Greetings and Happy New Year!

The Smart+Connected Communities Institute would like to introduce the new community manager, Rachel Medanic.  Rachel will be your contact for the online community, content, engagement activities and more!

A little about Rachel...

Rachel has spent 15+ years working in technology companies and non-profit organizations. Most recently, she was a Community Manager for the Cisco Learning Network. She has held a variety of marketing and customer advocacy roles and enjoys fostering the collaborative experience made possible by technology.

I will start a new position as the community manager for the Cisco Systems Collaboration community on January 9.  I am excited about this new opportunity and know that Rachel will continue to do good work for the S+CC Institute and its partners.

We are excited to have Rachel onboard and welcome her to the team!  I encourage you all to reach out to Rachel about your content and collaboration needs to continue the dialogue about urban sustainability and information communication technology.

Have a great 2012!

Based on community member feedback, we created a few new sections on the Smart+Connected Communities Institute. Global urban planners, city managers, developers, chief information officers, system integrators and industry thought leaders asked us for more real-world examples of how cities are becoming more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable. Here is how we are meeting your requests.

ICONIC CITIES

Where are smart cities being built? How does an ecosystem of partners work with a city?  In this section you will see live city projects.  Ask questions and view resources about the project. In the next month, we will add 3 more cities in this section.

Smart18York:  18 York Street embodies what is possible with SCRE: fully integrated and  intelligent buildings.

Rampart's Avenir:  It is the first in the world to utilize cutting-edge advanced  technologies in a full scale application that demonstrates the use of  clean technology in a residential, commercial and retail context.

RESOURCES

Check out the new Resource section where we compiled a list of case studies, white papers, videos, smart city industry presentations, S+CC I webinars and podcasts.

I will continue to source case studies and white papers from the ecosystem of partners who come together to build smart connected communities. Please share your resources and city stories by uploading them to these spaces.  Also, feel free to contact me directly at jillkeefer@smartconnectedcommunities.org to share your information.

I am adding content here weekly, so come back and check often for the latest and greatest!

CITY/ ICT E-BOOK

Coming Soon!  Look for the Global City/Information and Communication Technology E-Book produced by the Smart+Connected Communities Institute.  This will provide 28 interviews with global city mayors, CIOs and city managers about technology implementation and sustainability.

"Thank you" to everyone who participated in the Smart+Connected  Communities Institute Member Engagement Survey.  We received some great  feedback about the content you find valuable and what additional  resources we can provide.

Highlights

• Organization of Content
• Types of Content: More case studies, city examples and white papers focused on economic, environmental and social sustainability, information and communication technology
  
• Majority of members visit the site often in a 3 month period
• This audience sees the most value with this online community in learning and getting materials/information

We Are Listening

• Content: We constructed a new section of the site called Resources. Check out the new Resource section that includes collections of white papers, case studies, presentations, videos and more. This will be a one-stop shop for you to access the content in the format of your choice.
• City Examples: We are in the process of putting together a city/ICT E-Book with many global examples of how cities are using technology to be more sustainable. Look for this release next month!  We will also host upcoming webinars with city examples.
• Live Case Studies: In addition to city examples, we plan to launch city live case studies on the site so people can see the partner network and the implementation in process.
• Participation: Please send me your case studies, white papers, presentations to add to the Resource section. Also, I am looking for bloggers. We have added some great new bloggers to the site and we would like the idea sharing and innovation to continue. Contact me to blog!

Congratulations to the three community member prize winners.  I will contact you via private message to capture your contact information where I can send your gift card.

As always, even though the survey is closed now, please send your suggestions to me.

Great news!  The Smart+Connected Communities Institute won the Stevie American Business Award for New Services of the Year.

"The following products and services, departments, teams, and  individuals have been recognized in The 2011 American Business Awards.

In  addition to peer-review judging, every new product or service nominated  in The American Business Awards was automatically included in voting  for the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products.  More  than 140,000 votes were cast by the general public from May 12 through  June 3, and the winners were honored at the ABA awards banquet in New  York on June 20.  Congratulations to the 2011 People's Choice Stevie  Awards for Favorite New Products winners.

