Telensa, a leader in smart street lighting and smart city applications, announced that its streetlight-based Multi-Sensor Pods, a key element of the Urban Data Project, will be powered by the Qualcomm® SDM845 processor from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. The Qualcomm SDM845 processor supports heterogeneous computing and on-device intelligence powered by the Qualcomm® Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine in a highly integrated package, designed to allow the sensors to extract detailed real-time insights from the raw data and eliminate much of the cost of moving data to the cloud. In addition, the compact, power-efficient, cost-effective Qualcomm SDM845 can help Telensa’s smart city systems reach the scale required to digitise complete cities. Following intensive product development during 2018, the first Urban Data Project deployment is scheduled to take place in Cambridge in March.
The Urban Data Project is a solution that creates a trust infrastructure for urban data, one that enables cities to collect, protect and use their data for the benefit of all citizens. Urban data is the mosaic of street-by-street, minute-by-minute information that makes up a city’s digital twin. It includes mapping how people use the city, the mix of traffic on the roads, the hyper-local air quality and noise levels. This data is incredibly valuable for designing better city infrastructure, delivering more efficient city services, and making everything more transparent to empower citizens. It is also potentially valuable to industries such as retail, real estate and insurance.
The use of urban data has been limited by two barriers. The first is the cost of single-purpose sensors and the related cost of moving raw video data to the cloud. The second is one of trust – how can a city’s Chief Data Officer apply best-practice privacy policies to data and provide transparency to citizens on how that data is protected and used.
There are two key technology elements to the Urban Data Project:
Data is collected by Multi-Sensor Pods installed on streetlight poles, with sensors including video and radar, and powered by the Qualcomm SDM845 processor. The pods employ AI and machine learning to extract detailed real-time insights from the raw data, eliminating much of the cost of moving data to the cloud.
Data from the pods is combined with other city data in the City Data Guardian. This is the trust platform, built on Microsoft Azure, that enables cities to apply privacy policies, comply with data regulations, and make data available to improve services and drive future city revenues.
Will Franks, CEO of Telensa, said: “For more than a decade, we’ve been working with cities around the globe to make millions of streetlights smart and turn light poles into a platform for sensors. Our focus has always been data, and finding a way for cities to effectively take ownership of their urban data assets. Working with Qualcomm Technologies for edge AI processing, we’re solving the economic challenges of smart city applications by employing the power and efficiency of the latest smartphone technology.”
Jeffery Torrance, vice president, business development, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., said: “Streetlight infrastructure is proving to be a vital avenue for new smart city technologies such as urban data AI and small cells for LTE and 5G. All require on-device computing that combines robust performance with low running costs, and that is where Qualcomm Technologies delivers. We’re delighted to be working with Telensa in the Urban Data Project to enable cities to do more with their data assets.”
Telensa makes wireless smart city applications, helping cities around the world save energy, work smarter and deliver more joined-up services for their citizens. Telensa is based in Cambridge in the UK, with regional operations in the USA and Australia.
