The City of Chicago sees opportunities for innovation in sustainability. So said Aaron Joseph, deputy sustainability officer at the Mayor’s office, at the Internet of Things Chicago meetup on Tuesday night.
The event drew about 100 entrepreneurs, makers, engineers, academics and corporate innovators. The meetup group meets monthly at the 1871 tech hub to share ideas and network.
Smart stormwater management, street lighting and traffic optimization offer opportunities to use sensors and data to improve life in the city, Joseph said. He advises the Mayor on sustainability and oversees plans such as Sustainable Chicago 2015.
“Chicago is a smart, sustainable city by design,” Joseph said, pointing to the density of the urban center compared to the sprawl of suburbs and rural areas. He encouraged attendees to think about “using data and technology to enhance and better manage our infrastructure to then improve the health, life and safety … for our residents.”
Joseph envisioned a day when data collected from the upcoming Array of Things project, which he said would start rolling out in the fourth quarter of this year, would capture air quality information. He said an app using highly localized sensor data could “optimize footpaths,” by showing pedestrians which route would pass through the least air pollution. The devices, which will be mounted in public areas on lamp posts, will use a number of sensors to collect data on air pollution, foot traffic and more.
The city must use the assets it already has, even those that date back centuries, Joseph said. He pointed to the Merchandise Mart, an 86-year-old building that’s been repurposed as a hub for the city’s tech community, as an example of a resource that’s been updated for modern times.
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Attendees questioned Joseph on the security and availability of the data to come from the Array of Things.
“One of the priorities,” Joseph said, “is to make sure that that data is public and put out there so that anybody can use (it).”
Joseph referred to the data from in-progress projects such as the Array of Things as well as his ideas for sustainable innovation as a “public good” and said it should be free to everyone. He said security questions would be best answered by Brenna Berman, Commissioner and CIO of the Chicago Department of Innovation and Technology.
Data is an essential tool for creating innovation with sustainable goals in Chicago, Joseph said.
“You can’t create policy in a vacuum,” Joseph told Blue Sky after the presentation. “If you think there’s a problem, you have to be able to prove it. That’s especially true with Mayor Emanuel. He’s a data-driven guy.”
In response to an audience question, Joseph said he doesn’t yet know what utility the various sensors embedded in Array of Things devices will provide. He said the city will use the data it collects to identify and attempt to solve problems.
“It’s basically an experiment,” Joseph said.
Other cities have expressed interest in the Array of Things, Joseph said. The city is discussing plans with Seattle, San Francisco, St. Louis, Boston, Barcelona, London, Bristol, Glasgow and others, he said.