The Dutch city of Eindhoven is poised to become "the world's first crowdsourced smart city," according to Philips Lighting. Residents will be consulted for ideas about how smart lighting infrastructure should be employed, for development and roll out over the next 15 years.
Many cities, such as Madrid and Los Angeles, already make use of Philips' smart LED lighting, which can be controlled and monitored to greater extent than traditional street lighting. Eindhoven, however, with which Philips has a long history and where it has a base, will develop more innovative uses of city lighting based on the needs and desires of residents.
"We see Eindhoven as a true pioneer in what we see as an evolutionary path towards transformation into a smart city," explains Frank van der Vloed, Market Leader Philips Lighting Benelux. "Public lighting is closely interwoven with a city's infrastructure. In addition to light, it represents a ready digital platform for acquiring and sharing information and services that provide real value to the citizens."
The aim of the "Roadmap Urban Lighting Eindhoven 2030" scheme is to create a city that is both smart and sustainable based on residents' views of what is important. Through a process of participatory planning, residents will be able to provide input that will inform in what ways the street lighting will be developed. By way of examples, Philips Lighting suggests that the street lights could ultimately be used to guide emergency services to incidents, use sensors to adapt lighting to weather conditions or provide lighting on demand when people are using the streets at night.
Also partnering on the project are the Technical University of Eindhoven and property construction and engineering firm Heijmans. The consortium is to begin work later this year in five pilot areas of Eindhoven.
Source: Philips
