A new sensor network and public dashboard hint at the potential of smart city technology. The next stage of smart city technology may start with finding a parking space.
Last Tuesday, Kansas City, Missouri, unveiled the latest update to its nascent Smart City Initiative, a new public data portal that lets anybody view traffic data and find open parking spots along the city?s downtown streetcar line. The simplistic graphics and capabilities of this new public dashboard certainly haven?t been lifted from some fantastical, Jetson?s-esque future. But this new open data platform signifies a step forward for municipal data collection, and blocky display aside, may offer a road map for cities looking to reap the rewards of data-informed decision-making. ?This is the first of its kind system in the country, perhaps the world,? says Bob Bennett, Kansas City?s Chief Innovation Officer, who had been a leader in the city?s effort to create a smart corridor downtown. ?It?s a platform that?s now open to the public, as well as citizen entrepreneurs.?
A 2.2-mile smart district that runs along the city?s streetcar line, this digitally enabled downtown neighborhood offers a sneak peek at how administrators across the country may begin to conceive of and construct next-generation infrastructure. Along with 25 digital kiosks that offer public web access, curated local content, and a public Wi-Fi network, a set of LED streetlights and sensors monitor human and vehicular traffic as well ...