“Second Wave” IoE Study Identifies U.S. Public Sector Value

At Cisco, we have identified the Internet of Everything (IoE) as the next wave of the Internet, an explosion of connectivity among people, process, data, and things. We have estimated that these connections in the IoE offer a staggering $19 trillion in Value at Stake over the next decade for both private and public sectors. And now that IoE is here, it’s important to talk about how both enterprises and public-sector organizations can take full advantage of this market transition. To help, Cisco is offering two comprehensive pieces of thought leadership to illustrate a roadmap for IoE. A Fast IT strategy helps enterprises capture their share of the IoE Value at Stake. The Internet of Everything in the Public Sector research explores how IoE is transforming government to demonstrate how public-sector organizations can capture their share of the IoE Value at Stake.

By Pat Finn

When we look at the concept of the Internet of Everything (IoE), we talk about how people, processes, data and things can help generate real business value and assist with better decision making.

But how is IoE properly embraced and executed within the U.S. public sector?

In January 2014, Cisco released an IoE public sector value at stake study that stated IoE could generate $4.6 Trillion in value for public sector organizations over the next decade. This week, Cisco unveiled a “second wave” public sector value at stake study that profiles more than 40 individual public sector jurisdictions around the world and how they’ve embraced IoE.

Furthermore, Cisco unveiled a Top Ten Tips List to teach organizations about practical approaches to IoE.

In this new study, we see that many U.S. jurisdictions have successfully deployed initiatives around IoE and therefore have become models for other jurisdictions.

Below are three stand-out use cases profiled in the study.

Chicago Plows Forward with Data

It’s no surprise that the Windy City often experiences severe weather conditions. But as many local residents know, snowfall can be unpredictable and hit different areas of the city more than others. So to more efficiently dispatch plows to areas that need snow removal, the city of Chicago utilizes existing traffic cameras to monitor the streets for snowfall.  The city also placed GPS tracking devices on the plows themselves so that they could monitor what streets had already been plowed.

When cities capture data in this way, they not only create more efficiencies in day-to-day operations, they also make roads safer for residents.

Snow monitoring is just one example of how Chicago is thinking creatively about how to leverage data to produce smarter processes within government. Through bus and train tracker applications, the Chicago Transit Authority gathers, analyzes, and disseminating bus and train location information to more efficiently monitor performance for these modes of transportation.

But leveraging data internally isn’t the extent of Chicago’s innovation efforts. As a proponent of open data, the city has made roughly 500 city data sets available through an open, online platform that developers can access for creating their own apps. Civic hacking is just one more way to provide city data more directly to the residents.

To say that Chicago is a leader of IoE would be an understatement. And as the host location of this year’s Internet of Things World Forum this coming October, I look forward to watching Chicago expand and develop innovation as they prepare for this influential event.

UVA Telehealth Connects With Patients Remotely

Access to quality healthcare can often be a challenge for individuals who live in rural areas or in countries that have limited healthcare services.

To address these challenges, the University of Virginia (UVA) Telehealth program was developed so doctors and clinicians can connect virtually with patients using solutions like immersive telepresence and unified communications. Using these solutions, doctors can provide basic medical examinations and services in nearly 40 specialties for patients.

Not only are these doctors able to connect with patients located in the distant corners of Virginia, but the UVA Center for Telehealth program has been expanded so doctors can virtually connect with other doctors in areas of developing countries that are medically underserved. Having that capability to share medical knowledge and best practices will help doctors make better medical decisions and improve communication among doctors who work with each other within a single hospital.

Beyond patient-to-physician and physician-to-physician interaction, using these innovative technologies will open up opportunities for remote mentorship in the medical field all while saving money, time and travel.

San Antonio, Texas, Thinks IoE for the Municipal Court and the Streets

For some jurisdictions, embracing IoE could mean a long road ahead. But San Antonio, Texas, has proactively invested in IoE technology as a way to empower its agencies now and in the future to do more, better by connecting people processes data and things. According to the new value at stake study, a host of agencies in San Antonio have innovated on top of the city’s pervasive wired and wireless mesh network infrastructure – in many cases, in ways that were not thought of when fiber optic was laid.

San Antonio deployed a city-wide traffic control system that synchronizes and manages more than 1,200 traffic lights at the city’s intersections. By deploying a system that automates the timing of traffic lights, the city can expect smoother traffic flow, which may seem like a small matter of just a few minutes per vehicle. But according to city officials they estimate that city residents and business were spending an extra $2 billion prior to the project starting, based on the value of time and gas no longer spent while waiting at traffic lights.  To take it to the next level, the system also provides control over some traffic cameras, which can provide better visibility of traffic activity to the city’s traffic managers.

Off the streets, the city piloted a remote video system so Municipal Court judges and citizens can complete court hearings through video conferencing technology available through kiosks and link centers in the city. As an extension of this service, constituents may also complete other court related matters such as paying traffic tickets through an online payment mechanism.

Capturing IoE

San Antonio, like other leading jurisdictions, has identified not only practical, but cost-saving approaches that will allow for smoother, more efficient operations in the long term all while embracing IoE. These three profiles, and others in the research, are paramount examples of how jurisdictions large and small have successfully leveraged their existing technology resources, drafted long-term plans and goals for tangible benefits, and found the right partners to execute on projects which improve citizen experience and financial health of the organization – all with IoE technology.

Let these profiles be your guide when planning your own IoE strategy. If jurisdictions learn from one another and teach each other best practices, they can truly capture the benefits of IoE.