https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/new-york-city-internet-master-plan-digital-divide/570096/

UPDATE, July 10, 2020: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an acceleration of the city’s Internet Master Plan to provide high-speed internet access across all five boroughs, prioritizing public housing communities.

The city will invest $157 million to connect 600,000 New Yorkers over the next 18 months, with $87 million of that redirected from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) budget. Officials said they will prioritize 200,000 residents of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) for high-speed internet rollout, as they have suffered disproportionately from the effects of COVID-19.

“Broadband service has quickly become as necessary to modern life as electricity and running water,” said NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray in a statement. “Having it or not having it can be a matter of life and death, particularly for communities of color, which may be cut off from critical health alerts and other information during the COVID-19 crisis.”

Dive Brief:

• In an effort to close the city’s digital divide, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has released a plan to partner with private companies to bring affordable, high-speed internet service to the city’s five boroughs.
• The city’s Internet Master Plan will begin with a “Universal Solicitation for Broadband” (USB) for private companies to detail how they will use city assets to bring broadband access to underserved neighborhoods. From there, the city plans to work with service providers to use existing infrastructure like rooftops and light poles and build new connective infrastructure.
• According to city data, 40% of residents lack either mobile or home broadband service, and 18% lack both. Many neighborhoods outside of lower Manhattan lack the infrastructure for broadband service, especially in areas of Brooklyn and Queens where there are fewer accessible conduit or utility poles.

Dive Insight:

Addressing the digital divide and increasing broadband access has become a national priority, with a particular focus on closing the urban-rural divide. However, the statistics from New York are a reminder that cities face their own divides, with many poor neighborhoods lacking affordable options for internet access. In response, some have looked to encourage municipally-run broadband internet, with success in Chattanooga, TN and others looking to replicate their efforts.

New York’s plan notes that this is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity,” with some existing contracts expiring or reaching milestones, and new wireless technologies like 5G coming online. New York has been an early launch site for 5G and hosts a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) “innovation zone” project on mobile technology. The city is entering “the most pivotal period for its communications infrastructure since the dawn of the internet,” making it the right time to push access to new areas, according to the plan.

A key part of the plan is making city assets available for the first time and allowing multiple providers to share those assets for a variety of technology. The city will make investments and partner with private companies to support the build out. The planned infrastructure, if built throughout the entire city, would cost an estimated $2.1 billion, although the initial focus will be on unconnected neighborhoods.

However, infrastructure is only the first part, said Francella Ochillo​, executive director of the group Next Century Cities, which advocates for expanded broadband access. Making the plan work will require community outreach, work with private companies to offer low-cost options and constant check-ins, something other cities have discovered as they expand broadband.

“This plan assures the public that the city is working on it and is making it a priority,” Ochillo, whose group was not involved in drafting the plan, told Smart Cities Dive. “The next step might be about affordable plans, making sure there’s regular adoption. Then it’s about the people we may have missed. We would be missing something if we thought this was anything near the end of the process.”

Delhi NCT – Fighting Against The Worst of The Emissions In The World

Delhi NCT – Fighting Against The Worst of The Emissions In The World

By

smartcity

 –

April 11, 2019



According to a report published by C40 global network, 70% of the megacities in the world including Delhi NCT that is committed to fighting climate change are already affected by climate change. 

Currently, the global commitment is to limit the rising temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius which requires ‘rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes’ in every urban sector, as stated by the global warming report by the IPCC. A situation where the temperatures increase by 2 degrees Celsius will be regarded as deadly and catastrophic, first hitting the millions of the underprivileged people.

The report predicts that India and other densely populated countries that significantly depend on agriculture and fishery will be highly affected due to the high frequency of droughts and floods, sea level rise, and heatwaves.

At present, India’s National Capital Territory of Delhi or Delhi NCT is experiencing severe climate change impact with air pollution being the worst scenario in the city. The city with a population of about 19.8 million is expected to be the most populated city in the world by 2028.

