Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technology has been adopted by many municipalities. The new technology will make the cities safer, healthier, greener, and more productive, according to a recent research study by ON World. ON World's research study, "WSN for Smart Cities," contains the survey results from phone interviews with 220 North American municipal IT directors, CIOs, and Chiefs of Police and Fire Departments; market size forecasts; value system charts of 39 companies that are offering municipal wireless networking equipment, WSN systems, and services; and profiles on the top municipal WSN innovators.

    Mareca Hatler, Director of Research, stated: "WSN solutions for Smart Cities are being driven by increased spending on wireless broadband infrastructure, standards such as IEEE802.15.4 and ZigBee, increasing Green regulations, and the ongoing need for improved public safety."

    Among the findings there are:

Evidence that the Wireless Smart City trend is underway includes the following:

    * A number of WSN startups such as ACME Innovations, Sensys Systems, Streetline Networks, Spark Parking, and VehicleSense are providing mesh wireless sensor network systems and services for traffic monitoring and parking management.
    * Moteiv, in partnership with UC Berkeley, Harvard, CITRIS, and the Chicago Fire Department, has developed a mobile WSN system for firefighter safety.
    * In April, the Ministry of Information and Communication of Korea announced that it had selected the Incheon Free Economic Zone as a test-bed for the introduction of a city of ubiquity, or 'u-City.' The u-City will be an advanced digital city that will showcase the benefits of a modern networked city using technologies such as RFID and WSN. South Korea plans to spend $25 billion on the u-City over the next seven years.
    * Wireless broadband adoption has picked up momentum with hundreds of cities worldwide planning or deploying wireless high speed IP based networks. These high bandwidth, low cost broadband networks give municipal workers and residents mobile access to data services such as WSN.

Utility Networks

    * Nearly half of the surveyed municipalities indicate that they are planning to adopt an advanced automated meter reading within the next 18 months.
    * Of those with AMR plans, 35 percent plan to adopt Wireless Sensor Network solutions that will enable them to implement load management, outage management, and other advanced services that are not possible with existing AMR systems.

Transportation

    * Thirty-five (35) percent of municipalities are highly interested in adopting a wireless traffic management system.
    * Forty-on (41) percent are highly interested in wireless parking management
    * Two-thirds of interviewees with >500,000 residents are highly interested in adopting wireless technologies for parking management.

Public safety

    * Nearly two thirds (62%) of municipalities indicate that public safety is the major driver for adopting new technologies such as wireless broadband or WSN.
    * With no suitable competing alternatives, personnel safety and locating is the most in-demand public safety WSN solution today.

    In cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Songo, South Korea are currently deployed commercial WSN solutions for transportation, public safety. From several recent surveys with 220 North American municipalities and public safety organizations, ON World found that cities are highly motivated to adopt WSN over the next 18-24 months for transportation, public safety, utility networks, and energy management.

For more information visit http://www.onworld.com/smartcities .