Emergency response vehicle puts IoT on wheels

via Greenbang:

Australia’s National Safety Agency has developed a prototype emergency response vehicle equipped with multi-channel communications capabilities, real-time video and more than 30 screens for monitoring weather, incoming images from emergency responders and other critical data.

Designed with support from Cisco, the ESIC (for “Emergency Services Integrated Communications”) vehicle serves as a mobile command center that can intelligently link all agencies involved in an emergency situation.

“The internet of everything brings together people, process, data and things to make networked connections more relevant and valuable than ever before,” said Ken Boal, vice president of Cisco Australia and New Zealand. “The National Safety Agency’s Emergency Services Integrated Communications vehicle is a phenomenal showcase of how public safety can significantly improve the real-time flow of information through a mobile command and communications center to allow better informed decisions to be made more quickly and ultimately lead to safer Australian communities.”

Designed to be deployed in response to fires, floods, cyclones, tsunamis, marine pollution, terrorist events or large crowd gatherings, the ESIC vehicle can be fully operational within 15 minutes of arriving at a site.

The vehicle’s technologies allow responders with two-way radios to communicate and video-conference with people at other locations using devices ranging from mobile phones and regular telephones to computers and tablets. The vehicle is also equipped by day/night video cameras that can transmit interior and exterior images to response teams, and features multiple video screens for displaying hydrology data, weather location information, real-time images from responders’ helmet-mounted cameras and other information.

The National Safety Agency, a not-for-profit organization that researches and develops emergency-response solutions, is also exploring the possibility of adding capabilities for unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) operations, Google Glass technology, on-site triage of disaster victims and body-held cameras with integrated sensors for blood pressure and breath monitoring.

“The ESIC vehicle showcases technology in an operational context to inspire and assist with the creation of a vision for the public safety sector and other industries with emergency management responsibilities, such as the mining industry,” said Des Bahr, chair of the National Safety Agency.

The ESIC vehicle was unveiled during the Cisco Live event taking place in Melbourne, Australia, this week.

The post Emergency response vehicle puts IoT on wheels appeared first on Greenbang.

For more info: Emergency response vehicle puts IoT on wheels

Greenbang

Emergency response vehicle puts IoT on wheels

The post Emergency response vehicle puts IoT on wheels appeared first on FX FOREX.

via WordPress http://ift.tt/1oKyvWC



Social Entrepeneurship, capabilities, communications, exterior, incoming, internet of things, solutions, tech, top slider, zealand

London tests sensors to keep pedestrians safe

via Greenbang:

Starting this summer, London will begin trials of a sensor-based system aimed at making it easier and safer for pedestrians to cross busy roads.

The technology uses street-based video cameras and a tool called SCOOT (for “split cycle offset optimization technique”) to automatically detect how many pedestrians are waiting at road crossings. When a large number of people are waiting, the system extends the amount of time the green “cross” sign stays lit.

While London already uses SCOOT technology to improve the flow of street traffic across the city, this is the first implementation of a pedestrian-focused application.

“I am delighted that London is the first city in the world to be trialling this cutting-edge equipment, which will benefit pedestrians across the city,” said Mayor Boris Johnson. “Innovation like this is key to keeping London moving efficiently and making our roads safer for everyone to use.”

The first pedestrian-based SCOOT systems will be tested at intersections outside the Balham and Tooting Bec Underground stations.

“We are fully committed to improving road safety for all road users across London, especially pedestrians,” said Leon Daniels, managing director of surface transport at Transport for London. “These new trials of pedestrian detection technology will allow our traffic signals to become even more intelligent, bringing huge benefits to those waiting to cross the road where there is heavy pedestrian demand.”

The post London tests sensors to keep pedestrians safe appeared first on Greenbang.

For more info: London tests sensors to keep pedestrians safe

Greenbang

London tests sensors to keep pedestrians safe

The post London tests sensors to keep pedestrians safe appeared first on FX FOREX.

via WordPress http://ift.tt/1e5Twrh



Social Entrepeneurship, sensors, tech, top slider

Survey shows support for driverless cars, drone services

via Greenbang:

Nearly half of the US citizens surveyed about smart-city technology say they’d like to live in a driverless city, and over one-third expect to see that become a reality within the decade.

Those are among the findings in a recent study conducted by Intel across eight countries.

When it comes to driverless cars, buses and trains, respondents said the benefits could include fewer traffic accidents (40 percent), less traffic congestion (38 percent) and reduced carbon emissions (34 percent).