Check out the winners. "

New Product or Service of the Year - Services
STEVIE AWARD WINNER:
Cisco, San Jose, CA: Cisco Smart+Connected Communities Institute

FINALISTS:
American Express Business Travel, New York, NY: American Express Business Travel's mobileXtend
Assurant Solutions, Atlanta, GA: Assurant Solutions e-Gift Card
HR 360, Inc., Stamford, CT: HR 360, Inc.'s Web Site
ILoveVelvet, New York, NY: ILoveVelvet’s The Velvet Suite
PetRays Veterinary Telemedicine Consultants, The Woodlands, TX: PetRays Image Vault
PHH Arval, Sparks, MD: PHH Arval's Center for Transportation Safety
Volt Consulting Group, New York, NY: Volt Consulting Group Amplify™ Methodology

As the world's supply of IPv4 addresses runs out, there is a need to transition to a new version of Internet Protocol technology: IPv6.  As an industry-wide “test drive” of this new technology, World IPv6 Day started today. Major technology organizations- AT&T, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Yahoo and more - will offer content over IPv6 for a 24-hour testing period.

Now that IP technology supports the Internet of Things, smart-phones, tablets, sensors on bridges and roadways, security cameras, IP phones and all other Internet-connected devices need an IP address.  IPv6 provides the additional addresses for this next phase of the Internet, which shifts the world from an Internet of People and Places to an Internet of Things.

As people go about their daily lives, they create data that can be captured by wireless sensor networks connected to the Internet.  This provides an interesting opportunity for smart connected cities as they use these sensors to collect real-time data on transportation, public safety and security, buildings and energy consumption, environmental policy and waste management.

Many projects are underway using sensors to collect data. Cisco's Planetary Skin provides real-time information about the planet, which allows a proactive response to climate change and natural disasters. Other possibilities include placement of sensors across infrastructure, such as bridges and tunnels, allowing city planners to monitor infrastructure usage and stay abreast of developing problems. Four companies recently came together to enable a solution showcasing how sensors can work specifically with city parking, a large challenge for urban dwellers and city managers and planners.

Smart Parking Solution Project Summary

While many firms are just starting to explore IPv4/IPv6 dual stacking, Pachube, Worldsensing, Cisco and AT& T are testing and implementing future technologies using IPv6.  The four firms collaborated on a pilot project using the IPv6 protocol to connect sensors that report the availability of parking spaces to citizens and city management officials in a major European city. Sensors from Worldsensing send the data to a Pachube platform, and AT&T provides redundant IPv6 Internet services to both companies. Cisco is providing networking equipment to enable this showcase.

Providing access to sensor information in public environments is quickly becoming the foundation for creating urban landscapes that adapt in real time to the needs of the users. The example of using sensor data for parking applications demonstrates how citizens can use this information to make better decisions in real time.

For this smart parking solution sensors were deployed into the asphalt for a car parking detection scheme based on advanced wireless sensor networking technologies. This allows the city to offer citizens ways to significantly reduce the parking search times in congested zones and during rush hour. Citizens have access to 24-7 data about available parking spaces. In addition, it provides city management with information about parking space usage.

The information from the parking sensor data in this showcase is stored in Pachube’s cloud and is accessible to end users via IPv4 or IPv6. IPv4 has proven it is capable to build today’s Internet, a network with billions of endpoints. IPv6 aims to increase the number of endpoints, and therefore, increase the value of the network by several orders of magnitude.

To see the live data feed and sensor locations, click here.

AT&T Perspective

AT&T has been involved in testing and standardizing IPv6 technology for nearly a decade. The company strongly advocates IPv6 preparation for businesses, and offers a range of enterprise IPv6 services globally, including its Virtual Private Network, Managed Internet Service, and consulting services.

AT&T believes that moving from an environment where there is a shortage of IP addresses (IPv4) to one in which addresses are plentiful (IPv6) may spur a new class of applications that people haven’t yet conceived – and the company stands ready to support customers with such applications.

Sensor-based technology is a perfect example of a technology that will benefit from the transition to IPv6. Because each sensor requires an individual IP address, thousands of IP addresses would be needed for just one large-scale deployment of sensor technology – something that would be difficult given the current shortage of IPv4 addresses. But because IPv6 technology supports a virtually unlimited number of IP addresses, and thus connected devices, there is great opportunity for large-scale deployments of sensors and other connected devices.

