AT&T reveals smart city achievements

smart city projectAmerican telecom giant AT&T has recently revealed its achievements in smart city projects in the U.S.

AT&T will be testing smart city framework, which was announced a year ago, in several cities and universities including Atlanta, Chapel Hill (NC), Chicago, Dallas, Georgia Institute of Technology, Miami-Dade County and Montgomery County (MD) and Portland, Oregon.

Technology companies such as CIVIQ Smartscapes, HydroPoint, MetroTech and Streetline are part of AT&T’s smart city alliance.

“More than half of the world’s population lives in an urban area. As an Internet of Things (IoT) and smart cities leader, we see the impact technology has on helping cities address the issues facing their communities and their citizens,” said Mike Zeto, general manager and executive director, AT&T Smart Cities.

AT&T will be focusing on offering water solutions that help cities utilize IoT technologies to address their concerns. AT&T said its smart irrigation solutions utilize weather data analytics to assist irrigate landscapes more efficiently, resulting in cost savings.

AT&T said it offers technology that uses acoustical IoT sensors on its cellular network to pinpoint the location of leaks in pipes. AT&T is also working on solutions that will help cities address water quality issues.

AT&T is currently deploying solutions in three of its spotlight cities: Miami-Dade County, Atlanta and Chicago.

Miami-Dade County is the first to launch AT&T’s Smart Cities Operation Center that gives visibility of their communities’ conditions from one location and in near-real time to municipality leadership.

AT&T is working to apply solutions that address intelligent lighting and smart transportation. AT&T has tied up with Hitachi to deploy public safety solutions in its communities.

AT&T is making progress on the City of Atlanta’s smart cities roadmap. A major focus is on the city’s North Avenue corridor project. Atlanta is using North Avenue corridor as a test bed for numerous technologies.

AT&T has partnered with GE and Georgia Power to bring intelligent LED lighting solutions to the city that will help improve public safety conditions and create efficiencies, including maintenance costs.

AT&T’s latest pilots are designed to keep Chicago residents and tourists productive, engaged and informed.

Smart digital transportation boards in Chicago O’Hare International airport will help travelers with their ground transportation planning. AT&T network will source real-time information and will assist travelers to determine their best mode of transportation. Boards located near airport baggage claim will show the fastest and lowest-cost routes into the city.

Select bus shelters in several Chicago communities will have free Wi-Fi, intelligent lighting and digital displays to inform commuters of the next bus arrival.

Interactive touch-screen information kiosks in Chicago will help visitors find local points of interest, and directions to get there. The kiosks will also feature USB charging ports and offer free public Wi-Fi services.

Meanwhile, Emerson has tapped AT&T’s Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to advance its Grind2Energy food waste recycling system and provide near real-time environmental sustainability information, performance data reporting and data analytics to its customers.

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