Press release:

IBM and Vodafone Advance Smarter Home Initiative

Cloud enables control of "Internet of Things" in the home to manage heating, lighting, laundry via Vodafone's Mobile Wireless Network

Tab navigation

• News release
• Related XML feeds

• Contact(s) information

BERLIN - 31 Aug 2012: IBM (NYSE:IBM) and Vodafone today announced a collaboration to combine mobile communications and cloud computing for the remote management of ‘smart home’ appliances.

At the IFA consumer electronics event in Berlin this week, Vodafone and IBM will demonstrate the mobile management of a washing machine and other smart home devices that are connected by Vodafone’s Global M2M Platform running on IBM’s new SmartCloud Service Delivery Platform.

Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technology makes home appliances more intelligent by connecting them wirelessly to the internet. This enables them to feed useful data back to the service provider or manufacturer to achieve a better customer experience through new functionality and enhanced services.

"The smart home market is now a reality and Vodafone is committed to delivering to it,” said Marc Tastayre, Vodafone M2M Global Business Development Manager. “Security is the first important step for connecting devices to the internet and the collaboration between IBM and Vodafone is putting in place an open, efficient and scalable solution for the consumer electronics industry that will enable it to successfully progress the creation of the ‘Internet of Things’.”

IBM and Vodafone anticipate that this M2M initiative could allow consumers to use their smartphones for a variety of remote activities including viewing their home's utility consumption; controlling security, heating and lighting systems; and activating home appliances such as washing machines. Additionally the initiative will enable manufacturers and service providers to collect data from appliances that can be used to inform product development and maintenance and provide better services to consumers.

"This collaboration is a great example of how cloud computing can be used for business innovation versus solely for IT efficiency purposes,” said IBM Telecommunications Industry General Manager Scott Stainken. “Cloud will increasingly be used in new ways that will provide enhanced consumer-centric experiences -- especially when combined with mobile communications.”

The IBM SmartCloud Service Delivery Platform provides a fully integrated, scalable cloud-based platform to give manufacturers a cost-effective and scalable way to manage appliances and to rapidly introduce related new consumer services. Vodafone’s Global M2M Platform offers appliance manufacturers the ability to easily and rapidly deploy managed and secure wireless connectivity to home gateways. By combining the platforms, the two companies will also provide the consumer electronics industry with an example of a truly global, open standards-based approach for Smarter Home connectivity and solutions.

To read more about IBM’s news at IFA, visit this Smarter Planet blog post

About IBM Cloud Computing
IBM has helped thousands of clients adopt cloud models and manages millions of cloud based transactions every day. IBM assists clients in areas as diverse as banking, communications, healthcare and government to build their own clouds or securely tap into IBM cloud-based business and infrastructure services. IBM is unique in bringing together key cloud technologies, deep process knowledge, a broad portfolio of cloud solutions, and a network of global delivery centers. For more information about IBM cloud solutions, visitwww.ibm.com/smartcloud. Follow us on Twitter @cloudchat and on our blog atwww.thoughtsoncloud.com.

About Vodafone
Vodafone is one of the world's largest mobile communications companies by revenue with approximately 406 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as of 30 June 2012. Vodafone currently has equity interests in over 30 countries across five continents and more than 40 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visitwww.vodafone.com.

About Vodafone Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications
Vodafone Machine-to-Machine (M2M) connects previously isolated machines or devices wirelessly to the internet, delivering new functionality and enhanced services without the need for human intervention. Supported by over 20 years’ experience and 200 dedicated staff, Vodafone’s global M2M platform makes it easy for global businesses to centrally manage M2M deployments across multiple territories, with greater control and at a lower cost than previously possible.

Please visit: http://m2m.vodafone.com/home/

Follow us on twitter @Vodafone_M2M 

News release:

IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Team Proposes Strategy For Safer, More Efficient and Convenient Public Transport in Greater Rabat

Tab navigation

• News release
• Related XML feeds

• Contact(s) information

Rabat, Morocco - 11 Jun 2012: A team of IBM (NYSE:IBM) experts funded by an IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grant, has provided government leaders with initial recommendations for a more effective and efficient public transport system in Rabat and nearby Sale and Temara, by 2020.

