster, but also allow each subsystem inside the vehicle to communicate more effectively; this is essential to enabling future connected cars to incorporate the increasingly complex features that transfer ever-growing amounts of data in real time. Hyundai Motor and Cisco will collaborate to create a testing environment for vehicle simulation. The companies will cooperate on basic research to thoroughly analyze the flow of data and verify new technologies for connected cars. Moreover, Hyundai Motor will invest in cloud, big data analytics and connected car security technologies, with huge investment in research and development.

Mr. Euisun Chung, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor

“Future connected cars will open new innovations in quality, safety, and security, as never before. By expanding time and space, more safety will be guaranteed for our customers. Hyundai Motor will provide new values that go beyond our customers’ expectations in safety, quality and security through cooperating with Cisco. This collaboration will be a chance to bring closer the Hyundai Motor-led future of connected cars & shift paradigms of new mobility.”

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Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Euisun Chung and Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins paid a visit to the startup that created the simulation testing environment for the connected car project in order to share and discuss the advancement in the research, and showed interest in fostering a startup-friendly environment in Korea.

Chuck Robbins CEO, CISCO

“This is truly an exciting time to collaborate with Hyundai Motor. Digital disruption into the automotive industry is being driven by technologies that are creating new user experiences; and our leadership in the areas of connected vehicles, security, and large-scale communication technologies will be crucial to establishing an industry-leading platform. Cisco is honored to join efforts with Hyundai Motor on the Connected Car initiative, and to play our part in the automotive industry’s evolution.”

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AWARDS & HONOR

2nd Smart Cities India expo 2016 concludes with the Smart Cities India 2016 Awards

The three-day expo conducted in the capital received an overwhelming response and was concluded with Smart Cities India 2016 Awards.2nd Smart Cities India 2016 expo was inaugurated by Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Hon’ble Minister of Railways, Government of India and Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent charge), Ministry of Power, Coal, and New & Renewable Energy, Government of India.

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he inaugural ceremony also saw world leaders such as H.E. Mr. Harald Sandberg (Ambassador to India, Embassy of Sweden), H.E. Mr. ChungKwang Tien (Ambassador to India, Embassy of Taiwan), Meenakshi Lekhi (Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, India), Mr. Ravinder Pal Singh (Director – Solutions Strategy & Business Development, Smart Cities, IoT & Digitization, Dell Inc., India),Dr. Ajay Mathur (Director General, TERI, India),to name a few. The three-day Smart Transportation 2016 expo, focused on smart technologies and solutions for convenient and eco-friendly transportation systems in cities, received enormous response from the visitors. The Mayors Conclave was organized on the 2nd day of the Smart Cities India 2016 expo. The conclave provided a platform to mayors, municipal commissioners, and strategy advisors from across the globe, to foster best practices in urban policy innovation and drive sustainable action in building Indian Smart Cities. The 3rd day of the expo witnessed Smart Village Conclave with members of parliament, pradhans, sarpanchs, innovators and influencers deliberating on the needs of urban sustainability.

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AWARDS & HONOR “The real reason for migration from village to cities is the lack of economic activity other than seasonal farming. The increasing burden of population in the cities results in the birth of unauthorized colonies, & thereby smarter villages is the need of now.”

Concurrent conference sessions deliberated on various topics such asSmart Urban Planning, Smart water solutions for smart cities, Public Transport: Shaping the future of cities, Waste management solutions for smart cities Skills to build smart cities, Building healthy cities, etc.

- Dr. Udit Raj, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Govt. of India

“Cities are overburdened because of migration. Central government is helping gram panchayats to ensure that India sustains as an agricultural economy. Smart Villages will ensure that migration level to cities fall down. Development includeszila parishChandrakant Khaire, ads uplifting educational Member of Parliament, standards, introducing apps and other softwares. Govt. of India. It is essential to learn that the core of village lies in agriculture, then the whole nation will thrive.” In addition, Smart Cities India 2016 expo also witnessed Smart Cities India awards 2016 on the last day, to recognize pioneering projects that aim to make cities more livable, and economically viable. For 9 categories, there were 11 winners including Design Plus, Goyani Group, Freespanz Design Build Pvt Ltd, Bosch, Sun Moksha Power Pvt Ltd., K-Nomics, JUSCO, Daily Dump, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, Safiee Burhani Upliftment Trust, and Allied Digital Services Ltd.

,“The SCI 2016 awards is a very timely initiative, with shortlisted cities embarking on the next steps focusing on execution and putting in place structures to drive the same. It should attempt to recognize exemplary work being done in the Smart Manojit Bose, Cities arena in India and Senior Director, even outside, across city NASSCOM sectors, several of which could serve as lighthouse projects for our cities as they prepare to undertake this journey in urban transformation.”

“There is a need to revolutionize the transport system the people demand. In Jaipur, only 20% of the city’s population is expected to grow to 50% by 2030. This gives us not only the opportunity for increased capacity but lay a road for high expectation to reduce the waiting time.” Mr. Ashwini Bhagat, IAS, CMD, Jaipur Metro, India

“There is a need to revolutionize the transport system the people demand. In Jaipur, only 20% of the city’s population is expected to grow to 50% by 2030. This gives us not only the opportunity for increased capacity but lay a road for high expectation to reduce the waiting time.” Mr. Vineet Gupta, Founder & Pro Vice Chancellor, Ashoka University, India The three-day expo received considerable support from ministries, public and private companies in India and across the globe. The speakers from around the world participated and shared their expertise on the smart cities vision.

“With 2nd Smart Cities India 2016 expo, the blueprint for this industry has been outlined and we will continue to contribute towards the development of these sectors as the journey continues.I thank the ministries, delegates, speakers, exhibitors and visitors for making the second edition of the expo a huge success.” Mr. Prem Behl, Chairman Exhibition India Group

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Eminent Speakers sharing their thoughts on Smart Cities at the 2nd Smart Cities India 2016 expo-

Prem Behl, Chairman, Exhibitions India Pvt Ltd, said

“I am pleased at the good turn out from dignitaries and attendees. In the first day of the expo ministries, Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Hon’ble Minister of Railways, Government of India and Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent charge), Ministry of Power, Coal, and New & Renewable Energy, Government of India inaugurated the expo. Ambassadors and diplomats from 20 countries were present including H.E. Mr. Harald Sandberg (Ambassador to India, Embassy of Sweden) and H.E. Mr. ChungKwang Tien (Ambassador to India, Embassy of Taiwan). The exhibition has attracted a large number of trade visitors to the four international pavilions from Holland, Poland, Sweden and Taiwan.”

Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Hon’ble Minister of Railways, Government of India stated“Transport plays the role of lifeline in a smart city and hence soon India will see new railway stations made with impeccable design and friendly human interface. Special attention needs to be paid to management of natural resources so that the ecological balance is not tampered.”

Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent charge), Ministry of Power, Coal, and New & Renewable Energy, Government of India said: “India sure has challenges, but in those challenges lies the unparalleled opportunities. A land that has enormous amount of manpower, and youth seeking better lifestyle provides the urging need of smart cities. Smarter solutions need to be scalable, affordable and fast in their implementation so that the country drives benefit from them”

H.E. Mr. Harald Sandberg, Ambassador to India, Embassy of Sweden, said: “The prominent agenda is sustainable urban development. Sweden has tried to build sustainable solutions utilizing waste as a resource to boost energy as a hallmark of what technology has achieved in Sweden.”

H.E. Mr. Chung-Kwang Tien, Ambassador to India, Embassy of Taiwan, remarked: “India has already come to threshold to move into the next era in which Taiwan would love to participate in future. Taiwan is now a totally changed country where the traffic lights also changed to the LED lights. India is emerging in a way that in future it could lead the world.”

Meenakshi Lekhi, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, India, shared: “On the regulatory front, there are many complex issues that needs to be resolved and as a whole, bureaucracy in India needs to be trained and digitization should be incorporated to monitor accountability of the implementation of processes.”

Dr.Ajay Mathur, Director General, TERI, India, explained : “Every City has its own varied essential needs. Degree of efficiency will make every city a smart city. Two key challenges faced in regulating and policy aspect of building smart cities are: Firstly, limited life span of any planning and performance based selection of those plans. Secondly, how we measure performance and hold people responsible for it. It is important to have matrix of goal achievements, holding processes and people in place, transperancy of the entire mechanism and feedback for a better future.”

Paolo Colella, Head of Region India,Ericsson said: “India and other cities across the globe are experiencing a manifold increase in population moving to towns and cities. The Government of India’s huge focus on smart cities & digital India presents an enormous opportunity for us to contribute to the country’s transformation .With our leadership in ICT and rich global experience, we can enable Indian cities to transform themselves into sustainable and smart cities.”

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AWARDS & HONOR Mr. Sandip Ranjhan, Senior Vice President & General Manager - Mobile & Communications Services, HARMAN , India, shared: “The Prime Minister’s 100 Smart Cities mission is the key initiative to drive social change and economic growth by leveraging Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology. As a Global leader in IoT solutions with strong India focus, Harman is excited to be a key partner in helping to make Smart Cities in India a reality.”

Shri Raghav Chandra, IAS, Chairman, NHAI, India, in the session of Smart Transport: Policies, legal issues & market realities said: “Last mile connectivity is prominent focus while developing smart cities. Smart transport can deliver people better life and mobility. The most vibrant area of transport is personal transport in which we are far more choosy, selective and aggressive. Maintenance of smart cities relies on appropriate standards.”

Shri Tikender Singh Panwar, Deputy Mayor, Municipal Corporation Shimla, remarked: “Smart cities are about the common people and the strategies are ought to be made focusing the people. The overall idea must be to make all the cities better and not limit the achievement to only 100 smart cities. Today, we face the struggle of power between the elected members and nominated members in our country. It is critical to have a distinct leadership which must exist at even the city level”.

Mr. Ravinder Pal Singh, Director – Solutions Strategy & Business Development, Smart Cities, IoT& Digitization, Dell Inc., India, said: “This is the first time Dell has participated in Smart Cities India expo. The expo is both focused and stimulating intellectually. With more than 300 companies including developed countries including Sweden, Taiwan and Netherland as country pavilions, the expo is based on a solution showcase perspective.”

Ms. Sulajja Motwani, Vice Chairman, Kinetic Green Energy & Power Solutions Ltd., India remarked on the importance of electric vehicles: “A new lateral thinking is significant to find relevant solutions for the creation of smart cities. Vehicular emission is a critical issue. I am quite bullish on the implementation of electric-hybrid technology. Electric and hybrid vehicle play a vital role in building smart cities.”

Mr. Pranav R. Mehta, Chairman, National Solar Energy Federation of India and Co-Chairman, Global Solar Council, chaired the session on Solar Rooftop as a game changer, stated: “It is beyond any reasonable doubt that rooftop will be a game changer. Any game change has to involve masses. Our solar movement has to go from class to mass. Over rooftop is being adopted more and more, be it USA, Japan, Australia, Europe, Germany already has shown a way by 85% rooftop and India will not be left behind.I am greatly impressed by this global scale expo and conference, wherein every minute detail had been taken care of and it’s a truly impressive platform matching global quality standards.”

Mr. Rakesh Kumar, Director (PS), SECI, Indiain the session of Solar rooftop technologies & engineering, said“Smart Cities cannot be thought of without clean energy. A 360 degree thinking and planning is required, so that skewed development does not happen. Storage solutions, battery disposal and better forecasting techniques are the areas, where improvement is required. Strong awareness on solar benefits should be campaigned. Residential units are going to be the largest market for solar heating.”

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SMART SMART CiTY NEWS PRIME MINISTER LAUNCHES SMART CITY MISSION INTO IMPLEMENTATION MODE Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today launched the flagship Smart City Mission into implementation mode with launch of 14 projects of Pune’s Smart City Plan, exactly a year after he set off the mission by releasing the Mission Guidelines.

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peaking on the occasion to a packed audience in the 5,000 capacity Shiv Chatrpati Sports Complex in Pune, Prime Minister said that Smart City Mission is now succeeding as a people’s movement as envisaged. He expressed satisfaction over citizen participation in preparation of smart city plans of various cities with over 25 lakh people giving serious suggestions on MyGov.in. Shri Modi clarified that the central government did not select the smart cities but it was the citizens who enabled their selection in the ‘City Challenge Competition’. He asserted that if people were empowered and involved for participatory development , country will progress fast. Shri Narendra Modi said that an era of competition has been ushered in for improving conditions in urban areas and urged the citizens to rise to the challenge for bettering the conditions in respective cities and towns. Stating that he has recently reviewed the progress of Smart City Mission over the last one year, Prime Minister expresses satisfaction over enthusiastic and large scale participation of people in formulation of comprehensive smart city plans, the way the City Challenge Competition was held for selection of cities, formulation of projects there under and their launch today. He complimented the team led by Minister

