San Diego outlines smart sensor installation plans in major IoT push

Dive Brief:

The City of San Diego will install 4,200 sensor nodes built by CityIQ as part of a massive internet of things (IoT) project that will also include new apps to improve parking and traffic, and a lighting controls interface that could boost streetlight efficiency by 20%. The projects, which will be executed in partnership with General Electric subsidiary Current, were announced at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona.
The CityIQ nodes, which collect and distribute data on an open platform, will be used to support a number of new apps including Genetec, which helps with real-time emergency response. The data will also support Xaqt, a data and AI platform that gives real-time and historical mobility patterns for traffic and parking.
The city will work with utility San Diego Gas & Electric to implement Current’s Lightgrid system, a wireless interface that can transfer streetlight energy use to the utility’s billing system. That real-time response will give the city better insights into streetlight use and is projected to save the city $250,000 in incremental energy costs.

Dive Insight:

CityIQ is already in partnership with several city departments — including the police department and Traffic and Engineering and Operations unit — to gather and apply data, and San Diego committed this week to installing 1,000 more than were initially planned. The city expects the massive deployment of sensors will offer loads of new data that could touch multiple city departments and support new apps.

The sensors will also help expand the use of smart parking app CivicSmart, as well as ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection app that can deliver location information in less than a minute.

In a statement, interim deputy chief operating officer Erik Caldwell credited the city’s ongoing collaboration with public and private stakeholders for the "ability to leapfrog our smart cities technology ahead in both energy savings and scale." The project fits in with San Diego’s mission to cut its energy use and carbon emissions to combat climate change, and draws on the city’s tech industry.

GE’s Current has worked on similar projects before. It also upgraded streetlights in cities like Honolulu and Minneapolis, and in July announced a partnership with Nokia to bring the CityIQ platform to several Canadian cities.