Last week marked the first ever National Smart Cities Week. To mark the occasion, the Smart Cities Council held a two day conference in Washington DC. At the tail end of the conference, CompTIA partnered with IDC for the “Fulfilling the Promise of a Blue Revolution: How Smart Cities and the Internet of Things can help our nation cope with Drought” forum. The event was part of a series of CompTIA/IDC forums, spotlighting the critical role of emerging technologies in addressing issues of national importance.
Keynote addresses were presented by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Department of Agriculture Chief Scientist, and the Environmental Protection Agency Chief Technology Officer. The White House briefed the audience on the recently announced White House Smart City Initiative. The White House Initiative which will invest over $160 million in Federal research and create more than 25 new technology collaborations to help local communities tackle 21st century challenges. By harnessing the growing data revolution and things like low-cost sensors and research collaborations, this Initiative is designed to support community efforts to come up with solutions to everyday problems.
Two panels followed, presenting both national and local perspectives. Of particular note was the work being conducted by the city of Gilbert, Arizona. Hakon Johanson, Gilbert’s Deputy Director of Finance & Management Services, Water Resources Manager, explained how, through the use of sensors and crowdsourcing data, his town was able to save thousands of dollars on residential water bills (and also help maintain the town’s water consumption).
