San Diego Sees Big Benefits in Becoming a Smart City

San Diego is significantly investing in technology that will make it a leading smart city in the US. Last week, the city announced plans to expand its partnership with Current, Powered by GE to install 1,000 CityIQ sensor nodes and a pioneering lighting controls utility interface. San Diego believes that Smart Cities are a way of the future, and that they will create more efficiency—saving costs for the city that ultimately pay for the technology—and stimulate economic growth.

“San Diego’s smart city goals are encapsulated in a bold Climate Action Plan that includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, using infrastructure more efficiently, improving transportation efficiency and fostering economic growth,” Austin Ashe, co-founder and general manager of Intelligent Cities at Current Powered by GE. By building data-collecting solutions on top of existing city infrastructure cities save energy and resources. The program pays for itself, and from there, provides returns on the investment for years to come.”

The biggest benefit, perhaps, of this technology is data collection, which creates potential for other technologies to solve day-to-day problems in the city. This is when a true intelligent environment is achieved. “Once the program is enabled by energy savings, the possibilities really open up in terms of how we can use data collected through the intelligent environments installed,” explains Ashe. “Data is the foundation for a smart city, informing positive change with key indicators like population density and how people move around the city.”

Data can be collected for almost every aspect of city life, from traffic patterns to crime to health and wellness. “With this data, the city can track a plethora of information in real time: air quality; intersection safety between cars, bikes and pedestrians; car use versus alternative, more sustainable modes of transport—all from a 40-foot light pole that was existing infrastructure,” adds Ashe.

Ultimately, this data will be managed through apps. Earlier this year, San Diego called on residents to create app concepts using this data, and last week, the city launched applications that will improve parking, traffic and public safety on city streets. “In addition to what the city can use, Current’s open, yet highly secured data platform allows third party app developers to build solutions to improve the city, and come up with new ideas for improving city life,” says Ashe. “Leaders no longer have to solve every problem on their own with limited resources. Now, they’re able to enlist the greater community to help solve the toughest issues, create new revenue streams, drive economic development and make their city a better place to live, work and play.”