Who Champions Today’s Smart City Deployments? (Hint: the answer might surprise you)

Smart City deployments are at the forefront of the Internet of Things’ (IoT) evolution.  Creating value through the collection and analysis of data, Smart City solutions are positively impacting a myriad of city deployments and public utilities with greater efficiencies and significant cost savings.  IoT-based technology is changing the way that municipality departments plan, budget and execute their mission of serving the public and creating safe environments.

Today’s municipalities are made up of many layers.  Each department plays a vital role in optimizing its respective group and managing assets to support its mission to reliably deliver services and improve the quality of life for residents.  When new technology is introduced, it provides benefits to multiple departments and it then becomes a question of who is responsible for evaluating, budgeting and deploying the solutions.  Because many applications are surveillance-based, the actual champions of today’s Smart City applications are city managers, sheriffs and law departments, and city councils.  Each end up playing a vital role in the introduction and use of Smart City applications.

• Chief of Police / Sheriff:  Smart City applications, including surveillance, have a direct impact on deterring crime, prosecuting criminals and creating safe public environments.  With a host of surveillance technology available including license plate recognition, monitoring and tracking, law enforcement groups have quickly recognized the value in leveraging the technology to expand their reach and better allocate resources.

• City Managers:  City managers are the ones that help identify and implement the smart city applications.  With a holistic view across the various departments, city managers become responsible for expanding the footprint and value of IoT to the various departments.

• City Council:  City Councils play a critical role in approving the budget and identifying and measuring the results.  Representing the residents, City Councils need to be able to ask questions, receive answers and feel comfortable where tax dollars are being spent to improve the mission.

Smart City solutions are not one technology.  Value-based Smart City applications combine connectivity, sensors, surveillance, and analytics.  When combined and focused on addressing municipalities toughest issues, Smart City applications create a value-based solution that allows multiple agencies to benefit while also creating a more transparent environment that results in safer and more efficient communities. 

This is where the solutions aggregator comes in.  IntelliSite is the premiere solutions aggregator that works with municipalities, utilities and the industrial sector to develop Smart City applications.  Built upon the IntelliSite IoT Platform, the Smart City solutions combine the router, camera, artificial intelligence, analytics and cloud management solutions to create exponential value.  Below are a few links detailing how IntelliSite has provided Smart City applications that are focused on protecting and serving the public.

License Plate Recognition (LPR) Technology:  A case study focused on securing a municipality’s roadways

Surveillance and active engagement:  A case study focused on securing a municipality’s parks and recreation areas

IntelliSite works with each of the three government bodies outlined above to ensure that the applications are efficiently addressing the issues and positively impacting communities.  Each of the identified groups including law enforcement, city managers and city councils play a critical role in recognizing the need, identifying the technology and implementing it across all departments. 

IntelliSite’s efforts across hundreds of deployed applications has created “champions” of the technology and spokesman for voicing the value that Smart City applications provide to positively resolving issues.