Hence, at this point in time, Delhi NCT is in the position to gain full speed against climate change while taking care of the living standards of the millions of citizens. 

It is rather pivotal to see how the densely populated mega urban centre – which is also the most polluted city in India – deals with the climate change phenomenon. The challenges are in fact an opportunity to demonstrate how a city can transform into a smart city!

Showing Efforts Since 2001

In 2009, Delhi NCT began laying out an action plan to fight climate change. However, the action plan was submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest in January 2019, after a span of eight years. According to sources, the delay in submission was due to lack of coordination among the city agencies. 

But recently, India’s Minister Harsh Vardhan stated that India did not wait for any report to understand the threat and showed all efforts in combating climate change.  (my comment – sounds like they were threatened with weather attacks).

To talk about Delhi NCT, the city has one of the world’s most successful smart initiatives to discontinue the use of diesel. Launched in 2001, the initiative focused on switching the diesel-powered public transport system in Delhi to natural gas at the direction of the Supreme Court of India. The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) was also promoting the use of ultra-low-sulphur diesel as an alternative. The initiative was led by the DTC buses which soon became the world’s largest CNG fleet operator. That said, the contribution also came from private buses, taxis and autorickshaws.

Imran Hussain, Delhi’s Environment Minister stated that the recently submitted action plan extended on how the climate over Delhi NCT could change over the next three decades. With that, it also has fixed targets for multiple departments on the goals that need to be achieved by 2030.

Furthermore, the action plan focuses on six vulnerable sectors with energy, transport and urban development predicted to be affected the most. As per sources, Delhi NCT is required to concentrate particularly on water conservation, drainage and energy.

Waste-to-energy Plant Working To Achieve The 2030 Goal

According to estimates, Delhi NCT will be generating about 15, 750 tons waste per day in 2021. This is going to impact the city’s waste-to-landfill disposition system further leading to air pollution and diseases. In fact, 60% of the city’s population is already suffering from respiratory illness due to dumpsites.

Hence, to address these issues, Delhi NCT is working towards transforming the waste management system. The initiative started with the development of Ghazipur Waste-to-energy Plant. The aim is to turn the so-called waste to energy, mitigate GHG emissions and clean the city that will eventually reduce illnesses and promote better living standards.

The Ghazipur Waste to Energy Plant is India’s state-of-the-art facility that was established in Delhi in 2011 with phase one completed in 2014. The plant is helping in creating energy out of the so-called waste and contributing to the nation’s vision to achieve 40% fossil fuel-free energy by 2030. 

The facility processes more than 2,000 tons of waste every day.As a result, it generates 12 MW power and 127 tons of fuel which can be used in cement and power plants – as an alternative source. WHAT ? ? ?

The plant has hugely invested in air pollution control devices to stay in line with the European Industrial Emissions Directive. In addition, it has also deployed world-class technology from Siemens, Schneider, Keppel Segher of Belgium, SPIG, and BMH Finland among others.  

As per estimates, the dumping of municipal solid waste at the Ghazipur dumpsite will reduce by 90% within 25 years. Apart from converting waste into energy the plant also works towards the betterment of the community. It supports a community centre that in turn provides support to over 200 local women who used to earn a living by picking waste with direct employment, artisan training and micro-enterprise support. PFA

The Ghazipur facility is not just contributing in reducing surface runoff but also reducing the instances of diseases such as dengue, malaria, and other eyes, skin, gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses which are caused due to open dumping.

This waste management infrastructure is exploiting the double benefit by reducing waste and producing energy. At the same time, it is also supporting the local communities. This is a successful project that will be emulated with similar plants in Delhi and other Indian cities.

Converting Waste Into Compost And Fuel

To further speed up the reduction rates of CO2 emissions and move towards a better environment, Delhi NCT is converting municipal waste into compost and fuel.

The municipality of Delhi NCT partnered with IL&FS, Indian infrastructure development and finance company to open a plant that can process waste to produce compost and resource-driven fuel. The fuel is produced by shredding and dehydrating solid waste. As of 2015, the plant managed 200 tons of waste each day.

