I’m flattered. I have just been added to a Google Group Special Task Force for 6G Mobile Technology, by its founder, professor Willie Lu of Pebble Beach California. According to its web page, the group is “bringing together world-class experts and executives in redefining mobile communication technology for the next decade, in the era of […]
In search of perpetual power for IoT devices
Powering small remote IoT devices such as sensors that can’t be connected to an external power source has been one of IoT’s big challenges: you don’t want to be changing the battery on a buried parking sensor or water meter every year. Thankfully that’s not necessary. One of the main claims for all the low […]
Smart cities: what can possibly go wrong?
If the smart cities movement loses sight of its goal, it will fail. It will become another of those period-dated, quaint, seemed-a-good-idea-at-the-time, don’t-know-really-why I was-into-that, phases. Like bell-bottom trousers. (For younger readers: 50 years ago, young men decided it would be cool to dress like sailors from the waist down. You will notice: this particular […]
Can Government Be Innovative?
Smart City developments open up the possibility for government organisations to innovate. Will they take up this opportunity, and walk through the door to a new day? Or is the public sector inherently risk-averse? Developments such as IoT sensors, data analysis, artificial intelligence and open data open up the possibility for authorities to experiment, to […]
Councils strike gold – innovation in outdoor advertising
Big screens in outdoor locations are exciting – think Times Square or Piccadilly Circus. Even static displays can add pizazz to an outdoor environment if mixed with creative art projects or public service information. However, a missing ingredient means even the most modern, most digital display still lives in the Old World … and will […]
Are Australians short sighted about smart glasses?
Australian market research firm Telsyte recently published the results of its Smartphone & Wearable Devices Market Study 2018-2022. It provided data on past and predicted uptake of all the usual suspects, established and emerging: smartphones, smart watches, Apple Airpods, “a key companion to the iPhone” according to Telsyte. (It estimates more than 800,000 AirPods […]
Is this the smart city leapfrog?
Jack Ma’s ventures have caught the attention of people across the world. For me Jack Ma’s new supermarket was the ‘leapfrog moment’ that transformed retail in China — which had been playing catch-up with the West — to a world-leading, thought-leading model. Unmanned supermarkets, stock automatically machine-detected and replenished, constantly fresh produce. The items you want […]
Why open data is a top government criterion
Many local governments – most in fact — already have a phase one smart city initiative. These are producing exciting, highly visible benefits for the council, ratepayers and visitors. So why on earth should they want to start on something as foreign as an open data policy now? Most local governments have started using technology to […]
EV usage surges – bringing charging challenges
NZ power company Vector says the uptakeof electric vehicles in New Zealand is sky rocketing: it is reporting a 190 percent increase in electric vehicle (EV) charging sessions in the 12 months to June, but this might not be entirely good news, and this growth adds urgency to some pressing issues raised in two reports […]
Being Small-Minded About Smart Cities
I’ve just returned from Bangkok. At eight million inhabitants it’s one of the brasher, more chaotic places to live or visit. It’s polluted, over-trafficked, edgy and exciting. “Bangkok’s rapid growth amidst little urban planning and regulation has resulted in a haphazard cityscape and inadequate infrastructure systems” – Wikipedia. The reaction of a former colleague when […]
