Wasted Data. It’s true. There is an enormous amount of wasted information every second of our worldly existence. Valuable data spews from billions of sources, but it is lost in the inefficiencies and inabilities of our communication systems, our society, and even our government. (Gasp!) How can that be? Hasn’t modern technology such as the Internet streamlined our communication? I mean, look at me! I can work from my laptop while sipping a mai tai in Maui. In fact, I now even have the ability to see my doctor through a television screen. Thank you Cisco.

Our communication technology is remarkable. There is no doubt about that. But it seems to me that we are only at the beginning of our technologically advanced world. Our innovations generate even more data each and every day. How do we capture all that data, sift through it and relay it quickly in order to create a better world?

There are visionaries, answers to that question. Innovators from around the world pulled together in what IBM has named “Smart City”. This collection of ideas would be brought together in a technological utopia. According to their website, they focus on areas such as public transportation, energy and utilities, education, economic development, and public safety.

But what does this mean? Am I the only one that gets confused when they say “Smart City”? For some reason I get images of a technological takeover. If this worries you as well then I would recommend Graham Brown’s article “What to Do When Technology Takes Over the Earth”.

The interesting thing is that the concept itself is very simple. The right data is communicated to the right place at the right time and in the right way. Bored yet? Let me give you some examples.

We’ll start with transportation.
A train arrives at the station five minutes late, but the bus has arrived on time. The bus driver is notified and knows he needs to wait 5 minutes in order to pick up the rush of people coming off of the late train. Or maybe the smart city recognizes that it needs additional buses to keep the schedule on time and so a second driver arrives ready to pick up the late passengers.

What about public safety?
An emergency situation arises. A truck crashes and dumps harmful chemicals. The smart city can simultaneously provide the police, Hazmat, the fire department, EMT Services and the hospitals with the relevant data they need to get their jobs done. Hazmat now knows what chemical from which plant. The police now know where their perimeter needs to be set up to keep a safe distance. EMT services now know what precautions to take when treating victims. You get the idea.

What about utilities and energy?
A smart grid enables electric utilities to minimize waste. Solar panels on residential buildings provide power for the building itself, but can also be sold back to the utility to be used somewhere else. A windmill on a skyscraper, solar panels on a house, or generators can be used to produce power. Suddenly the whole city produces and utilizes its own power. Talk about sustainable.

The concept is as simple as this, an interconnected world with a focus on efficiency and effectiveness. That massive amount of data generated every day is going help not hinder the communication networks of the future. And who will be the developers and implementers of this new network? Entrepreneurs.

Amatra Team