Tag: jz3317

No more circling the block 10 times to find a spot

jozheng22 Comments

Problem: Safety and Health

A large contributor to traffic in Rome is caused by those seeking to park. Increase in traffic causes more emissions and pollution as well as delays in public transportation. This also leads to long queue’s at bus stops, lowering the citizen’s journey experience. 

Tech: Image sensors with AI processing technology

  • Rome is adopting image sensors from Sony Europe with AI processing functionality to cut city’s transport related pollution and public transportation efficiency.
  • One of the trials will deliver a smart parking system. Using the Genius smart tip sensors, it can identify free parking spaces and stream the exact location. 
  • The location is then sent to Envision, their cloud software partner, and then displayed on a mobile device used by the driver looking for parking. 
  • The Genius smart tip can also identify the amount of people waiting at a bus stop. This data will be sent to the public bus manager in order to enhance the planning and scheduling of bus network
  • The technology will not store images, in line with privacy requirements

Stakeholders:

  • Drivers looking for parking
  • Public transportation company managing the network
  • Citizens taking public transportation
  • City traffic department

Steps

  • Plan the optimal amount of sensors required and install them
  • Integrate the system with the cloud software partner to ensure the data is accessible to the targeted stakeholders
  • Begin testing the use of the mobile app where drivers can see the free spaces. 

https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/news/rome-conducts-smart-city-trial-of-intelligent-vision-sensors-6466

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The Smart Windows in Movies Are Here

jozheng23 Comments
  1. Problem – Energy and Health

During the hot summer days, traditional windows allow in a lot of heat, radiation, and glare, causing the room temperature to increase. The consequent energy use for cooling increases drastically. Minimizing sunlight is not a solution, since it is believed that sunlight triggers the release of serotonin, which is a mood boosting natural chemical. It is increasingly popular for homes and offices to adopt floor to ceiling windows to maximize sunlight, but with it the HVAC energy consumption increases.

2. Technology – View’s Immersive Experience with Smart Windows

  • 825 Third Avenue in NYC is the first building to incorporate smart windows
  • The smart windows increase natural light, improve human health, and reduce energy consumption by blocking heat and glare
  • The windows are also transparent, digital screens with touch displays that enable communications. 
  • It uses AI to automatically adjust in response to the sun, increasing access to natural light and decreasing glare. 

3. Stakeholders

  • Building owners and developers – the installing of smart windows can potentially increase rent and attract quality tenants. 
  • Individuals and corporations renting in the building – experience lower energy consumption and increase in work efficiency through the use of smart windows
  • Construction companies – installing smart windows is a much more complicated process than traditional windows
  • Designers and architects – they can now incorporate this into the blueprint
  • Maintenance crew – smart windows would require more maintenance and cleaning. 

4. Steps

  • Consider the use of View’s smart windows by creating financial models to measure the overall costs and benefits
  • The design/architecture team must incorporate the technology in the design and collaborate with electricians to plan the wiring
  • Begin installation/construction

https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/smart-cities-news/landmark-manhattan-office-tower-installs-smart-windows-6477

https://view.com/product/how-it-works

Violence Reduction Dashboard

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  1. Problem          

Safety. There is an increase in crime and gun violence in certain areas, such as Chicago. The data currently being provided to the public comes in the form of incidents and district that did not prove useful for violence reduction groups and often lag. 

2. The tech

  • Chicago, with the help of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, is developing a violence reduction dashboard offering the residents and community organization close to real-time access to crime data
  • Violence reduction partners will be better able to coordinate with each other, the police department, and other city departments for safety initiatives
  • The dashboard focuses on data framed by victimization counts and community areas rather than traditional data on incidents, districts, and beats that were more useful for law-enforcement
    • Violent crimes (homicides, shootings, assault, domestic violence, etc.)
    • Victim demographics based on age, race, and sex-gender
    • Visualization and explanation of the safety gap (difference in rate of shootings and homicides in community areas with highest and lowest levels
    • Incident maps
    • Time of day and day of week
  • Will update data daily, with about 48 hour delay. 

3. Stakeholders

  • Police department
  • Residents can more easily check and understand nearby crime
  • Violence reduction groups and initiatives can better formulate their idea and goal
  • Any gathering and event can better prepare for safety precautions

4. Steps

  • Develop an easy-to-use dashboard using existing data from the police department
  • Form a team whose job is to continuously update and monitor the dashboard
  • Carefully plan how to engage the community to use the platform

https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/smart-cities-news/chicago-launches-violence-reduction-dashboard-6464

Solar Panels Under Your Feet

jozheng22 Comments
  1. Problem 

Energy. Traditional photovoltaic energy is obtained from roof solar panels or standing solar panels. In some areas, these solar panels are difficult to install. 

