The city of San Diego, California has begun a $30 million project to install an additional 3,200 “intelligent nodes” to the city’s street lighting infrastructure that will collect real-time anonymous sensor data, with plans for 3,000 more sensor points later this year. The data will be used in a number of ways, such as finding available parking spaces, aiding first responders, tracking carbon emissions, identifying intersections that can be improved for pedestrians and cyclists, and detecting the sound of gunfire and alerting police.
Speaking of the technology Shotspotter, Austin Ashe, general manager of Current, powered by GE’s Intelligent Cities program said “Before they even arrive, first responders know immediately where shots were fired and triangulate where the shooter is, how many shooters there are, which direction they’re shooting in. This is highly valuable information to help cities manage and mitigate crime.”
The City has partnered with GE using Predix, GE’s operating system for the Industrial Internet, to process the data collected by the sensors to and turn it into smart city services. AT&T is the wireless data carrier for the project, and Intel silicon and IoT technology is used to help extract the metadata.
San Diego Chief Deputy Officer David Graham stated, “Repurposing San Diego’s lighting infrastructure in a way that allows the community to put their hands on the heartbeat and nervous system of the city is our way of building a smart city app store. We completed a pilot of the solution in August 2016, which showed us a glimpse of the technology’s potential, and we’re proud to announce San Diego’s commitment as the largest digital installation of its kind anywhere in the world.”