of Urban Development Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu. During his 35 minute address, Prime Minister elaborated on the concept of smart cities and the advantages that follow from it. Shri Modi stressed that it should not be seen as a fancy concept since the mission is meant for ensuring availability of all basic services to the people though necessary infrastructure including houses for urban poor in a comprehensive manner. He referred to extensive use of digital tech-

nology in the smart city plans for improving the quality of governance and public services. Asserting that urbanization mitigates poverty and empowers the poor, Shri Modi said that it should be seen as an opportunity instead of a problem. Prime Minister stressed that if people were empowered and involved in participatory development, the country would develop fast. Noting that an era of competition among cities and towns has come to prevail, he urged the citizens to rise to the challenge for improvement of respective urban areas. Referring to the changing attitudes, Shri Modi said that gone were the days when the central government was looked as a giver of funds, it was now being looked at as a source of ideas. Elaborating on this, Shri Modi said that in all the recent surveys conducted, Swachh Bharat Mission was ranked the most popular of government’s initiatives since the idea of sanitation appealed to the people. Prime Minister also launched ‘Make Your City Smart’ contest inviting people to come out with designs for street, junctions and open spaces and a ‘Smart Net Portal’ which is a net based platform for sharing of ideas and sourcing of solutions for smart city development.

“The smart city projects launched today were the first shoots of urban renaissance taking place in the country as a result of paradigm shift in the approaches to urban development ushered in by the government. He further said that the journey towards the much desired urban transformation has begun in a Team India spirit with the collective effort of people, urban local bodies and State Governments. This transformation is an integral part of ‘Making of Developed India’.” -Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Urban Development said-

Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh Smt.Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Shri Naveen Patnaik and Shri N.Chandrababu Naidu outlined their smart city vision through videolink. www.UrbanaWorld.com

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SMART SMART CiTY NEWS SMART CITIES ASKED TO POSE PROJECTS FOR LOAN SUPPORT FROM WORLD BANK, ADB AND BRICS BANK Ministry of Urban Development has urged the 20 Smart Cities selected in the first round of competition to quickly firm up bankable projects for obtaining loan assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank and the BRICS Development Bank. This was conveyed by Shri Rajiv Gauba, Secretary (Urban Development) during a four hour long review meeting with the officials of 8 Smart Cities here.

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hri Gauba discussed progress regarding conversion in to specific projects of Smart City Plans of Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Udaipur, Jaipur, Ludhiana and Jabalpur. It was informed to the cities that the ADB has in principle agreed to extend a loan of US $ 1 Billion while the World Bank is willing to extend a loan of US $ 0.50 billion for the implementation of Smart City Mission. BRICS Development Bank is keen to support smart city projects. Shri Gauba while stressing the importance of mobilization of resources through Municipal Bonds issue, urged the cities to act quick to obtain credit ratings from agencies approved by the SEBI. He said that process for credit rating of 85 cities has already been initiated under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and all the 500 Mission cities shall complete this process in the next one year. During the discussion on resource mobilization through Municipal Bonds, it was informed that the US Treasury has expressed willingness to be the Transaction Advisor for such an issue by Pune Municipality which enjoys credit rating of ‘AA Stable’.

Further to suggestions from the cities, Shri Gauba asked concerned senior officials of the Ministry to prepare a Policy Paper including the framework for conversion of three wheeler rickshaws into e-rickshaws to be run on electricity, in consultation with concerned agencies. This followed Ludhiana’s Smart City Plan of converting -

30,000 RICKSHAWS

in the city into e-rickshaws and keenness of other cities to do so.

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Welcoming the large citizen participation in the preparation of Smart City Plans of 97 mission cities, Shri Gauba suggested effective branding of Smart City Mission during the implementation phase through appropriate means for promoting wider public interest in the ongoing efforts towards urban transformation across the country. Shri Gauba held detailed discussions city-wise in respect of preparation of projects and readiness to launch the same on the occasion of the first year of launch of Smart City Mission on June 25 last year, convergence of various schemes of the central and state governments, adoption of PPP model etc. He urged the cities to ensure installation of solar energy panels to the maximum extent possible.

The eight cities that participated in today’s review meeting furnished details of the projects that could be launched by June this year. These include; Affordable housing projects, 24 X 7 water supply projects, Sewage Treatment Plants, transport projects, smart street lighting, roof top mounted solar paneling, Solid Waste Management and waste water recycling projects and technology based Pan-city projects like Intelligent Transport Solutions, e-governance, provision of wifi services, Common Payment Cards, RFID based tags for individual household dustbins etc. URBANA WORLD May-June 2016 59


SMART SMART CiTY NEWS

LUCKNOW TOPS FAST TRACK COMPETITION; 13 MORE SMART CITIES ANNOUNCED Central Government recently announced 13 more smart cities from as many States. Lucknow topped the list of winners of the Fast Track competition conducted for 23 cities from as many States and Union Territories. Announcing the winners at a media conference on the occasion of two years of the Government in office, Minister of Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu said that the cities that participated in the competition improved the quality of smart city plans by up to over 25% to become eligible for selection. With the selection of these 13 cities, 25 States/UTs are now covered under Smart City Mission. On the occasion, Shri Naidu released a publication ‘Urban Renaissance : May,2014-May,2016’ giving a detailed account of paradigm shift in attitudes and approaches to urban planning and governance and the major drivers of urban revival and transformation set in motion during the last two years.Shri Naidu informed that Lucknow that missed the list of first 20 smart cities improved the quality of its smart city plan by 19% to make it to the select list. -Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Urban Development

List of the winners of Fast Track competition were:

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Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (19%) Warangal, Telanagana (13%) Shimla, Himachal Pradesh (27%) Chandigarh (9%) Raipur, Chattisgarh (25%) New Town Kolkata

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(11%) Bhagalpur, Bihar (25%) Panaji, Goa (9%) Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands (26%) Imphal, Manipur (27%) Ranchi, Jharkhand (27%) Agartala, Tripura (25%) Faridabad, Haryana (12%).

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These 13 cities were selected based on the marks scored by them in the Fast Track competition and the bench marks set by the top performers in the first round of Smart City Challenge competition in which the first 20 cities were selected from among 98 mission cities.Shri Naidu stated that the 13 cities have substantially improved their smart city plans by addressing the deficiencies identified in the first round of competition by ensuring better profiling of respective cities in terms of infrastructure gaps and baseline service levels, ensuring consistency between citizens’ aspirations and action plans, more feasible resource mobilization plans and coordinated and integrated picture of how individual projects will contribute to area level changes. Other cities that participated in Fast Track Competition were : Namchi, Sikkim and ranked 14, Aizawl, Mizoram(15), Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh(16), Dehradun, Uttarakhand(17), Kohima, Nagaland(18), Oulgaret, Puducherry(19), Silvassa, Dadra, Nagar & Haveli(20), Kavaratti, Lakshdweep(21), Diu, Daman & Diu(22) and Shillong, Meghalaya(23). These cities can submit their revised smart city plans for evaluation in the second round of regular competition underway by the end of June. Shri Venkaiah Naidu informed that the tie between Meerut and Rai Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Srinagar in J&K will be resolved by allowing them to participate in the smart city competition and one city from each of these two States will be selected based on the quality of smart city plans. Seven capital cities left out of Smart City Mission will also be allowed to participate in the competition. These cities are : Patna, Shimla, Naya Raipur, Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh), Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala).