“It is very interesting that in the USA, for example, there are some places in the southern states where due to tornado threat it is difficult to install a solar panel.” 

They also take up space, putting a limit on how much solar energy can be produced. 

2. Tech – Platio’s Solar-powered pavement. 

  • Platio places solar panels on a plastic brick using a special pressuring method
  • The brick under the solar panel is made from recycled plastic. 1 square meter of the solar pavement is equivalent of 400 recycled PET bottles.
  • 1 solar pavement unit provides about 20 W of energy, and 20 square meters is enough to power the yearly average electric need of a household
  • This technology allows solar energy to be harvested in locations where conventional solar technologies cannot be installed.

3. Stakeholders

  • Households: this can be implemented for residential homes
  • City planners: can be used in smart cities such as pedestrian walkways or parks
  • Sustainability division of companies: can be used in outdoor areas of office buildings

4. Steps

  • Determine the amount of space that can be dedicated to installing solar pavement
  • Estimate the total solar energy that can be produced by this determined space
  • Consider the downside of the technology such as aesthetics, difficulty of installation, before making final decision. 

https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/02/21/this-solar-powered-pavement-harvests-energy-from-under-your-feet

https://platiosolar.com

Smart Waste Collection

jozheng21 Comment
  1. Problem: Waste Management. There is a lack of efficiency and transparency in waste management. Not knowing how full the bins are make it difficult to maximize efficiency. When the bins aren’t full when collected, it leads to additional emissions and extra trips. When the bins have been full before the scheduled pick up, it causes social problems such as overflow of waste on the streets.
  2. Summary:
    • Bratislava is implementing a large-scale smart waste digitalization program using Sensoneo. This will realize savings on waste collection related to truck mileage, emissions, and prevention of damages related to overfilled containers. 
    • Will be implemented in stages until April 2022
    • Project includes 
      1. digitalization of 85,000 containers and installation of 1,753 Sensoneo sensors to monitor all containers for glass waste and underground bins across the city
      2. Will also deploy 92 Sensoneo WatchDog devices on all waste collection vehicles to automatically digitalize the waste collection process and automatically verify pick-ups
      3. Flexible waste collection powered by Sensoneo’s Route Optimization and the testing of prototypes facilitating the introduction of “pay-as-you-sort“ models and recognizing fill-levels of containers during pick-up.
    • Glass waste is particularly troublesome due to its irregular filling cycle. Using Sensoneo’s technology, the city can avoid unnecessary pickups. 
  3.  Stakeholders
    • City’s waste management company
    • Waste collection fleet operator
    • Waste collection drivers
    • Waste dumpster location that receive the waste
  4. Steps
    • Digitalize the location of 85,000 containers on the software
    • Install the necessary sensors on the containers for glass
    • Install the Watchdog devices on the waste collection vehicles

https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/news/bratislava-launches-large-scale-smart-waste-programme-6420

Finding the leak before it leaks!

jozheng21 Comment
  1. Problem: Water. We lose a significant amount of clean water due to aging water infrastructure. It is estimated that we lose 6 billion gallons per day in the US. Pipes leak, and the water just comes out the pavement and flows down the road. Leaky water systems threaten the quality and reliability of our water.
  2. Technology – Geospatial AI from Rezatec.
    • Geospatial AI will be used in Illinois communities to reduce water loss for municipal water systems
    • 60 million gallons of treated water is lost every day in Chicago alone due to aging infrastructure. That’s 22 billion gallons per year
    • Using Rezatec’s geospatial AI product, the Rezatec’s Pipeline Risk product, the system can predict future pipeline failures, allowing organizations to upgrade it ahead of time. 
    • The product determines the likelihood, consequence, and cost of failure using satellite and data on material, diameter, age of assets with soil types, weather, terrain, and vegetation.
    • Rezatec claims it is 10% more accurate than other risk models available on the market. 
  3. Stakeholders
    • Utility management. They will be the main customers of the AI. The management must decide to adopt the technology.
    • Utility company’s risk team. These people will be the ones using the technology to identify high risk areas and minimize water loss.
    • Pipeline engineers will be deployed earlier and with more scheduling flexibility since the pipe is not currently leaking versus high priority situations with already leaking pipes. 
    • City traffic planners. By knowing which pipes to fix ahead of time, the city can better coordinate road closings and manage increased traffic.
    • Everyone who uses water would benefit from the adoption of this technology with more reliable water source.
  4. Implementation
    • Gather past historical data, minimum of 2 years
    • Visualize the pipeline system on the platform
    • Upload data to the AI system and run analysis. 

Sources:

https://www.waterworld.com/water-utility-management/smart-water-utility/press-release/14202903/midwest-utility-to-reduce-water-loss-electricity-consumption-through-geospatial-ai-technology

https://www.rezatec.com/solutions/water-utilities/pipeline-risk/