The city has collaborated with the Indian company Mother Dairy to supply the compost to farmers. Whereas the resource-driven fuel is supplied to cement manufacturing plants, aiding in reducing the need to burn coal.

250,000 tons of waste processed at the plant each time reduces GHG emissions that are equivalent to eliminating 1 million cars from the streets of Delhi for 10 days.  

Other Notable Smart Initiatives Against Climate Change

Apart from the initiatives mentioned, Delhi NCT has introduced multiple ones at the local level. These smart initiatives definitely inspire other smart cities.

• In 2017, National Green Tribunal of India directed the ban of plastic bags that are less than 50 microns in Delhi NCT. Individuals who fail to comply were to pay some of Rs 5000 (approximately 73 USD) as environmental compensation. Moreover, the city encouraged citizens to use bags made out of jute, cloth and paper.
• From 2016 to 2017, Delhi NCT ran odd and even scheme for private vehicles in the wake of increasing smog. Private vehicles were allowed on the road depending on their license plate number.
• To discourage the use of private cars, the city increased the parking fees by 3-4 times.
• Public transport is being encouraged by introduced better-equipped buses and Metro system.
• The city allows construction activities only in covered and barricaded areas.
• Recently, Delhi NCT banned the sale and bursting of conventional fireworks to reduce pollution. Green fireworks are allowed to be used between 8-10 PM.

There are many more smart initiatives that are introduced depending on air pollution levels in the city. Delhi NCT is one of the megacities in the world. Its efforts are surely going to influence other would-be smart cities in India and the world.

How Smart Homes Can Connect To Smart Cities

How Smart Homes Can Connect To Smart Cities

By

smartcity

 –

September 8, 2017

As we have already explored the practicability of home automation, it’s time we discuss about where exactly a smart home lies in the connected world of a smart city. The existence of smart home is not limited to the convenience and efficiency levels. Rather, it stands to grease the wheels of a smart city in the near future.

Substantially speaking, the connection between smart home and smart city involves multitudinous applications in diverse sectors. But there is one name that defines this connection unanimously and that’s ‘big data’. What’s so ‘big’ about the ‘big data’? Let’s move on to know more about it.

Smart Home For Elderly And Disabled

Before we move on to big data, it’s important to pay heed to significance of smart home in lives of elderly and disabled. Because there is a strong connection between big data and smart home for elderly and disabled.

Home automation for older adults and physically or mentally challenged people is referred as ‘assistive domotics’. Assistive domotics resembles the same technology and devices employed in home automation for security, energy conservation and entertainment. The difference is that it is tailor-made to fit the needs, safety and security of the elderly and disabled with intricacy and detailed apprehension.

There are two types of assistive home automation systems: Embedded Health Systems and Private Health Networks.

Embedded Health Systems – Microprocessors and sensors are incorporated into furniture, home appliances, and clothing which help in collecting data that is further used to analyse diagnostic diseases and identify health risks.

Private Health Networks – Wireless technology is actuated with all the connected devices to gather important data and store it in domestic health database.

Additionally, the smart home(with both systems mentioned above) for aged and people with disabilities are implemented with emergency help system, accident prevention, security systems and automated timers and alarms. All this together provides a sense of independence, confidence, and comfort to elderly and disabled. They can move around the house without anybody’s support anytime they want. They don’t have to unwillingly shift to a healthcare facility which may be expensive and not as good as home facilities. Moreover, the loved ones can take care of them 24/7 by being in contact with the household automation through their smartphones.

Due to the rising demand in assistive domotics, the industry and creators of home automation are showing considerable interest in developing a better home technology.

The Big Data

Since the genesis of intelligent technology and wireless networking, the significance of data has changed completely. Every device which operates digitally gathers data in large amount. This data is captured and amassed in the main database of a software.For example, the composite health organisations have to gather data coming from different sources on one single platform. This platform would serve them with easily accessible data whenever required. The challenge lies in picking out sensible data and transforming it into executable information which is today known as the ‘big data’.

