The city of San Diego, California in partnership with General Electric subsidiary Current, continues its work to become “the world’s largest smart city IoT sensor platform” by installing new digital applications to improve parking, traffic and public safety on city streets. It will also add another 1,000 CityIQ sensor nodes, plus a lighting controls utility interface, that will boost LED streetlight efficiency by an additional 20 percent.
The CityIQ nodes are used to collect and distribute data on an open platform and include a number of new apps:
- Genetec – which helps with real-time emergency response;
- Xaqt – a data and AI platform that gives real-time and historical mobility patterns for traffic, parking, and pedestrian movement;
- ShotSpotter – expanded coverage for the gunshot detection app; and
- CivicSmart – which uses data to enhance on-street parking availability.
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has completed a six-month joint software development effort with Current that allows Current’s Lightgrid* wireless control system to automatically interface and transfer streetlight energy usage to the SDG&E billing system. This real-time response is expected to give the city better insights into streetlight use and is projected to save the city $250,000 in incremental energy costs.
“Our ability to leapfrog our smart cities technology ahead in both energy savings and scale is a testament to the hard work and ongoing collaboration of many public and private stakeholders,” explained Erik Caldwell, San Diego’s interim deputy chief operating officer. “We are proud of our progress so far in building a solution that will stand the test of time and enhance our citizens’ quality of life.”