The transport system of the greater metropolitan area of Rabat is facing critical issues, such as population growth from (1.77 million today to an anticipated 2.7 million in 2025) which will lead to greater traffic congestion, increased urbanization, and the disparate use of technology with disintegrated, disconnected, and often manual operations.

Rabat applied for, and won, a Smarter Cities Challenge grant from IBM, which sent some of its top employees to work and live in Rabat for three weeks.  There, they studied the area's transportation opportunities and created a plan to address three aspects of an improved urban public transport system. 

The first aspect addressed in IBM's plan involves how the efforts of multiple agencies might be coordinated, particularly with the creation of a transportation authority.  With both an integrated budget and plan, the operation and growth of public transportation can be managed more efficiently and cost effectively.

A second aspect addresses how the system might be made safer and more convenient and attractive for commuters. To do so, the transportation authority could consider publishing realistic and constantly updated arrival schedules, a common ticketing system across buses and trams, restricting auto traffic during rush hours, and certifying private bus and taxi drivers.

Since effectiveness and efficiency relate directly to the people who operate the transportation system,  the third facet focuses on how to ensure employees remain well trained, supported, focused and motivated.  In this realm, successful strategies of other transport systems would be studied and adopted; staffing levels would be monitored; and employees would be recognized and rewarded for high performance.

“With its Smarter Cities Program, IBM is enabling new approaches to urban infrastructure services, by harnessing technology to solve transportation issues," said Abdallah Rachidi, Country General Manager of IBM Morocco.  "The Cities of Rabat, Salé, and Temara will be able to predict and respond flexibly in all situations, by using data to drive intelligent responses and planning. This is a concrete example of how we can leverage technology to help improve urban mobility."

Technologies complementary to this blueprint include the use of global positioning data for tracking and mobilizing buses, and the use of video feeds and cameras to ensure passenger and staff safety.  The concepts and ideas proposed in the plan are compatible with current Government initiatives, and borrow strategies used successfully in other cities around the world.

"The IBM team's findings and recommendations will help transform these cities as part of a greater Urban Mobility Upgrade Plan, in which Rabat, the "Green City" will be a pilot and a reference for public transportation system reform", said the Mayor of Rabat, Mr Fathallah Oualalou. "In October 2013, Rabat will host the United Cities and Local Government World Congress and this will be the opportunity  for Rabat officials to present the findings and expected progress for our transportation management system."

Smarter Cites Challenge

Rabat bested 140 other cities around the world to become one of IBM’s Smarter Cities Challenge winners this year. IBM selected 33 cities worldwide to receive Smarter Cities challenge grants in 2012 and Rabat was selected along with three other African cities. 

Launched in 2011, the IBM initiative is a three-year, 100-city US$50 million competitive grant program and is IBM's single-largest philanthropic initiative.  Winning cities get the benefit of some of IBM's most talented employees who examine critical, top-priority urban issues such as transportation, health, housing, economic development and public safety. The IBM team then creates a comprehensive plan of creative solutions which they present to the city's leadership addressing each top priority issue.

To find out more about IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grants, please visithttp://smartercitieschallenge.org/.

Press release:

IBM Smarter Cities Technology Helps NYC Envision Solar Energy Leadership through CUNY Ventures

Innovative Model Aims to Export Solar Market Analysis Tools to the World

Tab navigation

• News release
• Related XML feeds

• Contact(s) information
• Related resources

New York - 07 Jun 2012: IBM (NYSE: IBM) is helping New York City (NYC) become a global leader in urban solar energy market analysis and sustainability through an innovativeagreement with CUNY Ventures, a City University of New York (CUNY) Economic Development Corporation entity. 

