Siemens has released a cloud-based software suite to help cities manage air pollution. Its new City Air Management (CyAM) solution, based on its MindSphere internet-of-things (IoT) platform, is the “smartest tool available for cities to improve their air quality,” the German industrial giant declared.
CyAM, announced at the World Cities Summit in Singapore, captures pollution data in real time from sensors deployed around a city. It displays findings on a dashboard and makes forecasts about emissions up to five days in advance, said Siemens. Algorithms draw on historical and current data on air quality, as well as weather and traffic patterns.
Siemens said cities can use the solution to define measures for reducing nitrogen oxides and atmospheric particulate matter. It can recommend up to 17 measures, which can be implemented at short notice, to improve air quality; example include establishing low-emission zones, reducing speed limits, and offering public transportation services at no charge for limited periods. Further insights can be integrated into longer-term planning.
Roland Busch, chief technology officer at Siemens, said: ”Data is really just raw material. It unleashes its full potential only when we collect it correctly, analyse it correctly, draw the correct conclusions from it and simulate and run through the resulting options. This is what makes City Air Management such a unique software solution. It is currently the smartest tool available for cities that want to improve their air quality.”
Siemens has signed a deal with the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Investment and Development Company, a 50/50 joint venture between Asian smart city solutions provider Ascendas-Singbridge and the Guangzhou Development District in China, to deploy and enhance the CyAM solution.
CyAM will be integrated into the Green City Digital Platform in Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City (SSGKC), a new urban hub, located at the heart of the Pearl River Delta district, where the Pearl River joins the South China sea. The SSGKC smart-city project will create a new city of 500,000 in the next 20 years, adjacent to the Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region, one of the most densely urbanised regions in the world.
The Green City Digital Platform utilises big data analytics and artificial intelligence to provide customised and economically feasible solutions for sustainable urban development and air quality control, in line with SSGKC’s urban planning policies and requirements.
Siemens will also establish a Green City Digital Exhibition Center in a business park within the SSGKC set-up, providing real-time air quality monitoring, as well as assessment, impact prediction, and recommending of technology measures. The centre will occupy an area of approximately 250 square meters, and is expected to complete in early 2019.
“SSGKC is a leading model in the adoption of smart and green technologies, making it a strategic platform for companies such as Siemens to showcase new solutions,” commented Nina Yang, chief executive for sustainable urban development at Ascendas-Singbridge and chairman of the Guangzhou Knowledge City Investment and Development Company.
“Such initiatives will also help SSGKC further advance our innovation-led approach, bringing us one step closer to achieving our vision of being a sustainable, knowledge-based city, harnessing solutions from the digital economy.”
The deal extends Siemens cooperation in China, and extends usage of its MindSphere platform in the region. Earlier this week, the German firm announced a deal with Alibaba to “foster” the industrial ‘internet of things’ (IIoT) market in China. MindSphere will be made available on Alibaba Cloud from 2019, enabling enterprises in China to work with advanced industrial solutions.
