Solution connects third party sensors through smart streetlight infrastructure
Telensa, a specialist in connected street lighting and smart city data applications, has launched Urban IQ. This is said to be a ‘future-proof’, open solution that is designed to connect sensors using smart streetlight infrastructure and to visualise the data collected.
The evolution of smart city sensing is at an early stage, and cities cannot predict the mix of sensors and networks needed to support future projects. Urban IQ uses the lamp posts’ perfect position to host multiple sensors, connected using the best-fit lighting and cellular networks. Telensa has created Urban IQ to enable cities to deploy sensors today and to support any future smart city strategy.
Flexibility is achieved through the three main elements of the solution:
- Sensor hub – a multi-purpose device that provides power and connectivity for multiple sensors on any light pole or arm. It enables sensors to be mounted anywhere on the light pole and requires no adaptation to the luminaire itself, preserving its long-term reliability. Sensor Hub also provides local wireless connectivity for sensors near the pole such as those in waste bins or drains. It also connects sensors to the cloud through a combination of the dedicated lighting network and cellular options, such as NB-IoT.
- Dashboard – built on Microsoft Power BI, the industry-leading solution supported by systems integrators across the world. This provides the modular flexibility to customise and integrate sensor data into other systems, providing real-time insights from sensor data across the city.
- Sensors from 3rd party vendors – Telensa has worked with a group of leading sensor solution providers to prove the Urban IQ solution. The solution is designed to work with any mix of sensors that cities may prefer to use over time.
Sensor types already deployed include air quality, environmental, waste, drainage, road quality and gunshot detection. Products have been running in pilots for the past 12 months in the US and UK and are now commercially available. More information can be found here.
Partners that have already connected devices through Urban IQ include CA Traffic, Vaisala, Aeroqual, Libelium, Farsite Communications, Intouch, Gill, and Eagl.
Will Gibson, founder and chief commercial officer of Telensa, says: “We have been working with cities for over a decade to make their streetlights smart, and with the introduction of Urban IQ we are providing a cost effective way to use their smart lighting infrastructure to add multiple smart city sensors. We are excited to be working with cities to provide the flexibility needed to achieve their smart city ambitions.”
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