To build smart - you need to connect

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It was, in many ways, an interesting visit to Cisco’s Smart+Connected communities innovation lab today. Situated on the 30th floor in a high-rise in downtown Toronto, this is where they actually test what is possible when you start to connect things and connect people. A few things are quite clear. 1: We have enough technology to address many of the sustainability challenges in communities. 2: We are not aware of all future applications of this technology. 3: Implementation could be a lot faster if it weren’t for low awareness, a building sector stuck in silo thinking/acting and immature business models To start with the technology, the crucial factor is to get all IT systems integrated into one backbone system. PoE (Power over Ethernet) brings the possibilities of using network cables to more than just data transfer and eliminates the need of separate cables to many sensors or light systems. This means that when all installations can talk to each other, a security alarm, for example, can trigger a chain of events (e.g. lighting up rooms, locking doors, taking photos etc) that have previously been out of reach. It is also possible to operate many buildings from central controls and by that lowering operation costs. However, the user (the landlord, the tenant or the employee) is probably not seeing all possibilities with all existing building sensors (and there are more to come). This is where the Cisco innovation lab is a space for companies that want to test there sensors within a central backbone to program and analyze behavior of the system. One innovation that can have great potential for increased social sustainability is the Remote Expert Services (seen in the photo). It’s main feature is not the technology content, basically being a small room with a computer, camera, touchscreen, scanner and printer (could be your home office). The interesting thing is how it is packaged and what it is aimed to do. As an example, governments can put up these boxes at shopping malls, petrol stations or other places to interact with citizens that need to get in touch with authorities. Since it is high definition telepresence, you get a very good user experience and can be aided to solve most of the errands you need (help with renewing your drivers license, filling out forms, discussing legal matters or being advices on processes. Imagine that you could be assisted by four different authorities, located in different cities, in an hour and close to your home. instead of having to drive around. Your could also increase language expertise and allocate people more efficiently by these services. So, where are the obstacles? I think there are not so much a matter of obstacles rather than pockets of resistance. We know that silo thinking is hampering this development not only when in comes to pure implementation, but also regarding business models. If the solution addresses problems that “falls between the chairs”, so does most probably the financing parts. Who’s going to pay, and for what? As often is the case with sustainable solutions, they are profitable, but as innovative ideas they might need new business models. With these thoughts, I conclude the pre conference tour day in Toronto. Looking at the schedule for tomorrow’s sessions, I’m convinced that it is going to be a very exciting day. Let the movie-stars at the Toronto International Film Festival do the night shift, I’m off to bed to cure a lurking cold and charge the batteries for tomorrow. Stay tuned. Andreas