Nokia will test several applications under this smart city program
Finnish vendor Nokia has joined the Bristol Is Open initiative, a program which seeks to implement smart city strategies for the UK city.
Bristol Is Open (BIO) seeks to transform the city into a dynamic test bed to explore how integrated technology solutions can benefit citizens by helping solve problems such as traffic congestion, air pollution and assisted living for the elderly to trials of self-driving cars.
BIO is a joint venture between the University of Bristol and Bristol City Council and it is funded by local and national government bodies and the European Union, along with academic research funding and financial support from private firms.
Under the agreement between with BIO, experts from across the company will provide consulting services to Bristol Is Open, while Nokia’s IP networking division will provide network and infrastructure support. In addition, the vendor’s application ecosystem program ngConnect will bring an extensive range of additional applications, ideas and companies into the BIO development program.
The Finnish vendor said that it plans to use this opportunity to test a whole range of applications from Nokia Bell Labs’ innovations in video to environmental impact studies, healthcare and public safety. The first Nokia project in BIO will focus on is video analytics on the city-wide CCTV system of more than 1,700 cameras.
“This innovative program will show what can be achieved by bringing together experts from various technology areas to deliver integrated solutions that actually improve people’s lives, a fundamental principle driving our everyday work,” Nokia’s Chief Marketing Officer Barry French said.
“We are delighted that Nokia has accepted our invitation to join Bristol Is Open. Building on the excellent relationship we already have with Nokia Bell Labs, the skills and experience that Nokia has will enable us to take BIO to the next stage of its development: solving real world problems for citizens and creating opportunity for all,” Barney Smith, CEO of BIO, said.
