Chelsea Collier: Smart Cities – 5G at the Tipping Point

As so much attention in the Smart Cities realm has turned to tech solutions, apps, software and data platforms, it’s easy to forget that at the end of the day, sorting out the key smart cities issues means looking beyond tech for tech’s sake, and entering some uncharted waters at the confluence of deep technical, political, and demographic tides. These are the most complex and turbulent tech waters out there. I’ve been jumping into those waters the past 3 or so years, and learning what each camp (data, IT, AV, Telecom, FCC, political, more) offers but more importantly what each camp can learn from each other.

Smart Cities is about the use of technology, policy, data, and more to help cities become more efficient, secure, and sustainable–while improving the quality of life of its citizens and visitors. There are so many angles to it:

• IoT
• Public Displays for Wayfinding, and information
• 5G
• Privacy issues
• Urban Mobility and Mobile tech issues
• Networks & Data
• Public Safety and Smart Cities
•  Using Data Science and Fog Computing to better process what we gather
•  Streaming Analytics for Government agencies
• The role of higher education institutions
• XR: Immersive Virtual Reality, AR, and more

A common theme in Smart Cities is data: big data, aggregated data, open data, privacy issues in data, data storage– because wrangling data is the prime concern in smart cities. Not the only concern, but it’s often seen as the starting point, the DNA, of all smart cities applications. And there are many ways to slice data – and that ties into many AV, AV/IP, and telecom solution providers that have been providing solutions for the corporate environment, educational institutions, and transportation hubs. We’ll be covering many Smart City issues in these pages. To begin the 2019 offerings, I’m introducing our readers to one of the most vibrant Smart City analysts and organizers today: Chelsea Collier, of digiCity. Austin-based, she’s a tireless advocate, advisor, analyst, conference organizer, and general rain-maker for all things Smart Cities. As we kick off 2019, here’s a look at Chelsea’s recent take on the role 5G in Smart Cities. Click here to read the article.