The San Diego region is no exception to the need for sustainable resources.
In response to this global trend, regional business association Cleantech San Diego launched Smart Cities San Diego in 2011 to connect and support the public, private, and academic partners in the San Diego region who are making bold moves in the smart cities space. Through the Smart Cities San Diego initiative, these partners are working together to deploy Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, advance urban connectivity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase water and energy efficiency, and drive economic growth in the San Diego region.
A collaborative approach
The city of San Diego is rapidly emerging as one of the smartest cities in North America due to collaborative initiatives that benefit both the economy and the environment. These initiatives include adopting an ambitious climate action plan and deploying the world’s largest IoT platform on city streetlights among others.
San Diego’s installation of 3,200 smart sensors on streetlights has been of particular interest to the global smart cities community. The project is being led by industry partners Current by GE and AT&T, who are extending their learnings from the project to a similar pilot at the Port of San Diego. These kinds of cross-jurisdictional collaborations are key to our region’s smart cities leadership.
Advancing smart tech
In San Diego, we have found that smart cities approaches are in no way limited to the chambers of city hall. Sites such as ports, airports, universities, and military bases – essentially cities within a city – see many of the same benefits of incorporating IoT solutions and clean technologies into their operations that cities do.
High-profile clean technology deployments have done a great deal to advance the San Diego region’s position as a global smart city leader. At Cleantech San Diego, we find these kinds of projects to be especially powerful because their successes are measured in dollars made as well as in energy/water saved and greenhouse gas emissions reduced.
Driven by this forward-thinking spirit, our stakeholders in technology companies, government, academia, and the military are committed to shaping a clean energy and smart cities future for San Diego.
San Diego’s smart cities story is still unfolding. As we look ahead into uncharted digital territory, expanded collaborations with the private sector as well as conversations with innovative municipalities beyond our local, state, and national borders will be key to keeping San Diego’s smart cities momentum going.