The survey also found that, despite criticism surrounding the use of drones in other circumstances, many people — 57 percent of those surveyed in the US — like the idea of using unmanned aerial vehicles to improve public services. The potential benefits identified by respondents included law enforcement (64 percent), public safety monitoring (64 percent), firefighting and prevention (61 percent) and emergency response (58 percent).

The post Survey shows support for driverless cars, drone services appeared first on Greenbang.

For more info: Survey shows support for driverless cars, drone services

Greenbang

Survey shows support for driverless cars, drone services

The post Survey shows support for driverless cars, drone services appeared first on FX FOREX.

via WordPress http://ift.tt/1dKJEjd



Social Entrepeneurship, accidents, circumstances, congestion, decade, drones, enforcement, firefighting, response, tech, unmanned, vehicles

Cisco, AGT partnership puts focus on city security

via Greenbang:

Cisco and the security technology company AGT International are teaming up to roll out new analytics-based products and services for cities.

Rather than putting the emphasis on “smart,” the partnership’s initial offerings show a strong focus on security. The companies’ first two solutions, set to become available in mid-2014, will focus on traffic management and urban safety and security.

The traffic solution will be designed to provide real-time “situational awareness” to help cities identify, respond to and resolve traffic incidents. Supporting technologies will include live video with analytics, in-pavement wireless magnetic sensors, license plate readers, social media and traffic modeling prediction.

The safety/security offering will use sensors, software, city data and visual and social media feeds to identify “suspicious activities” more quickly.

“The Cisco and AGT alliance is more than simply an agreement to collaborate,” said Rob Lloyd, Cisco’s president for development and sales. “Cisco and AGT are in the unique position to lead the development of city cloud solutions. By combining advanced technologies with a deep understanding of the changing needs of cities, we can transform the delivery of city services.”

Founded in 2007, AGT International is a privately held company based in Switzerland. It was founded by Mati Kochavi, an Israeli entrepreneur who’s also behind the new, social-media-mining news organization Vokativ and 3i-MIND, which uses data mining to provide governments and businesses with “actionable intelligence”.

The post Cisco, AGT partnership puts focus on city security appeared first on Greenbang.

For more info: Cisco, AGT partnership puts focus on city security

Greenbang

Cisco, AGT partnership puts focus on city security

The post Cisco, AGT partnership puts focus on city security appeared first on FX FOREX.

via WordPress http://ift.tt/1gxGUIe



Social Entrepeneurship, carousel, security, tech

Isotera wants to make LED efficiency easy

via Greenbang:

It wasn’t that long ago that LED lighting was viewed as a great, efficient technology of the future … that is, a technology you weren’t likely to see widely used anytime soon because of its high cost and limited functionality.

Today, though LED (for “light-emitting diode”) lighting is easy to find at anywhere from small dollar stores to giant home-improvement retailers, and you can find lights in all sorts of forms too: dimmable, submersible, color-changing, rope, panel and so on. While they’re still more expensive than other light bulbs, LEDs have also generally become more affordable.

Until recently, though, they were still costly to install if you wanted to update an entire office building, hospital or school with LEDs. That’s because LEDs require constant-current power instead of the typical constant-voltage power delivered by power mains and batteries. As a result, LEDs typically need LED drivers to regulate the power from traditional sources. Wiring drivers, fixtures and controls across a large space tends to be effort-intensive, time-consuming and costly.

Isotera aims to change that.

A UK-based startup, Isotera operates from the principle that installing LEDs should be “as simple and as fun” as building with LEGO blocks. Its “contactless power” technology combines a single power hub and cabling with clips that connect LED lights to the power source quickly and easily without exposing live wires. The approach, says founder and director Marc Ottolini, makes it simple to convert a space to LED lighting without complicated electrical work.

“We don’t do the LEDs (themselves), but we’ve reinvented the backbone,” Ottolini said. “We have created basically a new universe in lighting systems.”

The savings in installation times are considerable, Ottolini said. With Isotera’s system, LEDs can be installed anywhere from 50 to 60 percent more quickly than before. What’s more, lights can be added safely while the power is on, meaning problems with any one fixture can be identified immediately and overloads are instantly detectable.

Isotera has also extended its approach to emergency lighting: its iEscape modules clip easily onto power cables for contactless charging of backup batteries.

“It’s a major step in how emergency lighting is done,” Ottolini said.