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he Minister said that as a part of efforts for country’s transformation towards higher levels of social and economic development, renaissance of urban sector has been set in motion through a paradigm shift in policies and programmes. “The new approaches introduced, the new churning at the level of urban local bodies and States/UTs, the new spirit of competition among cities and Stated to do better than others, the new enthusiasm and vigor being demonstrated, the new clarity of thought about outcomes and actions to be taken and the new beginning towards urban transformation in a more purposeful and holistic manner marked the process of urban renaissance” he said.Extensive stakeholder consultations and citizen participation, selection of cities based on competition and other objective criteria, full autonomy to cities and States/UTs to formulate, appraise and approve projects, replacing project based sanctions of the past to area and outcome based planning, convergence based implementation of schemes and substantial enhancement in Central assistance are the major drivers of urban revival, said Shri Naidu. Giving an account of the gains of new initiatives and approaches, Shri Naidu said that for the first time in the country, 98 smart cities and 497 Atal Mission cities accounting for over 70% of urban population now have long term five year action plans based on comprehensive analysis of infrastructure gaps. Other positives the Minister stated include : Atal Mission cities acquiring technology platforms for transparent and accountable governance and citizen engagement, about 100 cities initiating action for obtaining Credit Ratings necessary for resource mobilization, approvals for plans for providing water taps to the unconnected 25 million urban households besides ensuring water supply at the norm of 135 litres per head per day to all urban households by 2019, smart city development benefitting 130 million urban people, streamlining approvals for building permits in urban areas, efforts for sanitation benefitting all 80 million urban households, well considered initiatives to ensure affordable housing for all the urban poor etc. Shri Naidu further informed that Central assistance for improving basic infrastructure in urban areas has been increased to Rs.1,13,143 cr under new urban missions as against only Rs.33,902 cr during 2004-14. For affordable housing for urban poor, Central assistance of Rs.10,050 cr has already been approved as against only Rs.17,889 cr during the previous ten years.6.84 lakh houses have already been sanctioned for Economically Weaker Sections under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) accounting for more than half of 13.70 lakh houses sanctioned during 2004-14 out of which only 8.04 lakh houses could be built. Availability of land is being ensured before agreeing to fund housing schemes besides giving four options to the beneficiaries to choose from based on their needs and incomes to enable targeted construction of affordable houses, the Minister observed. Shri Venkaiah Naidu informed that the new urban sector initiatives of PMAY(Urban), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Start City Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission and Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) have a total investment potential of Rs.18 lakh crore. Of this, an investment of Rs.1,48,093 cr has already been approved. This include ; Affordable housing-Rs.43,922 cr, Atal Mission-Rs.20,882 cr, Smart City Mission-Rs.80,789 cr, Swachh Bharat Mission-Rs.2,000 cr and HRIDAY- Rs.500 cr.

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SMART SMART CiTY NEWS CII TO COLLABORATE WITH VMC FOR SMART CITY PROJECT

TAIWANESE FIRMS BETTING BIG ON INDIA’S SMART CITY PROJECT

Taiwanese technology companies are betting big on the Smart City project and are exploring business opportunities in India.

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will be collaborate with Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) to provide support in meeting the civic body’s urban challenges and developing Vadodara as a smart city through mobilization of industry expertise and resources.CII’s chapters have already signed MoUs with various municipal corporations for smart cities out of which cities like Pune have also got selected in the first list of smart cities.

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he confederation already has a partnership with country consortia of Germany, the United States, Japan and Spain among others, which will be actively roped in for Vadodara’s smart city project.Through the MoU, while the local industries will provide the solutions to grassroot problems, the global firms will bring the best global practices implemented in various developed countries.

“The smart city initiative shall be driven by technology-driven companies. Learnings gathered from the best practices across the world in the management of water, public resources, public spaces and technology among others shall be shared while implementing the smart cities concept. Gujarat is already home to first financial smart city – the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT). The cities in the state stand a better chance in the smart city competition,”

- Nishith Dand , Chairman, CII’s central Gujarat zone

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“India’s FDI has increased significantly in last two years which is catching eye balls of global companies.The Smart City project announced by the government offers huge collaboration opportunity between India and Taiwan.”

- Scott Yang , Deputy Executive Director of Strategic Marketing Department (PTI quoted)

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bout 47 Taiwanese brands have come to India to participate in Smart Cities India 2016 exhibition starting from May 11 and will meet Indian companies on May 13 to explore business opportunity in the country.Taiwanse firms shared brief presentation of their product at the event on Tuesday.A firm MicroLife showcased two world patented technology – “Detection of atrial fibrillation (Afib)” and “three times average of blood pressure in one button (MAM Technology)”. The company claimed it is the only BP device which measures blood pressure and atrial fibrillation (stroke alerts) at the same time.“India’s population is huge and it offers lot of opportunity for Taiwanese firms. There are already 80 companies present in India including Foxconn, HTC, Acer, Asus.Taiwanese firms can collaborate with Indian companies and look at other destinations around like Asean region,” Yang said. Taiwan’s Foxconn, the world’s largest contract manufacturer of electronics, recently announced to invest $5 billion in Maharashtra and additional funds in other States. According to reports, the bilateral trade between India and Taiwan has grown to $6 billion in 2014 and over 70 Taiwanese companies have invested in India since 2013. Source : PTI

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SMART SMART CiTY NEWS MP SHIFTS SMART CITY LOCATION FOLLOWING CITIZENS’ PROTEST Succumbing to pressure from citizens against the proposed location of the Bhopal Smart City project, the state government today shifted the project from Shivaji Nagar and Tulsi Nagar area to North Tatya Tope Nagar. Since February this year, citizens of Bhopal have been agitating against the site, which covers a huge green area.