The goal of this effort is to nourish solar adoption by developing the capability to analyze and understand key solar market indicators that can make solar system development more cost competitive.  Using IBM’s Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) for Smarter Cities as the backbone, this analytics-based approach will help New York City monitor and analyze solar production and capacity through a virtual control room that will provide a dashboard view of key indicators.   

The collaboration is part of ‘Solar Market Analytics, Roadmapping, and Tracking NY’ (SMART NY), a groundbreaking project supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) ‘Rooftop Solar Challenge’, part of the DOE SunShot Initiative which is striving to make solar energy cost-competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade.  

With IBM's IOC software, CUNY Ventures will access and analyze data from the NYC Solar Portal, an inter-agency permitting and tracking solution developed by Procemx; data systems in solar empowerment zones; and the NYC Solar Map, putting in place a long-term solution designed to drive down the costs of solar deployment.  Initially, five state and city entities will utilize the solar market analytics: the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, Consolidated Edison, the NYC Department of Buildings and the New York City Economic Development Corporation. 

With IBM's help; CUNY Ventures plans to develop NYC into a solar energy hub that offers analysis of key solar market performance indicators, providing a model to other cities across New York State, North America and the world.  CUNY Ventures aims to create a sustainable model that can incorporate additional data and provide analytics to help city leaders and utility planners integrate other forms of renewable energy and better manage city operations, leading to efficiencies in areas such as water, transportation and emergency response. 

IDC Government Insights estimates that the growing availability of intelligent technology solutions will accelerate global investment in smart city technologies to $40.9 Billion in 2012.  IBM and CUNY Ventures have joined forces to help NYC compete for this growing market opportunity.  

"As people migrate to urban centers in greater numbers, demand increases on city infrastructures and resources," said Craig Hayman, general manager, IBM Industry Solutions.  "Intelligent automation of key services such as energy, water, transportation and public safety is the solution to help meet these challenges. Developing leadership in sustainable resources, as New York is doing with solar energy, serves as a model for meeting citizens' needs while achieving the operational goals of the city." 

“CUNY faculty helped develop the NYC Solar Map that displays the solar potential of every building in the city,” said City University of New York Chancellor Matthew Goldstein. “Now our CUNY team is working with our partners on groundbreaking solutions that can help New York accelerate the adoption of this clean renewable energy.” 

The new system will use analytics to deliver real time data from a variety of sources including the NYC Solar Map (link), providing a searchable dashboard of key performance indicators and trends. Using this technology, CUNY Ventures will be able to fine-tune current resource usage and quickly identify barriers. Upon successful completion in year one, plans are in place to expand this effort to other major jurisdictions in New York State with a goal of creating standards and streamlining the permits process.

New York City, a U.S DOE Solar America City, has realized an eight-fold increase in solar production since 2007 under the leadership of the NYC Solar America City Partnership. The Partnership is led by Sustainable CUNY and is comprised of CUNY, the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the Mayor's Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability, with the support of multiple other stakeholders through the NYC Solar America City Advisory Board. The NYC Department of Buildings has worked closely with CUNY since the inception of the NYC Solar America City Initiative and has implemented new initiatives to streamline the approval and installation process, including the creation of the NYC Development Hub, a state-of-the-art plan review center in Lower Manhattan.

The Solar America City Partnership has already launched several major projects including the NYC Solar Map; an online, interactive tool that estimates the solar power potential for the one million rooftops in the five boroughs. The 15 billion points of data that back up the map also provides analysis that enough solar power can be generated on the City's rooftops to offset costly upgrades to the grid or the use of dirty generators during the City's peak usage periods. The Solar Map makes it clear that financially, technically and environmentally, solar is a real, viable option for NYC. Included in the individual calculations for every building is how much solar can be installed, how much power that will generate, how much can be saved on an annual electricity bill, how many pounds of carbon emissions can be reduced each year, and what the equivalent would be in planting trees. A built-in financial calculator provides a cost break down and payback time- a surprising 5-7 years for most installations with the current incentives in place. The New York City Solar Map also displays existing solar installations and provides practical information and steps for installing solar.