For the sensor technology demo with Cisco, Pachube, and Worldsensing, AT&T provided IPv6 transport services using the AT&T global IP network, as well as expertise in configuring the IPv6 end sites.

Cisco Perspective:

Cisco is providing the networking equipment to enable this event. Cisco routers connect the various locations and Cisco IOS software is delivering the intelligence to keep the data flowing without interruptions. Cisco believes that the Internet of Things enables Smart Connected Communities to use resources more efficiently and enables them to provide better services for their citizens.

For over 25 years, Cisco has been central to the development of the Internet Protocol (IP) that has helped fuel the incredible growth in global connectivity.  Cisco has supported the IPv6 protocol since the inception of the 6Bone in 1996 and has been including IPv6 capabilities in several existing products, services and solutions. Since over 70 percent of the Internet runs on Cisco technologies, Cisco intends to help customers transition to IPv6 by actively building IPv6 across its solutions.

Cisco Smart+Connected Communities uses intelligent networking capabilities to weave together people, services, community assets, and information into a single pervasive solution. As the network helps to transform physical communities into connected communities, it takes advantage of real-time information, applications and services for home, work, school, hospitals, malls, stadiums and government and spurs growth, a better quality of  life and a greener society.

Community+Exchange is a back-office operations center helping with the planning and day-to-day operations and management of a community. By providing the network as a highly secure and resilient service delivery platform, cities can share information and collaborate across a community ecosystem of government agencies and private sector partners to facilitate utilities, transportation, telecommunications, safety and security, building systems, health, and government social services.

Pachube Perspective:

Pachube is a web-based service that connects people to devices, applications and the Internet of Things. As a web-based service built to manage the world’s real-time data, Pachube gives people the power to share, collaborate and make use of information generated from the world around them.

The Pachube platform is now fully IPv6 enabled with redundant IPv6 Internet services from AT&T. In addition to being IPv6 accessible, users can also have Pachube pull data from devices with IPv6 addresses and fire triggers at IPv6 URL's (for applications built around real-time response) with no changes to how they use the system or their applications. Enthusiasts, developers, and device manufacturers can now manage and share real-time sensor data globally over the Internet's next generation protocol.

“IPv6 dovetails perfectly into our vision for an open Internet of Things, as every object and sensor can now have its own identity without being abstracted in any way," said Usman Haque, CEO of Pachube. "To realize the full potential of an open system, we're ultimately going to need direct access to data sources, and we are here seeing the first steps in that direction with IPv6 support.”

Worldsensing Perspective:

Worldsensing’s real-world smart city applications are now fully IPv6 enabled with networking equipment from Cisco and redundant IPv6 Internet services from AT&T. Sensors deliver 24/7 real-time information about the state of a city via IPv6 and feed into Pachube’s platform where it can be shared and mashed-up with other systems.

Applied to parking, one of the largest concerns in urban living, Worldsensing’s solution allows the availability and location of vacant parking spaces to be signaled to the driver via a smart phone or panels along the street. Benefits can be realized not only by drivers, but by businesses and city managers as well.

“We are proud to feature the world’s first commercial smart city machine-to-machine application over an IPv6-enabled network,” said Ignasi Vilajosana, CEO of Worldsensing. “IPv6 for us is not only about reachability and scalability, but is also about peace of mind, since IP-enabled networks have been successfully engineered and deployed for decades now. This is an advantage for us over proprietary solutions.”

IPv6 is Worldsensing's lifeline as its business is built around a huge amount of sensors in the field providing real-time readings of critical data to data centres around the globe. IP is the only viable facilitator for these needs as it has long been the unique networking "language" unanimously spoken by all connected machines, and sensors - with the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) - are no exception to this.  For Worldsensing, it is hence of great importance and pride to showcase a working IPv6 end-to-end networking solution, providing real-time parking availability information via IPv6-enabled sensors, core networking technologies of ATT and Cisco, and service platform of Pachube. Implementing IPv6 onto low power embedded sensor nodes has been challenging, mainly because the IPv6 header is already larger than the typical packet transmitted over such networks; however, latest Cisco-driven developments in the IETF, such as 6LoWPAN and ROLL, have allowed Worldsensing to enable the world's first standards-compliant IPv6 commercial parking deployment. IPv6 however means more to Worldsensing than just the basic networking capabilities: it is a great asset in guaranteeing global reachability, true scalability, reliable security and, since IP-enabled networks have been successfully engineered and deployed for decades now, the same engineering skills maintaining and troubleshooting these type of emerging networks. This is an enormous advantage over proprietary solutions!