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hey have mainly been opposing the felling of 30,000-40,000 trees.“A high-level review meeting on the Smart City chaired by the Chief Minister today decided to shift the proposed site of the project from Shivaji Nagar to North TT Nagar. The chief minister said it would not be in the interest of the public in view of the green cover and aesthetic value of the Shivaji Nagar area,” a government official told Business Standard. Interestingly, Shivaji Nagar mostly has government-owned houses that are rented out to scribes, government officials and others. “The Chief Minister has asked authorities to go ahead with the new site,” the official further said. The new site has 280 hectares of land, while Shivaji Nagar Smart City was planned on 332.98 acres. Shivaji Nagar area was identified for Smarty City “in consultation with citizens.”Three cities of the state, namely Bhopal, Indore and Jabalpur had been chosen for the Smart City project. Bhopal and Indore have redevelopment projects while Jabalpur has retro fitting as well has redevelopment projects.A local corporator (Municipal Corporation) had opposed the projects on the grounds that the Bhopal Smart City plan should be for the entire city and not for just one locality. Lok Sewa Manch, an organization of citizens, has protested against the plan at various occasions.

STERLITE TECHNOLOGIES WINS JAIPUR SMART CITY PHASE II PROJECT Sterlite Technologies has won the Jaipur Smart City PhaseII project, a company statement said here on Wednesday. The project, slated for completion within six months from the date of contract, is under implementation, it said. “We are committed to creating a Smart Pink City by setting up a robust, secure and smart network architecture based on the requirements. With this deployment, Jaipur will start its transformation to a smart heritage tourist destination.”

- K.S. Rao, chief operating officer, Sterlite Technologies

“The Prime Minister’s Office also intervened in the matter and asked the state government to review the proposal,” said a highly placed source in the state administration.“There was a plan to hand over the entire land in Shivaji Nagar area to private developers like Gammon India project in South TT Nagar. There were more than 350 trees that have been vanished now. The Shivaji Nagar Smarty City was also planned in the similar fashion,” Sharma said “Shivaji Nagar is just one concept of the Smart City project. We chose the locality because it has 34 per cent ground coverage against available area of 330 acres approximately. It would be reduced to 28 per cent, which means we now have more area for greenery, proper sanitation, underground cables, pathways, better connectivity, bicycle lane, etc.” He had also ruled out the cutting of trees for the project. “The area would have been greener than the present as the plan is to reduce construction on ground coverage from 34 percent to 28 percent.”

- Vivek Agrawal, Commissioner of Urban Development and Environment, (He had told Business Standard)

An initial investment of Rs 2,500 crore was planned for the Shivaji Nagar Smart City development plan which might have fetched Rs 3,000 crore through investment from private partnership.State has a total plan of Rs 70000 crore in urban area development. It also include Metro rail project of Rs 12000 crore, AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) of Rs 1400 crore, solid waste management of Rs 400 crore and Housing for all of Rs 5000 crore under Smarty City project.

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aipur, the Pink City, was selected under the Smart City Mission of Ministry of Urban Development launched in 2015. This is Sterlite’s second smart city project win.The scope of the project includes setting up citizen services kiosks with environmental sensors and Interactive Information Kiosks, Wi-Fi network extension, video surveillance for public safety and security at key locations, enabling remote expert government services, and provisioning of bandwidth. Additionally, Sterlite will integrate the newly deployed network with the existing one, be responsible for operations and maintenance, revenue monetisation of network, and provide facility management services for three years, the statement added. Source: IANS

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SMART SMART CiTY NEWS DELL LAUNCHES PARTNER ECOSYSTEM FOR GOVERNMENT’S SMART CITY PROJECT IN INDIA Dell has announced the foundation of the Smart City Partner Ecosystem. The ecosystem aims to create a network of organizations with technology expertise to address the demands of smart city opportunity in India.The network brings together players offering different solutions and capabilities that will help in execution of Smart Cities & IoT projects in the country.

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urrently, the network has 12 partners and more are expected to come on board.The government’s ambitious ‘100 Smart Cities’ program aims at addressing the infrastructure gap to make cities more livable, besides enhancing the business and investment climate. Central and State governments are making significant investments in Smart City programmes to improve the quality of life for residents and visitors. The solutions to develop and execute smartcities’ projects can broadly be categorized into: Applications and digital infrastructure.Applications can be for delivery and monitoring of services to citizens such as garbage tracking, energy management, traffic management etc. Digital infrastructure is the foundation upon which applications can run. This includes solutions for storage, data centers, virtualization, network etc. Dell has implemented and executed several smartcity-related projects globally and the company plans to bring global best practices to India.

SPEAK UP - Ravinder P Singh, Director, IoT, Smart Cities, digitization, Dell India “India is currently undergoing a massive transformation to become a digitally enabled nation; and technology is at heart of this digital transformation. The Smart Cities project is a tremendous opportunity. While Dell has the competencies to develop a strong digital blueprint and foundation for smart cities, our partners bring expertise of applications for enablement of smart services. I welcome our partners and look forward to work with them to help India’s metamorphosis into a future-ready economy.”

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GAIA SMART CITIES ACQUIRES IOT DIVISION OF NETCORE SOLUTIONS In a joint statement, Gaia Smart Cities, an Indian start-up in the field of City Scale IOT technology solutions and netCORE Solutions, a leader in marketing technology & enterprise communication, announced that Gaia has acquired the IOT division of netCORE Solutions while netCORE will invest in Gaia and continue to support the company through its rapid growth period.

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his acquisition will create a leading technology and innovation enterprise, differentiated by its ability to deliver ground-breaking products rapidly. With the Government of India’s ‘Make-in-India’ and ‘Digital India’ programmes supporting Indian companies to build intellectual property and design cutting edge electronics, software and telecommunications, Gaia is one of the few companies actively pursuing R&D in these domains. With this acquisition, Gaia is poised to become one of the fastest growing end-to-end IOT companies with solutions for both Industrial automation and Smart Cities. The acquisition will generate multiple pro-consumer and pro-competitive benefits to existing marquee customers like India’s largest Dairy companies like Amul, Paras, Parag Dairies; India’s largest Cement company ACC Cement; Beverages company like Penrod Ricard and many cold chains, warehouses, retail stores across the country. With solutions running in 24 paying customers and pilots across another 10, coupled with Gaia’s product customers in Smart Metering, Smart Cities and analytics.

“We were drawn towards the strong technical team, a robust technical platform and extremely focused approach of the netCORE IOT team. We found great synergies with our own Smart Cities platforms and solutions like Smart Metering and Smart Tracking” - Dr. Sumit D. Chowdhury , Founder & CEO of Gaia Smart Cities (Former President of Reliance Jio)

Dr. Chowdhury is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and Carnegie Mellon.

