The Institute - September 2019 - 7

while others seek to optimize waste collection and monitor air quality. That's
why the initiative has organized itself
in part around what it calls application domains: energy, health, mobility,
water, waste, and food and agriculture.
The technologies being applied can
be as complex as advanced data and
analytical tools, cloud-based services,
and integrated data, voice, and wireless systems. Or they can be as simple
as making use of sensors, LEDs, and
solar panels. However, Bahramirad
says, it's clear the fundamental technologies that serve functions apply
across application domains. For that
reason, the initiative also organizes
itself around what it calls functional
domains: sensors, networks, systems
integration, analytics, and management
and control platforms.
"The issues are local, but the solutions
are the same," she says. "IEEE is global.
We have that world view."
"Becoming a smart city is a journey, not
a destination," Bahramirad says. "In this
era of connectivity, with IEEE, no one
has to go through the process on their
own. We connect global communities."
CORAL GABLES'
SMART-CITY STRATEGY

Coral Gables, Fla., has participated
in the initiative. Located just outside
Miami, the town calls itself The City
Beautiful. And it's no wonder. The city
boasts tropical tree-lined streets, sparkling beaches, and Mediterranean
architecture. But it's also becoming
known for something else: a smart-city
success story.
One of the first planned communities
in the country, Coral Gables recently
unveiled its Smart City Hub. The opendata platform-which uses a combination
of analytics, apps, sensors, and other
technologies-provides citizens with a
wealth of information and services. They
can access public police records, renew
a parking permit, find electric-vehicle
charging stations, and report a pothole
using their mobile device.

Internet of Things sensors and smart
lights located along the city's popular
Miracle Mile and other streets report
real-time pedestrian counts, vehicle
traffic, and environmental data. The
city this year plans to add more smart
lights, closed-circuit TV cameras, and
sensors in neighborhoods and parks
and along waterways.
IEEE Senior Member Raimundo
Rodulfo, the city's information technology director, has been overseeing
the project.
Coral Gables' transition to a smart
city began in 2016, when the municipality started to replace manual processes
and legacy computer systems with
enterprise operating systems (EOS),
Rodulfo says. An enterprise server contains programs that collectively serve
the needs of an enterprise rather than
a single user, department, or specialized application.
The first one installed was a facilitymanagement EOS. In 2017 the systems
used by the Parks and Recreation
Department and Community Services
were replaced. Last year the city began
installing electronic-permitting systems.
This year networks used by the Finance
and Human Resources departments
are on target to be upgraded.
"All these projects are having a big
impact on our citizens' quality of life
and the city's customer service," Rodulfo says. "The smart-city platform
brings together all the data from various city departments into one place
that is easy to access. Residents, visitors, and businesses are also able to
discover services they didn't know
we offered."
Cloud systems, service-oriented
architectures, customer relationship
management systems, application
program interfaces, and geographic
information systems are some of the
other technologies used.
Using a mobile app on the Smart
City Hub, a resident can take a photo
of a pothole with her smartphone
and upload the image, which gets

routed automatically to the appropriate department. A representative can
schedule the repair and update the
citizen on her request's status.
"That's part of the automation that
we are bringing with these new systems," Rodulfo says. "The complaint
goes to the right person, who takes
ownership of the issue and provides
improved customer service by updating
the citizen directly."
Other information available through
the mobile app includes the estimated
time of arrival of the city's trolleys as
well as guidance on available parking
spots and their cost.
Rodulfo adds that just about any bill
for city services-such as permits, leases,
and business licenses-can be paid online
or through the hub's dashboard.
He's most proud of the City Hall portal,
which provides transparency on how
the government operates. It provides
reports on the city's finances, spending,
and improvement projects.
He says being an IEEE member and participating in the initiative has helped him
access technical information, connect
with experts, and learn from colleagues.
IEEE RESOURCES

People who join the initiative's community get access to newsletters, tutorials, and webinars to keep them up
to speed on advances. The group now
has more than 8,060 members including IEEE members, city officials, and
urban planners.
The IEEE Smart Cities Resource Center
includes access to Proceedings of the IEEE,
other publications, technical reports,
tutorials, and webinars.
One recent webinar featured IEEE
members working to make Casablanca,
Morocco, more intelligent. Another
spotlighted the risks and opportunities of using blockchain technology.
-KATHY PRETZ
These articles originally appeared online as
"IEEE Smart Cities Initiative Works to Help More
Municipalities Modernize" and "Coral Gables'
Smart-City Strategy."
THE INSTITUTE

SEP 2019

TI-7

The Institute - September 2019

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