This week’s Smart City roundup features a new event that aims to make the world’s population comfortable with the idea of smart cities, an industrial city that’s already on its way to becoming a smart urban setting, and an efficient way to illuminate the office.

NextGen Intelligent Cities Conference and Expo

There’s so much buzz about smart cities these days, but do people really know what a smart city is?  Some do not agree that connecting urban infrastructure to the Internet is wise, while others worry at the security pitfalls of a connected city, should a hacker decide to take over.

These are all real concerns for the future of metropolises around the world, and next week a conference kicks off a platform for discussing the pros and cons of smart cities. Held at the Coral Windows Stadium in Bradford in Northern England on July 15, the NextGen Intelligent Cities Conference and Expo will feature industry experts intent on educating and dispelling myths about smart cities.

There will also be a debate between between IBM Academy of Technology President Rashik Parmar, Centre for Cities researcher Nada Nohrova, urban developer program manager at Future Cities Catapult Jonathan Speed, and Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan, as to whether our society really needs smart cities.

“It is important that smart initiatives, such as smart meters and open data platforms, are integrated into cities alongside their existing economic development plans to be able to promote economic growth and secure a better quality of life for citizens,” said Nohrova, speaking ahead of the conference. “Unfortunately a lot of cities do not yet fully embrace new technologies and we believe this is partly due to a lack of consensus on what becoming a smart city truly means.”

Cisco turns industrial city into smart one

Cisco recently unveiled its plans to turn the Electronic City in Anekal taluk, Bangalore, into a smart one.  Cisco aims to make the city the first Internet of Things innovation hub in the world.

“The smart city will be built in the electronics city industrial township as a pilot project in partnership with the Electronics City Industries Association (ELCIA) to provide smart parking, smart CCTV surveillance, smart street lighting, smart water management and community messaging,” Cisco president for smart and connected communities Anil Menon told reporters.

The smart city will utilizes Cisco’s WiFi solution to make public utility offerings accessible to the community, and the first phase of the project will be rolled out in January 2015.  The project will focus on deploying digitally enabled transportation, healthcare, education, utilities and energy grid solutions in the city which employes 125,000 people.

GE Lumination BR Series LED Luminaire

Is the office looking a little drab? Lighting not as bright as you want it to be, or perhaps it’s too bright for your comfort? Update the office with the new GE Lumination BR Series LED Luminaire.  This lighting fixture offers aesthetics and functionality as it delivers balanced and even lighting, reduces glare in T-grid ceiling, and comes with a dimming feature.  And because it uses LEDs, the line of smart bulbs consumes less energy which means lower electric bill.

“Many businesses are looking for the efficiency and aesthetic benefits offered by LED lighting technology but have been on the fence about an upgrade because they’re reluctant to invest,” said Tim Miller, indoor product manager, GE Lighting.

You don’t have to worry about ruining the ceiling if you choose to install GE’s new bulbs, as the LED troffer is designed to fit in existing drop ceilings, making installation and maintenance a breeze.

photo credit: medically_irrelevant via photopin cc