About Worldsensing

Concentrating on major  markets with increasing needs to enhance their efficiency, such as construction, oil/gas and cities, Worldsensing provides 24/7 real-time information of critical points monitored by sensors in the field and connected to the Internet using robust, scalable and secure wireless connectivity. Worldsensing serves some of the largest companies in the world and has won IBM’s London SmartCamp competition in 2010 and Stockholm’s Global Labs Living award in 2011. Recently, Worldsensing was featured in Pike's prestigious market research study as one of the 17 globally leading companies in the smart city eco system.

Great news!  The Smart+Connected Communities Institute has been named a finalist in the Stevie American Business Awards as a New Product or Service of the Year.

We need your vote!

Please take a moment to vote for the Smart+Connected Communities Institute, as it has entered a social voting round, by visiting:
http://peopleschoice.stevieawards.com/
and entering the Short Code: C386Q or by navigating to favorite new service > Cisco Smart+Connected Communities Institute.

Voting only takes a minute, so please spread the news far and wide!

Thank you,

Jill Hundley Keefer

Online Community Manager

Earth Day is over but don't stop the green dialogue. Create a green group!  The Smart+Connected Communities Institute launched group technology for our community members to create a green/sustainability social website for free right here.

The benefit of creating a smart growth group here through the Smart+Connected Communities Institute is you are already connected with hundreds of global practitioners, citizens, subject matter experts and thought leaders.

So a little about groups...you can call them groups, a collaboration space, a workspace or you can call them a social website. It really depends upon your purpose and needs. The group technology on our platform includes all the collaborative tools- blogs, wikis, document and video libraries and discussion forums. It includes templates for you to to design your website as needed by your group.

To launch a group, click here to read instructions.  The process is very simple. You complete a form with 4 questions, and we set up your group for you.

Group Ideas

Groups can be used by your organization, citizens, teams, etc. for a private or public collaboration and meeting space.

Ivana Gazibara, Senior Strategic Advisor at Forum for the Future – a UK’s sustainable development NGO. Her work at Forum focuses on using futures thinking to foster dialogue around sustainable development, create strategic imperatives for change and implement innovative solutions to sustainability challenges. She leads Megacities on the Move - a multi-stakeholder scenario planning initiative which promotes and supports sustainable mobility solutions for the future.

Gazibara will present “Megacities on the Move: The future of personal mobility in cities” to our Smart+Connected Communities Institute online community at 11:30 a.m. EST Tuesday, April 5.

The presentation will highlight the background of this work (i.e. why they decided to do it, how they did it, etc.).  She will share the scenarios and the key findings and overarching messages about future-proofing urban mobility, as well as existing innovations.

Don't Miss It!

WebEx Details:

Topic: Smart+Connected Community Institute- Megacities on the Move

Date and Time:
April 5, 2011 11:30 am, Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00)
April 5, 2011 8:30 am, Pacific Daylight Time (San Francisco, GMT-07:00)
April 5, 2011 12:30 pm, S. America Eastern Standard Time (Brasilia, GMT-03:00)
April 5, 2011 4:30 pm, Western European Summer Time (London, GMT+01:00)

Event number: 609 041 468
Event password: smart

Event address for attendees: https://cisco.webex.com/cisco/onstage/g.php?d=609041468&t=a

Audio Details:

Follow the prompts to enter the Meeting Number (listed above) or Access Code followed by the # sign.

San Jose, CA: +1.408.525.6800

RTP: +1.919.392.3330
US/Canada: +1.866.432.9903

United Kingdom: +44.20.8824.0117
Germany: +49.619.6773.9002