Blogs

​Carl Data Solutions, a leader in predictive analytics that leverage Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for compliance-driven Environmental Monitoring as a Service (“EMaaS”) and Smart City applications, is announcing the pre-launch of three new environmental monitoring products. “Our new products build upon the Company’s existing FlowWorks real-time reporting and analytics software for municipal and industrial and infrastructure. They are supplemented with intellectual property developed during Carl Data Solutions’ two-year engagement leading the Fresh Water Data Commons project for Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster,” said CEO Jean Charles ...

I introduced the cascading technology trap in a previous article . As a reminder, the trap lies in fast pace of technology evolution which exceeds the ability of cities to grasp and adopt technology. Here, I share 4 fundamental approaches, or models, that cities have adopted to avoid the trap. Involve startups and early stage ventures Singapore exemplifies this approach with direct budgeting of smart city contracts to startups. Since much of the fast-moving innovation comes from startups, the premise of this strategy is that startups are probably the best at integrating rapidly evolving technologies and deploying them economically. The cities that have ...

Based on the hands-on involvement of the Xona Partners team in the design and rollout of over half a dozen smart cities, the cascading technology trap emerged as a common thread: technologies are evolving at a significantly faster pace than the ability of cities to adopt. This is not to diminish the importance of other challenges facing smart cities, such as financing, establishing optimal public private partnerships or handling of organizational structures within smart cities in a way that is consistent with governance models. However, for cities determined on implementing smart city applications, the cascading technology trap proved to be the primary and ...

Thingking for Smart Cities and Municipalities - with Internet of Things and Design Thinking By Walter Knitl and Nilufer Erdebil COVID-19 has accelerated the use of existing digital technologies and new digitalization everywhere by individuals, enterprises, industries, and governments – e.g., working from home, online shopping, logistics, automation, physical distancing, and other pandemic mitigation measures. That includes the accelerated adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT), which is a big part of the overall digital realm. Municipalities have borne the greater part of the mitigation ...

The device detects the opening of manhole covers thanks to its embedded accelerometer. Through its on-board intelligence, the product calibrates itself automatically to determine its reference position. If an inclinaison is detected, a real-time alert is immediately sent. Benefits Ubiquity: remote management of all your equipment Productivity: quick & easy installation. Reduction of costs due to theft. Security: safety guarantee for equipment and people. Transmission on alert or periodic. Steps: You receive your device and accessories at home. The device is configurated by us and ready to use. Once your device is installed on its clip, ...

Customer Challenge At the University of British Columbia (UBC), parking assets have significant influence on both the university’s budget as well as visitor, staff and student experiences. To help optimize both, UBC’s Parking and Access Services (PAS) team was in search of a solution that would help them understand how their current assets are being used, with the goal of streamlining and enhancing the on-campus parking experience. Their must-haves? The solution needed to fulfil their vision to interconnect infrastructure, processes and people, while collecting data that promotes safety, efficiency, sustainability and economic growth. Solution UBC selected ...

Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft are opening the door to new possibilities for transportation and mobility, particularly within urban areas. The future of air mobility involves flying over traffic, vertical take-off, electric propulsion, and autonomous flight, and brings with it many verification and certification challenges. Responding to these challenges, engineers have explored novel and disruptive aircraft designs. As companies study the potential of new configurations, many are now making the shift from the proof of concept phase to preparing to optimize designs for operations. But ramping up for operations comes with a dramatic price tag ...