The Last Traffic Jam and Other Lasts the Internet of Everything will Make Possible

By 2030, an average American household is expected to incur traffic-related costs of $2,301 per year, a 33 percent increase compared to 2013. In fact, the annual price of traffic in the U.S. and Europe will soar to $293 billion by 2030, a rise of nearly 50 percent from 2013. Additionally, traffic conditions around the world only seem to be getting worse as well. Doesn’t sound too promising right?

Cisco and its partners are looking for ways to reduce these costs and eventually make everyday challenges like traffic jams, a thing of the past through the connection of people, process, data and things in an Internet of Everything era. And while the next wave of the Internet is sure to bring us some pretty amazing ‘firsts’, we are pretty excited about the “lasts” we could create. Imagine the last blackout, the last oil spill, or even the last hungry child. With that in mind, Cisco has launched a new campaign that focuses on “The Museum of Lasts.” Jenny Rooney in Forbes wrote a great article on our new campaign and “the lasts a connected world enables”…see here.

Think about everyday life situations you would love to live without. Traffic jams, long checkout lines, or my personal pet peeve: a missed delivery (especially when I am waiting for my children’s Christmas gifts!) The “Museum of Lasts” introduces a glimpse into how the world might change for the better if we all think bigger, work collaboratively and disrupt to make these “lasts” a reality. The Internet of Everything is enabling these “lasts” by connecting the unconnected, through the intersection of technologies such as data analytics, cloud solutions, security, collaboration, mobility, data center, and application centric infrastructure. All powered by an intelligent network.

John Chambers has also posed a “disrupt or be disrupted,” challenge for business leaders and the industry as whole to think bigger and to solve bigger problems. It’s these big ideas that can help cars, busy highways, traffic lights, buildings and of course, people connect and collaborate to achieve the last traffic jam we’ll ever have to experience.

Cisco EVP and Chief Globalisation Officer, Wim Elfrink will be taking a deeper examination at what the last traffic jam looks like in the days to come. In the meantime, take a look at our new spot that gives a glimpse into a traffic-less world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oKsiv4jgMU

I am very excited about the impact the Internet of Everything can have on our world. This is more than a campaign. We’re doing this with our customers today. We are asking you, the community, to put our collective minds together to improve lives and business outcomes.

In the months to come, we will be introducing new “lasts” scenarios. What “lasts” would you like to see in the world? I’d love to hear your ideas by commenting below or tweet to me @BlairChristie. They could be the next solution we tackle with our customers and partners and featured in our campaign!