The IBM Intelligent Operations Center for Smarter Cities can be extended to help support a wide range of integration projects across the city or within agencies and departments. City leaders can adopt service solutions from IBM or IBM Partners that integrate city management of services such as public safety, transportation, water, building and energy management with the Intelligent Operation Center. Examples of city-wide uses supported by the Intelligent Operations Center for Smarter Cities include the management of public safety, transportation and water.

For more information about IBM Smarter Cities, please visit www.ibm.com/smartercities.

IBM and Bauman Moscow State Technical University Open Smarter Cities Development and Education Center in Russia

Collaboration will create new opportunities for students and support the development of Russian Cities

Tab navigation

• News release
• Related XML feeds

• Contact(s) information

ARMONK, N.Y. and MOSCOW - 25 Apr 2012: IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU) today announced the opening of a Smarter Cities Development and Education Center in Russia – the first of its kind in the region.

Located on the university's Moscow campus, the center will be home to a unique educational program giving students the chance to explore and apply IBM's latest technologies and solutions to improve the management of urban infrastructure and support the development of smarter cities. Aligned with the Russian government's priorities for the modernization and technological development of urban centers across the country, the center will support the development of IT skills crucial to Russia's innovation agenda.

"The launch of the new Smarter Cities Development and Education Center at BMSTU is a significant milestone for IBM in the Russian market and shows the maturity of the Smarter Cities vision," said Kirill Korniliev, Country General Manager of IBM in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. "Skills are crucial for the development of smarter cities and by establishing this new facility we will open up new opportunities for young professionals and spur innovation in the field."

Students will be given the chance to explore how advanced technologies such as analytics software and mobile collaboration tools can help to integrate city systems such as water, traffic and public safety. A key component of the center will be IBM's Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) for Smarter Cities, which is designed to help cities of all sizes integrate city systems and apply intelligence to their operations through one central point of command. Some of the center's first development projects will look at how IBM's IOC solution can be integrated with data from  Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System, which already spans some 33 cities in Russia, to enable officials to better monitor and respond to city incidents.

"Creating this center gives rise to a new professional direction for our graduates," says Anatoly Alexandrov, Rector of Bauman Moscow State Technical University.  "This collaboration with IBM provides our graduates with skills that we believe will be in significant demand as Russia seeks to create Smarter Cities and increase its global economic competitiveness."

In the past two years, IBM has opened Smarter Cities centers in Dublin, Ireland in collaboration with Ireland's Industrial Development Agency and the University of Guadalajara in Mexico. The new center in Moscow is part of IBM's ongoing global effort to help students and city leaders develop expertise and apply innovative technologies to create smart solutions to tackle issues that have high social and economic impact for cities around the world.

About IBM

For more information about IBM Smarter Cities please visit: http://www.ibm.com/smartercities.

About Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU)

For more information about BMSTU please visit: http://www.bmstu.ru/english/.

IBM and Hydro One Team to Improve the Power Grid in Ontario

Smarter technologies to be tested on Hydro One's distribution power grid

Tab navigation

• News release
• Related XML feeds

• Contact(s) information

ARMONK, N.Y. and TORONTO - 27 Mar 2012: IBM (NYSE: IBM) and its Business Partner Telvent announced that they have been selected by Hydro One, the largest distributor of electricity in Ontario (Canada), for a new smart grid project that will help transform the province's electrical system. Together, the companies will run simulations and tests to determine the smart grid technologies that have the potential to improve power efficiency and reliability.

Installed in the 1950s, many components of Ontario's current electricity distribution system have reached the end of their service life. More recently, technological advancements, provincial governmental policy, market forces and increased environmental awareness have added pressure to the demands on Ontario's electricity distribution system.

"As equipment on our distribution system ages, it needs to be replaced. This creates an opportunity to create a world-class network with new, intelligent and sophisticated technologies to meet the changing needs of our customers," Rick Stevens, Vice President, Asset Management, Hydro One. "Our collaboration with IBM and Telvent will help Hydro One assess the next generation of distribution equipment and make the right choices for our customers looking for more reliable electricity, particularly in rural areas."