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SMART SMART CiTY NEWS

HYUNDAI MOTOR AND CISCO COLLABORATE FOR GLOBAL CONNECTED CAR PROJECT Hyundai Motor Company is accelerating developments in connected car technology by collaborating with Cisco, a worldwide leader in IT and networking equipment. The cooperation is part of Hyundai Motor’s wider strategy to establish an industry-leading connected car platform through collaboration with leading technology partners.

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yundai Motor will initially focus on the next generation of in-vehicle networks at the core of connected car technology, optimizing the transmission and reception of data within the vehicle. The technology will not only transmit and receive data faster, but also allow each subsystem inside the vehicle to communicate more effectively; this is essential to enabling future connected cars to incorporate the increasingly complex features that transfer

ever-growing amounts of data in real time. Hyundai Motor and Cisco will collaborate to create a testing environment for vehicle simulation. The companies will cooperate on basic research to thoroughly analyze the flow of data and verify new technologies for connected cars. Moreover, Hyundai Motor will invest in cloud, big data analytics and connected car security technologies, with huge investment in research and development.

Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Euisun Chung and Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins paid a visit to the startup that created the simulation testing environment for the connected car project in order to share and discuss the advancement in the research, and showed interest in fostering a startup-friendly environment in Korea. “This is truly an exciting time to collaborate with Hyundai Motor. Digital disruption into the automotive industry is being driven by technologies that are creating new user experiences; and our leadership in the areas of connected vehicles, security, and large-scale communication technologies will be crucial to establishing an industry-leading platform. Cisco is honored to join efforts with Hyundai Motor on the Connected Car initiative, and to play our part in the automotive industry’s evolution.”

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Chuck Robbins CEO, Cisco

“Future connected cars will open new innovations in quality, safety, and security, as never before. By expanding time and space, more safety will be guaranteed for our customers. Hyundai Motor will provide new values that go beyond our customers’ expectations in safety, quality and security through cooperating with Cisco. This collaboration will be a chance to bring closer the Hyundai Motor-led future of connected cars and shift paradigms of new mobility.”

- Euisun Chung,

Vice Chairman, Hyundai Motor

Hyundai Motor recently outlined its Connected Car Roadmap, introducing four main service fields as part of its “Hyper-connected Intelligent Cars” concept. The mid- to long- term development focus includes: smart remote maintenance service, autonomous driving, Smart Traffic, and connectivity Mobility Hub, all of which will benefit from continued R&D investment in the fields of in-vehicle networks, cloud and big data analytics and connected car security technologies. URBANA WORLD May-June 2016 64


SMART SMART CiTY NEWS RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN TRANSFORMED INTO A SMART TOWNSHIP WITH IBM SMART CITY SOLUTIONS IBM recently announced that its Smart City solutions have been deployed for the digital transformation of the Presidential Estate. Spread across 330 acres of land and home to over 5000 residents, the self-sustained Presidential Estate is adopting IBM’s technology and solutions to become future ready.

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he Intelligent Operations Center addresses challenges that are inherent to townships – water supply, security, electrical infrastructure and solid waste management. The transformation of the estate into a smart township is customized to further enhance the efficiency of critical infrastructure and utilities. The partnership to reimagine the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the Digital age was announced at an event graced by the Hon’ble President, Shri. Pranab Mukherjee. The occasion also saw the presence of the, Hon’ble Union Minister of Urban Development Shri. Ven-

kaiah Naidu, Hon’ble Union Minister of Communications & IT, Shri. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Secretary to the President, Madam Omita Paul and Vanitha Narayanan, Managing Director, IBM India Pvt. Ltd. IBM‘s IOC helps collect and make sense of the rich data streaming in from several sources within the Estate to provide actionable insights. It offers integrated data visualization, near real-time collaboration and deep analytics to help enhance the ongoing efficiency that will improve the efficiency of services for its residents. A Citizens Mobile App, cre-

Smt, Omita Paul ( IAS) Secretary to the President

Speaking on the occasion, Honourable President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee saidI’m happy to have inaugurated the Intelligent Operation centre (IOC) and launched a mobile application monitor towards the smart President’s estate. At the outset, I congratulate Team Rashtrapati Bhavan and Team IBM for the conceptualization, collaboration and quick implementation of this important project aimed at converting the estate into a smart township. The smart presidential estate is a replicable model which can be replicated in other parts of the country through citizen’s engagement, public and private sector participation and deployment of intensive technologies. We are in the process of replicating our Rashtrapati Bhavan experience of smart township by applying and transferring our knowledge and expertise to five villages in an adjoining state.”

“This is an important day for us as the Honourable President inaugurates the Intelligent Operation Centre and the mobile application monitor for the presidential estate. This sustainable township is the realization of the Presidents vision to create a 3H township, humane, high-tech and heritage township which ensures enhanced quality of life and contributes to the happiness and well-being of its residents. Under his direction we have worked towards creating such a township by improving its physical and social infrastructure. Our achievements so far include a sewage treatment plant which recycles 80% of the sewage water of the estate, creation of e-platforms for the management of visitors , invitations, guests, functions, gifts, introduction of RFID based smart identity cards, smart cards for cashless shopping. The success of this smart presidential estate will serve as inspiration for the country for the transformation of its townships and villages”. Vanitha Narayanan, MD, IBM India Pvt. Ltd. “Rashtrapati Bhavan is an iconic representation of India’s Smart City vision. It is a proud moment for all of us and the beginning of a great journey. We are honored to be their partner in enabling this transformation.”

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ated by IBM IOC, was also launched, which allows residents to report issues using the web and mobile. The data from reported observation will be supplied to city offices, where they can use the insights to make informed decisions. The Rashtrapati Bhavan has stood witness to India’s transformation through the decade – right from independence to the digital era. The progressive outlook is further exemplified by the digital transformation that enhances its reputation as being the office and residence of the President of the largest democracy in the world.

