An Australian company is perfecting a sensor that can ‘see’. It will have the functionality of a camera, but in places where there is no light source. It will have the functionality of a camera, but in places where there is no light source. It’s being developed as part of a terrifically interesting project to […]
The remarkable missing smart piece (and why is Taiwan missing in action)
Although the smart communities movement is in its very early days — my view, not shared by some of the pundits out there — there have already been several Australian expeditions to high-profile ‘smart cites’ like Amsterdam and Barcelona. Australia, however, is geographically located in Asia-Pacific, which has seen the fastest sustainable economic growth over […]
Smart or City?
English-speaking folk learning French or Italian have a challenge: where to put the accent? First or second syllable? Acute or grave? I think the smart city or smart community movement has a similar issue: is the accent on smart or is it on city? City – long-term infrastructure builds Affordable housing Evolution of the workplace […]
Bionic Eyes: Helping more than 200 people regain sight
A CBS News report, After 20 years of darkness, bionic eye helps blind man see, described how technology helped a man who had been blind regain his vision. The ‘bionic eye’ discussed in the article is not an eye, but rather a system comprised of a pair of glasses, a wearable computer and an implant in […]
2018 – Suddenly, the Year of the Smart City!
New Year often brings with it a fresh perspective and new inspirations. I resolved to get my own perspective on the year ahead for smart cities. I spent time (Christmas and New Year give you that unusual luxury – time!) reading, speaking to players, and looking into in the subject. Starting with “where, exactly, are […]
A momentous year for smart cities
2017 has been a momentous year in the smart cities and communities movement. This is especially true in several Asia-Pacific countries – notably Australia, Singapore, China and Korea. Newcastle, in NSW Australia, has made huge progress with its award of a Smart Cities & Suburbs Grant to advance the city’s public transportation system and digital […]
Digital economy leadership
Fast following is no longer an option. Coming second in the digital economy race means coming last. Australia has a longstanding pride in being able to “fast follow” innovation from around the world. Fast following often means adopting technology fast, once another market has figured out a business model for that technology. For example, Australia […]
Four powerful phases of smart cities
There are many definitions of smart Cities and there will be more to come. At the same time, most agree that a smart city (or suburb or community) is not a static, defined state but more of a journey. We certainly see a smart city that way. In fact, we see it as a series of […]
Let’s take a Walk in the Pa-ark
I’ve been doing some research on urban parks. In this case, ‘research’ means I get to walk around my local park – or any park – on a nice day, looking thoughtful, and count it as work. No, really. I’ve been looking at the learned sources – meaning Wikipedia – and really working hard. And […]
Is Age the Killer App?
All tech shifts have a killer app to lead them forward. For example, back in the age of steam, it was the spreadsheet that got the PC started. It was something called Lotus 123. There may be copies of the original in a museum somewhere. It was SMS that sprung the mobile phone from being […]
