In line with its commitment to collaborate with the government in its vision of a Digital India, Cisco today announced the ‘Cisco Smart City’ as a blueprint for the future of smart and connected communities in India. The Cisco Smart City, unveiled along with the announcement of the next phase of the company’s India site, symbolizes what the digitization of a country means for the future of work, education, healthcare and the electronic delivery of citizen services. Mr. R Chandrashekhar, President, The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM); Shri. Srivatsa Krishna, Secretary to the Government Dept. of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka; Cisco’s Executive Vice President for Industry Solutions and Chief Globalisation Officer, Wim Elfrink and President, Cisco India & SAARC, Dinesh Malkani inaugurated the Cisco Smart City.
As part of the inauguration, Cisco demonstrated the possibilities of the government’s Digital India program where infrastructure would be offered as a utility to every citizen, governance and services would be on demand and citizens would be digitally empowered. Using the Internet of Everything, Cisco showcased how connected education, connected healthcare, smart buildings, connected transport and smart parking can transform the way cities and communities are designed, built and renewed to ensure economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Spread over 2.6 million square feet, and designed as a campus-as-a-city for thousands of Cisco employees to work, play and learn, the Cisco Smart City is a spectacular showcase of how a pervasive physical network infrastructure can easily connect to devices (such as sensors, information access points and mobile devices) and with a high degree of security. The Cisco Smart City also demonstrated how intelligent networks could enable digitally empowered citizens through the availability of government services in real time, online and on mobile platforms.
During the launch, Cisco highlighted its collaboration globally with smart cities such as Barcelona, Spain, and showcased how Cisco and Barcelona Council have helped transform the city into a blueprint for sustainable urban development. The city of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, described the role of Cisco’s technologies in achieving the city’s digital strategy. The faculty and the students of R.V. College of Engineering in Bangalore displayed the role of technology, in the future of education, by showing how two-way video communications can broaden classroom experiences allowing students from any location to be connected in real-time with teachers, experts and other students.
Based on Cisco’s larger vision of Smart+Connected Communities which enables transformation of physical communities into connected communities, today the company’s roster of 90 global greenfield and brownfield Smart+Connected Communities projects include the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor in India, where Cisco is developing the ICT master plan for four pilot cities in the $90 billion flagship public sector infrastructure project.
In 2013, CII & Cisco released a report titled ‘Smart City in Indian Context’ which stated that India faced a shortage of 600,000 doctors, 1 million nurses and 1.2 million teachers in government schools. The Digital India program of the government is focused on the digital empowerment of citizens by enabling broadband in villages, universal phone connectivity, public internet access points, public Wi-Fi in schools and universities, digital inclusion, electronic delivery of governance and services, and job creation. Cisco’s Smart City is a glimpse into the future of what will be possible in a Digital India.
The Cisco Smart City, with LEED Platinum Certified buildings, has also been designed to showcase the future of work – a future that is not just about connected devices, but also about when and where people work, and how companies can foster creativity, collaboration and productivity in the workplace. The Cisco Smart City allows the company’s employees, customers and partners to experience what’s possible when you realize the true potential of the Internet of Everything and digitize companies, cities and countries.
IoE technologies showcased at the Cisco Smart City include the following:
Smart Parking: Cities and companies can manage parking and increase revenue with the ability to offer real-time availability of parking spots, guide drivers to open parking spots and change pricing based on demand. Smart parking solutions can help cities reduce the estimated 30% of urban traffic caused by motorists looking for parking
Smart Buildings: Smart buildings are built and operated, monitored and controlled for reduced energy and water consumption, reduced carbon emissions, lower costs and a better work environment. Smart building solutions can help cities, companies and citizens reduce the estimated 40% of energy consumed by buildings worldwide
Remote Expert: Cisco Remote Expert Smart Solution transforms how services such as healthcare, citizen services, retail or banking can be delivered through a superior, on-demand video collaboration experience —an immersive, lifelike experience between the user and subject -matter experts wherever they may be located. Remote Expert can be delivered in real time, anytime, anyplace, and on any device
Connected Learning: Education is fundamentally a collaborative, interactive endeavor. Cities, companies and educational institutions can use connected learning solutions to improve access to education beyond local resources by using network-based collaboration technologies to improve student outcomes, increase efficiency, enhance safety and security, and expand research capabilities
Smart Work Spaces: Smart Meeting Spaces is a solution to enable employees to collaborate together anywhere, anytime instantly. The Smart Personalized Spaces solution makes work spaces available for employees when and where they need it, on demand. According to a global industry study by Cisco, 66 percent of employees desire work flexibility while 60 percent of employees believe they do not need to be in the office to be productive. Smart Work Space solutions accommodate and attract a new generation of workers, facilitate creativity and collaboration, and enhance overall effectiveness and efficiency.