The Advanced Distribution System (ADS) project will help the utility identify and assess equipment, test new delivery models for electricity, validate the costs and benefits anticipated with a new smart grid and recommend changes to cost effectively modernize Ontario's distribution system.

The project intends to enable an increased amount of Distributed Generation into the grid as well as help increase the reliability of the current distribution system and improve outage management during large scale situations. By taking advantage of the insights gained from new data sources based on analytics, Hydro One will be able to optimize energy utilization and management for greater efficiency while accommodating consumer demand.

"Utilities around the world are investigating new smart grid technologies to help solve complex challenges caused by an aging infrastructure and increasing demand," said Guido Bartels, General Manager of IBM's Energy & Utilities Industry and Chairman of the Global Smart Grid Federation. "Together with Hydro One, we are paving the way for transformation by testing new sophisticated monitoring and control technologies that will enable the integration of renewable energy in the distribution grid while improving its reliability and responsiveness, and ensuring customer satisfaction. This will prepare Hydro One and the province of Ontario for further growth and deliver more affordable and reliable renewable energy for Ontarians."

As the overall system integrator, IBM will provide expertise in smart grid technologies, planning and implementation to oversee the reliability of the network solution. Hydro One will use the Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS), from Telvent, a real-time solution that will provide complete functionality for planning, operation and analysis of its distribution system. This will allow Hydro One to more accurately manage and plan their grid investments.

According to Telvent's Chairman and CEO, Ignacio Gonzalez, "In addition to the ADMS solution, Hydro One will benefit from the strategic collaboration between Telvent and IBM. Over the years, we have provided solutions to several large utilities to help make mid-project technology adjustments while increasing the speed of the solution development."

The project is in line with the requirements of Ontario's Green Energy and Green Economy 2009 Act ("GEGEA"), which fosters the growth of renewable and cleaner sources of energy while promoting a greener economy.

About Hydro One Hydro One provides services to 1.2 million residents of Ontario with the vast majority of its rural customers in low-density areas. Hydro One is the largest distributor of electricity with about 120,000 km of distribution lines over a rural service territory of about 640,000 square kilometers covering 75% of the province.

About IBM

IBM is involved in more than 150 smart grid engagements around the world, in both mature and emerging markets. IBM is the founding member of the Global Intelligent Utility Network Coalition, a unique collaboration of utilities from around the globe who are working to accelerate the use of smart grid technologies and move the industry forward through its most challenging transformation. More about IBM's vision to bring a new level of intelligence to how the world works—how every person, business, organization, government, natural system, and man-made system interacts, can be found here: http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet. 

For more information about Smarter Energy at IBM, please visit:www.ibm.com/press/smarterenergy. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

IBM Names Worldwide Recipients of 2012 Smarter Cities Grants

IBM Names Worldwide Recipients of 2012 Smarter Cities Challenge Grants to Improve Urban Life

Tab navigation

• News release
• Related XML feeds

• Contact(s) information
• Related resources

ARMONK, N.Y. - 15 Mar 2012: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today selected 33 cities worldwide to receive IBM Smarter Cities Challenge (#smartercities) grants during 2012.

Launched in 2011, this three-year, 100-city US$50 million program, IBM's single-largest philanthropic initiative, funds in-person engagements staffed by teams of top IBM experts, who study and then make detailed recommendations addressing locally important urban issues.

(Go here to read about the experience of one mayor whose city earned an IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grant in 2011.) 

