Image Gallery: IBM Empowers Smarter Cities
To ease the strain population growth places infrastructures and governments, IBM is combining business analytics with cloud computing and smart grid technologies to help urban systems operate more efficiently.
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IBM estimates 70% of the world's population will live in cities by 2050-a development that could put unprecedented strain on urban infrastructures and government agencies. To help reduce the impact of urbanization, IBM is partnering with local authorities around the world to combine business analytics with cloud computing and smart grid technologies with an eye to helping urban systems run more efficiently.
IBM Chairman and CEO Sam Palmisano meets with Ma Xiuhong, Vice Minister of Commerce, People's Republic of China at IBM's Smarter Cities forum in Shanghai, China, June 2, 2010. Xiuhong shared insights on technology's role in China's remarkable transformation over the past two decades.
IBM Chairman and CEO Sam Palmisano addressed 900 leaders - including mayors, CEOs, and urban experts - representing 180 cities in 38 countries across the world, at the Smarter Cities forum in Shanghai. Big Blue's CEO said support is building for urban transformation that could make cities economic engines of sustainable economic growth in the 21st century.
IBM Chairman and CEO Sam Palmisano meets with Chinese government and industry leaders at the Smarter Cities forum in Shanghai. With a special focus on Asia and the world's growth markets, IBM continues talks started in Berlin and New York last year to examine real-world approaches to how cities can tackle serious urban issues and improve quality of life.
IBM's Smarter Cities efforts aren't limited to developing economies. IBM Chairman and CEO Sam Palmisano in May talked with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood about creating advanced transportation systems for the new century at the Intelligent Transportation Society of America annual meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.
At IBM's Industry Solution Lab in Hawthorne, N.Y., research scientist Johnathan Reason collects data from wireless sensors on a model train to simulate how they would function on an actual fleet of rail cars. Real-time data from sensors can be analyzed to predict and prevent malfunctions before they occur, according to IBM. The aim is to avoid costly repairs and delays associated with equipment failures. IBM has developed "smarter rail" technology for 100 metro and rail clients worldwide.
IBM is working to create smarter roadways for cities around the world using streaming analytics. The approach may seem complex, but it's really just a way for people to make sense of all the data in the world in real-time. In the case of traffic congestion, this means improved commuting and travel options and better traffic management.
Traffic jams aren't just time sinks-they're big time polluters. Insight from IBM analytics could help transportation agencies better understand and manage congestion, increasing safety on roads and encouraging the use of efficient public transportation. The goal is to reduce a commuter's overall carbon output.
IBM is bringing its Smarter Cities initiative, a part of its strategic Smarter Planet campaign, to locations in North America, Asia, and Europe. In this photo, IBM Chairman and CEO Sam Palmisano opens the Smarter Cities Berlin conference in June, 2009.
IBM researchers studied the daily auto commute - including start-stop traffic, road rage, the effect on job performance and other factors - and compiled an Index that shows the relative "commuting pain" from city to city across the U.S. Not surprisingly, L.A. features the most painful commute.
2007 marked the first time in history that the majority of the world's population lived in cities, when the planet's headcount of urban dwellers surpassed 3.3 billion. By 2050, city dwellers are expected to make up 70 percent of the Earth's total population - 6.4 billion. The growth means local authorities will need to work even more closely with private industry to develop smart solutions that can manage demands on urban infrastructure and resources.
2007 marked the first time in history that the majority of the world's population lived in cities, when the planet's headcount of urban dwellers surpassed 3.3 billion. By 2050, city dwellers are expected to make up 70 percent of the Earth's total population - 6.4 billion. The growth means local authorities will need to work even more closely with private industry to develop smart solutions that can manage demands on urban infrastructure and resources.
IBM estimates 70% of the world's population will live in cities by 2050-a development that could put unprecedented strain on urban infrastructures and government agencies. To help reduce the impact of urbanization, IBM is partnering with local authorities around the world to combine business analytics with cloud computing and smart grid technologies with an eye to helping urban systems run more efficiently.
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