Denver Wants to Become a “Smart City”

“Smart” Denver

First was the emergence of smartphones. Now there’s the emergence of smart cars. And peeking from the horizon is the emergence of smart cities.

Denver, Colorado seems to be making the first baby steps towards that transition. The city is turning to smart city technologies to increase efficiency and give residents better access to energy efficiency, water conservation, public safety, and health care services.

The Mile-High City is partnering with Japanese electronics giant Panasonicand a number of other private-sector partners to put into motion a number of smart city initiatives that takes advantage Panasonic’s CityNOW approach to integrating smart city technology.

 

Denver and Panasonic’s CityNOW

Panasonic’s CityNOW approach is based on its experience building a sustainable smart city in Fujisawa, Japan. The city is built on the site of an old factory, and is now a thriving community with renewable energy systems that can provide off-grid power for up to 3 days. Panasonic plans to bring several more similar solutions to the 400-acre development project near Peña Station, as well as to Denver International Airport.

The plans include taking advantage of smart technologies to provide the community with real-time information on city services such as mass transit and available utilities. Also included is the deployment street lighting and energy systems capable of sensing people and responding with necessary services.

At the city’s Peña Station NEXT Health and Wellness Center, meanwhile, Panasonic's On4Care Remote Health Care solution will give patients with chronic illnesses access to in-home biometric readings and advanced, real-time, patient-doctor interactions.

One of the undertakings include a system of solar cell-powered smart LED streetlights at the Denver airport. These lights will be designed to brighten when there’s foot traffic and dim when there’s no activity as a means of conserving energy. Anotheris the deployment of HD security cameras for commuter safety, allowing the city to test new street video analytics technology that can later carry into parking management, traffic analysis and security, according to Panasonic