Las Vegas, one of the world's most iconic and famous cities has accelerated its efforts to become a 'smart city' by entering into a partnership agreement with US technology firm Cisco Systems. Las Vegas, referred to by some as 'Sin City' - brokered an agreement with the US networking colossus as it looks to achieve its ambition which is to become a 'smart connected city'.
In a statement announcing the agreement it was disclosed that the aim of the collaboration is for Las Vegas to benefit from Cisco's 'Smart+Connected' digital platform which will provide city leaders with data from real-time Internet of Things, device and sensors. The data provided by Cisco's system will then be utilized to give city leaders the opportunity to effectively manage crowd, environmental and traffic control situations.
The city's Mayor added that the technology will help establish a 'connected community' which will improve the safety of residents and tourists. In addition to this, it will increase sustainability and insight into traffic patterns and transportation infrastructure in a bid to resolve urban congestion and mobility issues. Las Vegas has already invested $500m in 'smart infrastructure' as part of its effort to become a 'smart city' by 2025.
Las Vegas Mayor, Carolyn Goodman said, "We plan to deploy solutions that will enhance mobility, reduce congestion, improve resident safety, reduce our carbon footprint, and stimulate economic growth and diversity. It only makes sense for Las Vegas to emerge as a smart city and we are excited to join forces with Cisco to make this happen."
In the joint-statement, Cisco claimed its digital platform aggregates input from multiple data sources (sensors, mobile devices, cameras) for actionable and immediate intelligence, that will empower the city to effectively reduce traffic congestion, provide faster response time to emergencies and lower operations and maintenance costs.
The city council in Las Vegas, recently established an innovation district in the city's core in order to concentrate 'smart city' technology infrastructure investment. It is proposed that the innovation district will be the HQ of new transportation and mobility infrastructure and technologies.
Rowan Trollope, Senior Vice President and GM of IoT and applications at Cisco Systems said will improve the lives of Las Vegas residents. He said, "The city of Las Vegas and Cisco are demonstrating that the promise of IoT is real, moving from concept to deployment. Together with Las Vegas, we are turning data into action to improve safety and traffic congestion, as well as economic opportunities and environmental sustainability for its citizens."