Big data are massive data sets beyond the size of conventional database software which is used to store, handle and analyse data. The use and reference of big data depends on the sector where it is used. The big data can store information ranging from few terabytes to thousands of petabytes.

Big Data For Smart Homes

As we know that smart home is a set up of connected devices, it is understandable that these devices would gather data involving every minute detail of the house as well as the people living in. The absorption and analytics of this particular data will keep advancing as the smart home devices become more and more sophisticated. Like, the Google’s nest thermostat keeps an eye on you wherever you move in the house at what time and permanently memorises it.The future robot vacuums will know about the dimensions of the house including the flooring in every room. There are plenty of other devices arriving in future which will have the detail about every task you perform at home. All these details will accumulate together and be called big data of smart homes.

How The Smart Home Data Will Connect To Smart Cities

It is self-explanatory that a city becomes smarter when the number of smart homes increase.

At present, the use of smart home data is implemented in customer engagement by different industries. How each industry focuses on the home data solutions is given below:

The Energy Industry – This comes amongst those important sectors where big data solutions can prove to be profitable. The utilities use the smart home data to provide refined information on energy consumption and means by which they can cut down on electricity and the energy bills. This is not just important for a smart home but also for a smart city. As the city keeps gathering more information on energy consumption patterns of the smart home dwellers it is on the road to making new policies and initiatives which can conserve our natural environment, resources and provide better solutions for efficient living.

Digital Hardware Industry – The vendors of smart hardware products are showing interest in home data analytics market by providing free of cost data analytics by their devices. The best example is the Nest company offering an app to the customers(along with device) which give solutions to curb energy usage and change energy using patterns for better living. Likewise, many such devices can aid in supporting a better lifestyle in smart cities.

Health Industry –

Keeping smart home for elderly and disabled(mentioned above) in mind, the data stored at home can be used by healthcare centres to analyse any risks related to health by following the datasets of an individual. Digital health recording and real time alerts can be of great use in emergencies and other major health problems. For instance, when the hospitals have the access to a person’s data, it can send medical assistance within minutes of analysing threatening high blood pressure level in that person. With this, thousands or may be millions of lives could be saved. Conjointly, the datasets available to hospitals can keep a track on how many patients are going to visit the hospital in a given time. This gives the faculty prior arrangement facility for any kind of treatment required. Using big data for healthcare is gaining grounds in the USA while Europe is still in the midway to successfully implement the smart data analytics solutions. One more beneficial aspect is that healthcare industry can favourably become cost effective. With all points considered, the ratio of healthy population will lead to increase in healthy smart cities which is indeed first step towards progress.

Are There Any Risks Related To Big data In Smart Home?

It cannot be ignored that if the data set stored in a smart home is hacked or misused by someone it can lead to detrimental effects. The security breaches of smart home data can make the system vulnerable. For the reason, Europe has strict laws that protect consumer data. But this again prevents the utility industries from adding value services through data analytics.

Privacy and security both matters. Therefore, to fend-off possible risks related to smart home data, it is crucial for the consumers to be aware of how their data is being monitored and used. To secure your smart home use strong passwords that cannot be cracked. Reduce the exchange of sensitive information and pay attention to privacy policies.

Advantages and disadvantages in new ideas and innovations are just like two sides of a coin. But if the coin is spent carefully and wisely you’ll never have to face the disadvantages. The same thing holds good when big data is deployed to bridge the gap between smart homes and smart cities.

Why Smart Cities Services Need Federated Access

Posted by Oscar Santolalla on January 17, 2018 | No Comments

Clean sidewalks, safe roads, green parks, pure air. That is the dream of a city in which their inhabitants enjoy walking, jogging, commuting, sightseeing, meeting people at the boulevard. But, what happens when the cities grow at a such unstoppable speed that the dream turns into a nightmare? Why smart cities services need federated access?