Up until now, Isotera has worked primarily on retrofitting existing buildings with LEDs, and many of its projects have come through its partnership with the lighting company Havells Sylvania. Having worked on projects in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Russia, it is looking to expand elsewhere, including into the US. Because of the ease of installation its technology allows, Ottolini said, Isotera’s system has great potential both in places where labor costs are high as well as in locales where there are skills shortages.

“At the end of the day,” he said, “the system has global appeal.”

The post Isotera wants to make LED efficiency easy appeared first on Greenbang.

For more info: Isotera wants to make LED efficiency easy

Greenbang

Isotera wants to make LED efficiency easy

The post Isotera wants to make LED efficiency easy appeared first on FX FOREX.

via WordPress http://ift.tt/1ly8aJQ



Social Entrepeneurship, lighting, tech, top slider

NYC eviction data could predict family homelessness

via Greenbang:

By analyzing eviction data from New York City’s Department of Homeless Services, the SumAll Foundation is working to better identify individuals and families at the greatest risk of becoming homeless.

According to the Coalition for the Homeless, more than 53,000 people — among them 12,000-plus families with more than 22,000 children — were living in New York homeless shelters last November. Eviction is one of the leading reasons that people land in homeless shelters, the coalition says.

Insights from city data on evictions could help provide smarter, more targeted social services to keep families in stable housing and out of the shelter system, according to the SumAll Foundation.

“Identifying families at risk of becoming homeless early in the eviction process presents a huge prevention opportunity,” said Stefan Heeke, executive director of SumAll.org, the non-profit arm of the big-data company SumAll. “We are in the process of creating the algorithm that helps find these families in need and detect future homelessness hotspots in New York City.”

Analysis of data so far shows that, depending on where in the city a family lives, an average of four to five month passes from receiving an eviction notice to moving into a homeless shelter. Compared to other areas, eviction orders in Central Brooklyn and the South Bronx appear to be more likely to eventually land a family in a homeless shelter.

The post NYC eviction data could predict family homelessness appeared first on Greenbang.

For more info: NYC eviction data could predict family homelessness

Greenbang

NYC eviction data could predict family homelessness

The post NYC eviction data could predict family homelessness appeared first on FX FOREX.

via WordPress http://ift.tt/1kc3ybH



Social Entrepeneurship, tech, top slider

BT trials new networking tech for ‘internet of things’

via Greenbang:

Delivering on the potential of the “internet of things” (IoT) means being able to make devices of all kinds — from mobile phones to city lampposts — “talk” to one another easily and efficiently.

However, that’s a challenge in a world where wide bands of the wireless spectrum are allocated to specific users, and where devices are often “buried” inaccessibly deep within buildings or underground.

“The internet of things market has huge potential, but existing short-range and cellular networking technologies are unable to meet the requirements of many applications we see,” said Mark Harrop, director of mobile strategy and lead for the wireless cities program lead at BT Plc. “A networking technology that can provide deep indoor coverage, last for many years from a single battery, is simple to use, and comes at the right price point is essential for realizing the true potential of the IoT.”

Late last year, BT began a small-scale trial with the technology company Neul on M2M (for “machine-to-machine”) communications using “white space”. The tests involve sending traffic information to and from moving vehicles via gaps — or “white spaces” — in the frequencies bands used for digital TV broadcasting.

White space networking could enable up to 50 billion devices to be connected wirelessly to the internet by 2020, according to BT.

BT has now begun trialing a new technology from Neul. The NeulNET system provides two-way, wide-area M2M networking that Neul claims “far out-reaches today’s GPRS, 3G, CDMA and LTE WAN solutions.”

The NeulNET system uses an antenna-equipped base station that can provide wireless coverage in a radius of up to five kilometers, along with terminal modules that can run for up to 15 years on two AA batteries and can communicate from deep within buildings or underground.

The system, delivered by Neul as a cloud-based managed communication service (Neul means “cloud” in Gaelic), can operate in either licensed or unlicensed spectrum, and across a wide range of frequency bands.

Neul adds that it expects to announce further deployments of its NeulNET technology throughout 2014. It says the system could enable smart-city applications ranging from waste-disposal bins that “ask to be emptied” to green-belt areas and farms that are monitored and watered efficiently.

The post BT trials new networking tech for ‘internet of things’ appeared first on Greenbang.

For more info: BT trials new networking tech for ‘internet of things’

Greenbang

BT trials new networking tech for ‘internet of things’

The post BT trials new networking tech for ‘internet of things’ appeared first on FX FOREX.

via WordPress http://ift.tt/1dugfwt



Social Entrepeneurship, carousel, internet of things, must read, tech