Keynote Conversation: The Internet of Urban Things

This post is part of our Seizing the Urban Moment discussion series, following the fourth edition of the New Cities Summit in Jakarta in June 2015.

Many technologists talk about the Internet of Things. However, what practical benefits can it bring to citizens of global cities?

This was a question posed by Gareth Mitchell of the BBC World Service’s “Click” radio program, at the start of a panel discussion dedicated to the topic at the New Cities Summit in Jakarta.

Anil Menon of Cisco stressed the healthcare benefits of sensor technology. “If you had sensors that could tell you that you were going to have a heart attack before your body did, you could act. The first symptom of a heart attack is death in 50% of cases,” he said. Equally, cutting-edge technology can help quickly diagnose cancer, he said, and transmit that information to your doctor.

In Bogor City, Mayor Bima Arya Sugiarto said, they are using a connected traffic system to monitor and control traffic flows. Further, “it is open access, for citizens to monitor what is happening”.

Mitchell noted that limited bandwidth could prevent the Internet of Things from quickly expanding in cities. Ivan Cahya Permana of Indonesia’s Telkomsel agreed, noting that the company is lobbying the government to move television to digital so that the analogue frequencies can be reused for new communications.

Anil Menon added that one major challenge when implementing technology in cities is the lack of international standards – for example for water management or police work. “How can you create smart solutions when you don’t have common standards so that you can scale – otherwise every solution becomes a custom project for every city, and smaller cities can’t afford it”, he asserted.

Mayor Bima said that, for government, “building a very integrated platform is the most challenging part”. Most agencies are divided into silos, but the Internet of Things requires them to work in new ways.

Equally, the government needs to include people more, Bima asserted. “Last week I met a young man who invented a very interesting app, which is [an interactive] map for Bogor”, he said. “I invited them to City Hall and asked them to present their ideas. I said to them: ‘We don’t have money but I like your idea. How about this, we are going to announce your invention, we are going to expose your map, and I think you are going to benefit because you can ask people to advertise.’” The city government wants to help publicize other app developers as well.

Speakers

Anil Menon, President, Smart+Connected Communities, Deputy Chief Globalization Officer, Cisco
Ivan Cahya Permana, Vice President Technology & Systems, Telkomsel
Bima Arya Sugiarto, Mayor, City of Bogor

Moderator: Gareth Mitchell, Host, BBC Click Radio