For year-two of the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge, cities around the world once again competed vigorously to benefit from IBM's human talent and technology. The winning cities proposed intriguing projects and areas of focus for IBM experts. They included initiatives for: 

·        Economic and Workforce Development -- attracting a diverse variety of jobs and industries

·        Transportation -- integrating bus, rail, bicycle, car and pedestrian modes of transportation

·        Sustainability -- measuring vehicle miles traveled more precisely to help lower pollution levels

·        Health -- using inhaler and air quality data to identify and reduce asthma outbreaks

·        Education -- applying data analytics to identify the most effective investments for improving an entire school system

·        Urban Planning- - revitalizing and redeveloping older neighborhoods  

Following are the cities that earned IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grants in 2012:  

Accra, Ghana

Ahmedabad, India

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Birmingham, UK

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Cheongju, Korea

Chonburi, Thailand

Curitiba, Brazil

Da Nang, Vietnam

Dortmund, Germany

Durham, North Carolina, USA

Eindhoven, Netherlands

Geraldton, Australia

Houston, Texas, USA

Ishinomaki, Japan

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

Jurong Lake District, Singapore

Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Malaga, Spain

Medellin, Colombia

New Taipei City, Taiwan

Nanjing, China

Nairobi, Kenya

Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Pune, India

Rabat, Morocco

Rosario, Argentina

Siracusa, Italy

Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Tshwane, South Africa

Toluca, Mexico

While the proposed projects were diverse, a common denominator was the willingness to exchange ideas and data freely between and among citizens, elected officials, non-profits, businesses, and city agencies so cities could make more informed and collaborative decisions.

To that end, IBM will provide special assistance to each winning city on the use of City Forward (http://www.cityforward.org), a free online site IBM created with public policy experts. Citizens, elected officials and urban planners can use the site to explore trends and statistics in a visual and accessible way, which can be adapted for the examination of any number of urban issues -- leading to better decision making. 

"The cities that have been selected are all different, but they have one clear similarity: the strong personal commitment by the city's leadership to put in place the changes needed to help the city make smarter decisions," said Stanley S. Litow, IBM vice president of Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs, and President of IBM's Foundation. "These cities demonstrated a desire to set an example for other municipalities, an eagerness to collaborate with multiple stakeholders, and a strong commitment to consider implementing recommendations the city felt would be the most feasible and beneficial to their residents." 

Recommendations made by IBM to 24 year-one Smarter Cities Challenge grant recipients in 2011, and to seven pilot cities in 2010, are already making a real impact. For instance, as a direct result of IBM's work, the following cities have made public policy changes or launched important new initiatives that address longstanding issues. These include: 

·        Glasgow, Scotland (UK) is now subsidizing the heating bills of some of its seniors with the proceeds of clean-energy projects

·        Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (USA) has signed agreements with all its municipalities to develop a consolidated capital budget planning process

·        St. Louis, Missouri (USA) now more systematically coordinates efforts among agencies that touch public safety

·        Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) fine-tuned a lifetime-learning initiative that promotes ongoing workforce development for better jobs

·        Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) now analyzes traffic data more rigorously to improve road safety

·        Chicago, Illinois (USA) will partner with corporations to open five technology schools this autumn that blend high school and community college and which provide marketable skills  

For a more in-depth discussion about the successful formulas employed by cities that want to become smarter, please click here.  

The need to use new approaches to address civic challenges has never been greater. In 2008, according to the United Nations, more than half the world's population began living in cities for the first time. These population centers are more economically powerful, politically influential, and technologically advanced than at any time in history. But they also struggle with budgetary and operational challenges.  

IBM's Smarter Cities Challenge is an outgrowth of IBM's Corporate Service Corps grants program, in which IBM deploys teams of top employees to areas in the developing world to work on projects that intersect business, technology, and society. Since the launch of Corporate Service Corps in 2008, nearly 1,400 IBM employees based in 50 countries have been dispatched on more than 140 team assignments in 24 countries. 

The Smarter Cities Challenge is sponsored by IBM's Corporate Citizenship program and IBM’s International Foundation. IBM has been a leader in corporate social responsibility and citizenship for more than 100 years.  

To learn more about IBM's corporate citizenship initiatives, visit: http://www.citizenibm.com andhttp://www.youtube.com/user/citizenIBM.  Follow us on Twitter @citizenIBM  

To find out more about IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grants, please visit IBM’s Smarter Cities Challenge Web site, or watch an overview of our work on YouTube.