Cisco displays smart city concept
BANGALORE: How do you fancy living in a city where everything from the streetlights to the water pipes to parking space and waste management will be monitored and controlled by the click of a mouse?
Cisco on Tuesday showcased such smart city concepts which it said could go into building the 100 smart cities that Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisions.
Smart cities will need smart networks into which everything is hooked. Cisco showcased technological solutions using sensors and the internet to solve a range of city problems, from water leaks and air pollution to traffic congestion and the garbage crisis. Sensors, it said, would be present on every building, lamppost, garbage bin and water pipe in the city that would then help in monitoring and controlling them. A parking system with sensors and cameras could help to monitor the number of vehicles parked in a given lot, and indicate empty spaces available for parking. Using a mobile phone app, users can check for availability of parking slots or even pre-book parking slots in, say, malls and multiplexes.
Cisco developed many of these smart city technologies in its India facility and has used them in its massive, 2 million sq ft campus in Bangalore.
“We believe that the Cisco Smart City in Bangalore can be a model for smart cities not just in India but around the world. For government leaders thinking about the delivery of citizen services or for companies thinking about how to be ready for the future of work, the Cisco Smart City presents a blueprint on how to be relevant,” Wim Elfrink, Cisco chief globalization officer, said
Cisco also showcased use of high definition video and networking that allows for direct bi-directional interaction between teachers and students. This has relevance for improving education at rural locations where there is a shortage of qualified instructors and subject matter experts. Similarly, a health kiosk enhances delivery of medical care at a distance between patients, clinicians, and specialists.