As a part of this strategic engagement, IBM developed the vision and detailed roadmap for the transformation of the Presidents estate into a smart township. IBM has created the business architecture and operating procedures, implemented the technology platform and solutions, and is managing the entire technology deployment. For the Presidential Estate’s progressive digital transformation IBM will provide the following: Smart Water Management: The Smart Energy Management: With water management at the Estate over 1500 residential apartment and relied heavily on manual intelligence. well-lit open spaces the Presidential IBM mapped all water domain assets Estate consumes over one-lakh units such as underground water reserof electricity per day. IBM integrated voirs, pump locations and tube well its IOC system with electrical billing assets. The entire water distribution system. Data on consumption patterns pipeline was mapped on a Geographof consumers, public and common ical Information Systems (GIS) layer. areas, within the estate, is being Through IBM IOC system accurate collected to optimize energy manageinformation about the distribution ment. Additionally, newer, eco-friendly network will enable faster diagnostic technology such as solar power, and resolution of water incidents. LED lamps for street lighting and Moreover, residents will be able to other applications to reduce energy track complains in real-time. consumptions are deployed. Smart Waste and Horticulture Management: IBM mapped waste management end to end from waste bin collections, rickshaw routes, disposals, landfill, and processing, on to its IOC system. An interface was created for people to generate statistics on different kinds of waste. Digitized waste lifecycle statistics and trends helped relevant departments analyze insights and improve processes to enable timely actions. A Mobile App platform assists teams in maintaining a cleaner Estate. Smart Security Systems: IBM integrated its IOC system with e-visitor to facilitate analyses of all visitors’ statistics. IBM IOC is also leveraged for auto alerts and to generate notifications for upcoming events enabling teams to collaborate across departments and plan collectively for an upcoming event. IOC is part of IBMs Industry solutions software portfolio, which provides software solutions across the operational spectrum of Smarter Cities solutions. Industry solutions software portfolio gives IBM clients access to real world industry-specific solutions that are delivered around the world for over a decade with implementation services using practices developed by IBM and its partners through numerous Smarter Cities engagements.

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SMART SMART CiTY NEWS BELGRADE GETS SMART WITH NEDAP FOR 3,500 ON-STREET PARKING SPACES Belgrade, capital city of Serbia, has introduced an innovative solution to enable motorists to quickly find a free parking spot. Nedap is selected by the public utility company Parking Servis for its SENSIT system.

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ynamic signs along the streets display the realtime parking availability. Over 3,500 parking spaces within time restricted parking zones will be equipped with this smart parking solution.With the implementation of smart on-street parking spaces, Belgrade presents itself as the leading city in Eastern Europe for safer, more efficient and environmental sustainable traffic solutions. Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia with a population of 1.7 million people. In this densely populated city, traffic congestion increases due to a growing number of vehicles and a limited number of parking spaces. The public parking company Parking Servis is responsible for the full on- and off-street parking infrastructure in Belgrade and manages, exploits and maintains more than 32.500 public parking spaces in the city.

SELECTED AFTER INTENSIVE ASSESSMENTS

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otorists looking for an available parking spot in the streets of Belgrade causes heavy traffic congestion and creates unsafe situations. To make parking easier, Parking Servis introduced wireless bay-mounted sensors that provide insight in the realtime usage and occupancy of on-street parking spaces. Accurate information allows motorists to quickly find a spot to park. Less search traffic and a reduction of emissions will result in a better parking experience. The entire implementation consists of three phases for 3,500 parking spaces, in time restricted parking zones in the historic city center of Belgrade. After intensive assessments Nedap, leading specialist in vehicle detection and identification technology, has been selected for its SENSIT system.

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Real-time parking information

SENSIT consists of wireless bay-mounted sensors that detect the vehicle occupancy status and the parking duration of individual parking spaces. The system deploys the fastest and most robust wireless network of sensors that processes reliable parking occupancy data, which is essential in on-street parking applications. Supporting an open data policy, Nedap allows Parking Servis to use the parking data based on the current and future needs for parking solutions. “We are very satisfied with both the domestic partners – for record time of sensors implementation – as well as with the quality of the SENSIT system. We are very proud to introduce this intelligent parking system in Belgrade and to see it is a leading capital city in Europefor parking. Starting from this Spring, our citizens will know exactly if there are – and how many – available parking spaces. This will result in the absence of unnecessary cruising in search of them. Parking Servis will continue to maintain its position as a leader in the region with the continuous implementation of innovations in parking systems,”

- Andrija Čupković, Managing Director of Public Utility Company Parking Servis In the first phase of the project, 850 parking bays in the Njegoševa Street area in Belgrade are equipped with the wireless in-ground sensors from Nedap. This SENSIT system, including the Variable Message Signs, is implemented by the Serbian companies Novatronic and Elektronet. Parking payment in Belgrade can be done via mobile phones. Following this year’s SENSIT integration with the central parking software application drivers the option of a customized smart phone app for navigation to the closest available parking space will be offered as well. This will enable Parking Servis a better and more efficient realtime control of the parking usage. “This project in Belgrade is one of the most prestigious projects in European ITS and Smart City industry today. For that reason, we are very pleased that Parking Servis, a respected public parking company, recognizes the quality of the SENSIT system and confirms its position as the leading system for on-street parking applications. The professional and energetic approach from Parking Servis and the implementation partners in this project is very impressive,” says Ido Wentink, Business Development Manager at Nedap Mobility Solutions.

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SMART SMART CiTY NEWS INTELLIGENT CHARGING FOR ELECTRIC CARS:

BOSCH SOFTWARE INNOVATIONS PRESENTS APPS FOR ELECTRIC CAR DRIVERS By offering the ability to quickly find charging stations and pay for their use with one click, innovative charging apps are making electromobility even more practical for everyday use throughout Germany. The key to all of this is the smartphone: charging apps on the phone allow drivers of electric cars to quickly find available charging stations in their area and then use them simply and conveniently. Working together with various automakers, Bosch Software Innovations offers charging apps along with the backend infrastructure. The charging apps are currently available at no cost from smart and Mercedes-Benz , with Renault soon to follow.

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Around

3700

public charging points in Germany are already accessible through the apps.

The charging apps form a part of Bosch’s global connectivity strategy. Soon, electric cars and their charging infrastructure will also be a part of the internet of things (IoT):

“The connected electric car is the best electric car.” - Dr. Volkmar Denner, chairman of the board of management at Robert Bosch GmbH.

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key advantage of the charging apps lies in their broad scope. Approximately 3,700 of the web-enabled, public charging points in Germany have already been made accessible through the app network, and additional European countries will later follow. In addition to the technical implementation, which features services such as the intercharge eRoaming platform, Bosch Software Innovations has also signed contracts in advance with a host of charge point operators. This means that app users can conveniently use the displayed charging stations without the need for cash, and without having to resolve complex technical and contractual issues themselves before doing so. Instead, all they need is a PayPal account and to have completed a one-time registration. Even the payment process is completed from within the app in a convenient and secure fashion. Automakers smart , Mercedes-Benz , and Renault are using the charging apps in an effort to win over more electric car customers. This is because, aside from attractive vehicle offerings, a straightforward recharging procedure plays a critical role in the continued advancement of electromobility in Germany. The operators of the charging stations profit here as well, as the apps help them to increase utilization of their charging points. Connected charging stations represent an ideal IoT application The charging apps are an ideal example of an Internet of Things application in which intelligent objects – in this case charging stations – are connected together. With its technology, Bosch Software Innovations lays the foundation for

bringing together various players such as automakers, charge point operators, energy providers, retailers, and electric car drivers on a single software platform. But what customers do not see is the powerful network of systems behind the app that are connected with one another in real time. The cloud-enabled Bosch IoT Suite software package for the development of IoT applications forms the technological basis for the charging apps. It incorporates a broad range of regional electricity and charge point providers, in addition to the intercharge eRoaming platform and the partnered services that ensure convenient payment functionality.

