Cisco has revealed the next phase in its project to make Australia a global leader in developing smart city projects, with the launch of Adelaide’s Smart City Studio.
According to Cisco, this launch marks a significant step forward in a broader transformation project that aims to position Adelaide as one of the world’s most advanced Smart Cities. This project started 18 months ago, when Adelaide qualified as a Lighthouse City in the Cisco Smart+Connected Communities program, sponsored by Adelaide City Council and the Government of South Australia.
The first phase of the project includes the deployment of a set of smart city services that will improve the efficiency of the city’s assets, including street lighting and on-street parking. Cisco is currently piloting public Wi-Fi through local partner, iiNet, and smart lighting and parking with global ecosystem partner, Sensity.
Cisco A/NZ vice-president, Ken Boal, said the move is a key launch for both the City of Adelaide and Cisco.
He claimed the Smart City Studio will connect the City of Adelaide, and its businesses, entrepreneurs and citizens to a range of IoT opportunities. The studio will be directly connected to Cisco’s Internet of Everything innovation centers around the world, as well as to other local innovation hubs throughout the country.
“It will enable tech innovators to work with other local and global innovation hubs, and develop IoT applications and services that will help the citizens in their everyday lives, as well as the city to reduce its expenses and drive efficiencies in operations, including reducing its environmental footprint.
“There are discussions underway with a number of cities and councils across A/NZ to better understand their specific needs, so we can develop and implement solutions that enable the delivery of new citizen-centric services and reduce expenses and drive efficiencies in operations,” he said.
Cisco senior vice-president for Smart+Connected Communities, Dr. Anil Menon, indicated Adelaide’s Smart City Studio is a space that will be dedicated to innovation, particularly in regards to the ground-breaking applications and services that can be built around IoT.
He added that it will enable innovators to develop, test and commercialise the next generation of IoT applications and services to improve citizens’ everyday lives. It will also provide access to a broad range of city-wide services, making the city more resource-efficient and environmentally sustainable.
“As a Cisco Lighthouse City, Adelaide is a test bed for implementing advanced IoE and IoT solutions for city infrastructure management and is one of the very few cities ready to develop and pilot new urban services and solutions to benefit the customer and citizen experience,” Dr. Menon said.
“Cisco’s Smart+Connected Communities team sees Australia as one of the next smart city countries. Adelaide is a fantastic example of what Australian cities can aim to achieve.”
This is one of several smart city initiatives by Cisco in Australia. Cisco has identified significant potential in several other Australian regions, including in South East Queensland.