More humans live in cities now than live outside them, for the first time ever. In fact, we’re still moving to urban areas in ever-increasing numbers, which is great for collaboration and idea sharing but bad for our aging infrastructure and power grids.
SAP has set itself the goal of fixing these problems around the world by addressing the complex challenges in fixing the way cities manage infrastructure, visitor experiences and citizen quality of life with IoT solutions.
This year, the company has launched the Urban Matters program all over the world and already deployed tailored solutions like the CitizenInsight to give citizens a way to engage with city governments easily and conveniently. For The Société de Transport de Montréal , the company created a loyalty program designed to reward customers for using the public transportation system. It uses transactional data and a network of partners to personalize commuters’ daily journeys with tailored opportunities for culture, sports, entertainment, and shopping.
In Buenos Aires, SAP stepped up to help solve the annual problem of flooding from its annual torrential rains. Clogged storm drains can slow down city traffic, cause property damage, and even result in lost lives. The city is now using SAP mobile technology and sensor data to ensure streets and drains are clear, and deploy repair crews when needed to help the city mitigate risks caused by heavy rains.
Watch the video case study here.
“[Smart City improvements] aren’t always sexy, but it’s important because if government is able to use its money wisely, the funds can be freed up for more mission-critical applications,” said Marlyn Zelkowitz, Director, Public Sector Industry, SAP. “I call it the ‘B-Leading Edge’ and these early examples will inform how [smart] things become more utilized.”
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SAP presented the local governments, partners and startups using its solutions to manage population growth, disasters, citizen services and daily community stresses at the Smart Cities Expo and World Congress, being held November 17–19 in Barcelona.
“As individuals, we know that change and stress are sometimes unavoidable; what counts is how you surmount them and move on, and the same holds true for communities,” said Sean O'Brien, Global Vice President, Future Cities & Public Security, SAP. “Cities are increasingly investing in technology to promote their overall health and resilience, much as we do when tending to our physical fitness.”
Many of SAP’s software developer partners use the SAP HANA platform , announced this year at SAPPHIRE NOW, to use IoT connectivity solutions for building a Smart, resilient communities. The company listed some examples of their partners’ work.
Atomiton abstracts, models, indexes and makes city infrastructure searchable, allowing city managers to use sensors and app developers to innovate using this newly available data.
Capriza simplifies urban management tasks and functions into workflows that enable employees to be productive, keep city officials up to date and keep citizens connected.
Incelligent helps avoid the need for separate networks for IoT data streams and other business or consumer traffic, making data-intensive visions for cities a reality. It also harnesses Big Data to transform networks into cognitive systems that self-optimize for effective urban service delivery when demand peaks, such as during conferences, parades and sporting events.
OSIsoft enables real-time operational intelligence across a city's operations by integrating with the SAP HANA platform to provide insights through integration and advanced analysis of industrial operations and business data.
Smart Cities are becoming less of a cool vision of the future and more of a necessity. SAP isn’t the only player, but it’s making a real play for leadership.
Keep looking forward, folks.
Edited by
Kyle Piscioniere