“With the charging apps, we are bringing the Internet of Things and electromobility together. To us this is the perfect combination, since we have been actively promoting new developments in both of these areas for several years now.”

-says Kai Weber, product manager at Bosch Software Innovations.

Aside from its numerous e-mobility projects and its participation in the EMI³ standardizing body, Bosch’s involvement also includes its roles as a consortium partner, IOT systems partner, and platform vendor for eRoaming provider Hubject GmbH in Berlin. This joint venture regularly brings together leading players in the e-mobility marketplace, for instance at the intercharge network conference in Berlin on May 12-13, 2016. During the two days of the conference, the topics of electromobility and interoperable charging infrastructure for electric vehicles will be examined and discussed extensively in keynote speeches, expert presentations, and discussion panels in the heart of the German capital.The charge point operators are connected to the network via the intercharge eRoaming platform. An additional 700 charging points from Belectric Drive, EmiS, and E-Wald GmbH have recently been made accessible for use through the charging apps as a result. The charging apps are available both for iOS and Android operating systems.

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SMART SMART CiTY NEWS HONEYWELL’S ENTERPRISE BUILDINGS INTEGRATOR ENABLES GREATER BUILDING CONNECTIVITY AND INTELLIGENCE FOR TODAY’S SMART, CONNECTED BUILDINGS Honeywell recently announced a new release of its leading building management system, Enterprise Buildings Integrator (EBI). EBI R500 leverages the connectivity of today’s buildings to help make them strategic assets to organizations. The new features help facility managers better streamline management and decision-making, promoting improved business efficiencies and providing greater control over operations. EBI R500 improves facility managers’ ability to turn building data into actionable insights to deliver real outcomes in real time. New features include: Increased data point capacity

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BI performance improvements have increased point capacity by 200 percent, helping increase overall building connectivity while reducing IT costs with fewer EBI servers required. Facility managers can gain more granular levels of building data such as room temperatures, humidity levels, air quality, access control points and video surveillance feeds. Enhanced IT Compliance

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BI is now compatible with the latest Microsoft Windows® operating system and Windows 2012 Server, promoting up-to-date IT compliance and security. Cloud and Mobile Connectivity

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BI features a new mobile application that provides facility managers with greater situational awareness of building performance and operations. Facility managers can now receive push notifications to their smartphones and tablet devices on possible building system and equipment issues before system failures or disruptions to the organization’s operation. The mobile app also allows for remote access to and management of building systems and data. Additionally, EBI is cloud enabled and can connect with a range of Honeywell cloud services, some of which analyze facility data and facilitate decisions on improving building performance and reducing energy costs.

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“Buildings don’t have to be depreciating assets. With the right building management system in place, organizations can transform their buildings into intelligent contributors to organizational missions. The latest EBI features arm organizations with tools to help turn complex data into real-time business outcomes that can mean reduced operating costs, better occupant experiences and improved occupant safety.” - John Rajchert, President, Honeywell Building Solutions

Honeywell EBI is an award-winning building management system that facilitates the integration of systems relating to security, comfort, life safety and energy control, among other functions. It gives users a single point of access and consistent view of information and resources through a seamless “Integration of Things” that enhances a user’s ability to monitor, manage and protect a facility, campus or multi-site operation. In addition, EBI communicates with industry-leading open protocols like BACNet®, OPC®and LonWorks®, which helps customers integrate with third-party software and hardware and benefit from the scalability and flexibility that come with an interoperable architecture.More than 25,000 EBI systems have been deployed in more than 160 countries over the last decade. Current customers can easily migrate to the latest release, providing them with the new functionality, as well as continued returns on their investment.

URBANA WORLD May-June 2016 68


SMART SMART CiTY NEWS SINGAPORE NAMED “GLOBAL SMART CITY-2016” Juniper Research Has Today Revealed The Top Ranking Smart Cities Globally For 2016:

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uniper’s Smart City Rankings have been compiled following an extensive study of cities around the globe as published in Worldwide Smart Cities: Energy, Transport & Lighting 2016-2021. Some 40 metrics have been evaluated, covering technology, transport, energy, open data and economy. It was found that Singapore is a world leader in applying smart mobility policies and technology. Meanwhile, the city’s fixed and cellular broadband services, city apps and strong open data policy led to it taking the top spot for 2016.

Singapore, Barcelona, London, San Francisco, Oslo “Congestion and mobility are almost universal issues for cities to address”, noted research author Steffen Sorrell. “When addressed effectively, the impacts are substantial: higher economic productivity, potential for new revenue streams and services as well as a measurable benefit in reduced healthcare costs”.

2015’s Global Smart City, Barcelona, was found to be particularly strong with regards to its energy and sustainability policies. London’s score suffered as a result of weak renewable energy sourcing and relatively poor energy use reduction initiatives.

New Renewables Driving Smart Grids Additionally, the research found that deployment of smart grid technologies has found its way onto the agenda for cities across the globe. Alongside increased pressure on resources from urban migration, this common goal is driven, in large part, by a shift towards ‘new renewable’ energy sources such as solar power and wind generation. North America and parts of Asia in particular, are showing strong investment in renewable energy technologies. Meanwhile, Europe has seen smart grid progress slow owing to market unbundling which has led to a fragmented distribution grid landscape. Nevertheless, the ‘end-game’ is expected to deliver a market more open to innovation and new services. Overall, Juniper anticipates that the smart grid technology deployment will deliver $18.8 billion in cost savings in 2021. This will be achieved through reduced energy use and avoided economic costs from emissions. The reduced emissions are equivalent to those produced by nearly 15 million homes annually. The whitepaper, Smart Cities ~ On the Faster Track to Success, is available to download from the Juniper website together with further details of the full research. Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.

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R.N.I. NO. MPBIL/2015/61352 | DATE OF PUBLICATION: JUNE 20


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