Not surprisingly, the tech industry already rolled up their sleeves and today is offering a range of impressive apps, services and devices that seem to solve every possible problem. This is the promise of the smart cities. For instance, a cloud-based service can help control the lights of a large park and deliver both safety and energy savings. Citizens have heard of wonders like this and are starting to use smart cities’ services. Installing a few elegantly designed apps on their phones is easy. Signing up for these services sometimes is a hassle: creating a user, choosing a new password, or selecting an identity to use. And the reality is gloomier if you are the one building smart cities’ services: as an organization or company you must coexist with third party platforms, services or data in order to offer a valuable service. Let us explore now a few of these cases for real.

Electricity

Today some cities—especially in high-income countries—have the bad reputation of consuming excessive electricity and water per capita. To mitigate this, electricity distribution companies have embraced digitalisation efforts to provide online services that empower customers to drive a change. By means of a mobile app (or the traditional browser), you can monitor and control how much energy your house is consuming. But, what if you want that other residents of your household also access these systems? Easy, with a few taps you delegate rights of using these services to anybody you wish. Now this person is helping you in saving energy, money and making your city smarter and more sustainable. What none of you knows is that in the background the electricity company deployed an identity and access management platform.

Waste management

A large municipality that aims to improve waste collection has signed agreements to exchange data with two companies. The city administration teams up with two waste management companies who operate in different areas. Waste containers have embedded sensors that send relevant data to determine optimal collection time and frequency. A system integrates this data and allows operators to monitor the neighborhoods based on real-time location of collection points and trucks. The three organisations inevitably share some data among each other, but only what is strictly necessary. When their employees use an interface that shows the pickup points, behind the scenes there is a service that makes this happen. It is a federated access system, a software-based service that enables multiple independent organisations to access each others’ data based on a trust relationship. Additionally, conscious citizens could use a mobile app or a web site to report problems to the system.

Traffic monitoring systems

In big cities and during the busiest times of the day, an ambulance might spend nearly one hour to reach its destination from the time the emergency call took place. In a smart city, the emergency services can fetch real-time information from the traffic monitoring systems in order to reduce response time. As you can imagine neither health nor emergency services are the ones who install and manage monitoring devices on the streets. Another entity such as the police or the municipality has more incentives and reasons to deploy these services. What’s more, these public services can be subcontracted from a private company. Once this system becomes operational, there will be a network of organisations accessing this information and each participant needs a subset of this data. The emergency services will have access to congestion information but not to security cameras, the police will have access to those security cameras and to speed cameras too, and the municipality might have access to a data set of their own. As things start getting complex in terms of who has access to what, these organisations, both private and public, must establish a federated network.

Wi-Fi hot spots providers

Technology per se is attracting millions of people to cities worldwide. Today if you are a tourist visiting a new city, you can find “free” Wi-Fi access at airports, libraries, museums, shopping centers, hotels, and even at outdoor areas such as parks and shopping alleys. But there is still an inconvenience. When you connect to any of these sites’ networks, usually each asks you a different requirement: input a one-time customer code, share your email, share your phone number, choose your favorite social media service to log in, or sometimes surprisingly nothing. This is inconsistent, uncomfortable, and it doesn’t bring users a sense of trust. What if you could register to a single identity provider (such as an Internet or mobile provider) so when you move to the next place on your journey, you do not need to authenticate again? This smooth experience (known as “single-sign on”) would bring visitors the feeling that they are walking across a modern, smart city. As in the previous scenarios, all hot spot providers must belong to a common federation. Although the EU has removed the roaming fees, this is still a challenge for a tourist. Especially if you are travelling outside of EU, or travelling within the EU without an EU mobile subscription.

Why Smart Cities Services Need Federated Access

The smart cities revolution brings a plethora of cases like these four (electricity, waste management, traffic monitoring systems and Wi-Fi hot spots providers), which show that smart cities will not succeed without federated access. Public services will massively benefit with federated access, but this will also create fresh opportunities for both private companies and startups. Federation will help this dream come true.

 

 

https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2946&context=faculty_scholarship

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