The buzz: “Data as a Smart City Asset is an increasingly important topic” (Ruthbea Yesner, IDC). The data revolution and the competition to become the smart city of the future are combining to exponentially transform our cities. Visionary city leaders are embracing business model innovation to re-imagine public services, urban sustainability?and economic growth – all powered by data. Is your city in the running? The experts speak. Harald Wouters, City of Den Bosch: “Artificial intelligence will reach human levels by around 2029. Follow that out further to, say, 2045, we will have multiplied the intelligence, the human biological machine intelligence of our civilization a billion-fold” (Ray Kurzweil). Iván Caballero, Citibeats: “Many small people, in small places, doing small things, can change the world” (Eduardo Galeano). Max Claps, SAP: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever” (Mahatma Gandhi). Join us for Data-Driven Cities of the Future.

The buzz: “Consumers can now make more informed choices about energy usage and become energy producers and storers themselves – ‘prosumers’” (Simon Mouat). What do clean water, affordable clean energy, sustainable cities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, and life on land have in common? United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 6, 7, 11, 12, 13 and 15 to drive sustainable development. The mandate for evolving smart cities: implement these goals and address Digital Prosumers’ demands for decentralized regenerative energy production and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The experts speak. Rob Wilhite, Navigant Consulting: “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm” (Ralph W. Emerson). Eric Dresselhuys, Smart Energy Water: “Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places when you look at it right” (Grateful Dead). Joerg Ferchow, SAP: “My Life Is My Message” (Gandhi). Join us for The Digital Prosumer: New Customer in Future Cities.

The buzz: “The reality about transportation is that it's future-oriented. If we're planning for what we have, we're behind the curve” (Anthony Foxx) . Mobility in any city moves people and goods. Mobility in a smart city has a “heart” that pays attention to congestion, air quality and the traveler’s experience. How? Data and technology – AI, ML and more – provide a glimpse of mobility now and its impact on mobility in the future. The experts speak. Ischa Lambrechts, BECI: “At any point in time, knowing what has to get done, and when, creates a terrain for maneuvering” (David Allen). Rob Roemers, STIB-MIVB: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has” (Margaret Mead). Senta Belay, SAP: “It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see” (Winston Churchill). Join us for Mobility in the City: Evolution or Revolution?

The buzz: “The role of digital technology is critical…to monitor the wide array of aspects of city living…connecting every citizen to policy-making and administration” (Harsh Tikku). The road to a truly smart city is paved with gold in the form of technology and collaboration. How? Technology enables the smart city through digitalization of administrative processes, analytics, and visualization of information. Collaboration enables everyone in the city and its ecosystem to share information and gain insights to make progress and be resilient. Is your city there yet? The experts speak. Michele Hovet, KSM Consulting: “What good is an idea if it remains an idea? Try. Experiment. Iterate. Fail. Try again. Change the world” (Simon Sinek). Prof. h.c. Dr. Chirine Etezadzadeh, SmartCity.Institute: “You are the city…the woman who cries her eyes out” (Bläck Fööss). Holger Tallowitz, SAP: “Singularity is near” (Ray Kurzweil). Join us for Making Your City Smart: Technology + Collaboration.

The buzz: “Turn up the lights. I don't want to go home in the dark” (O’Henry). When we think of a city, its nighttime skyline often comes to mind. Today, lighting is everywhere people live, work, travel, shop, dine, and relax. And it needs to meet their needs in every place. How? Digital communications and energy-efficient LED lighting are revolutionizing urban lighting infrastructures, transforming them into information pathways with the capacity to collect and share data and offer new insights that enable, and really drive, the smart city. Is your city “bright” enough yet? The experts speak. Suzanne Seitinger, Philips Lighting: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” (Peter Drucker, Mark Fields). David Graham, City of San Diego: “This is an adventure” (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou). Marlyn Zelkowitz, SAP: “Oh Philadelphia freedom, shine on me, I love you, Shine the light….” (Elton John). Join us for You Light Up My Life: Smart Cities, Smart Lighting – Part 3.

The buzz: “Engaging the broad public in the city-making process leads to better answers.” (smartcitiesdive.com) In our mobile-first, digitally connected world, consumers expect to access digital services whenever and wherever they want. Citizens expect the same with city government: personalized communications based on their preferred channels, locations, circumstances. Is this possible? The smart future city will use citizen-centric service delivery models that put the citizen at the center. The experts speak. Donovan Guin, IBM: “We live by each other and for each other. Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much” (H.Keller). Kirk Talbott, City of Atlanta: “To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete” (R.B. Fuller). Mike Eberhardt, SAP: “The trouble with the world is not that people know too little…they know so many things that just aren't so” (M.Twain). Join us for smart Smart Cities Citizen Engagement: Mobile, Connected and Digital!

The buzz: “The truth about ‘Smart Cities’ is that there is only going to be one way that they can become truly ‘smart’: through data and analytics” (David Barton, 7 Uses For Analytics In Smart Cities). Jennifer Bachner, author of Analytics, Policy, and Governance, estimates that “2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created each year.” The real value for cities and local governments gathering data comes when analytics insights are turned into beneficial actions. But some city Chief Data Officers report that “the soft stuff is the hard stuff” as they attempt to coordinate silo’ed data. The experts speak. Dr. Sara Diamond, OCAD University: “The most effective way to do it, is to do it!” (Amelia Earhart). Michele Hovet, KSM Consulting: “What is now proved was once only imagined” (William Blake). Sara Marshall, SAP: “I said, ‘Somebody should do something about that.' And then I realized I am somebody” (Lily Tomlin. Join us for smart Smart Cities and Analytics: Tear Down That Silo!

The buzz: “The truth about ‘Smart Cities’ is that there is only going to be one way that they can become truly ‘smart’: through data and analytics” (David Barton, 7 Uses For Analytics In Smart Cities). Jennifer Bachner, author of Analytics, Policy, and Governance, estimates that “2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created each year.” The real value for cities and local governments gathering data comes when analytics insights are turned into beneficial actions. But some city Chief Data Officers report that “the soft stuff is the hard stuff” as they attempt to coordinate silo’ed data. The experts speak. Dr. Sara Diamond, OCAD University: “The most effective way to do it, is to do it!” (Amelia Earhart). Michele Hovet, KSM Consulting: “What is now proved was once only imagined” (William Blake). Sara Marshall, SAP: “I said, ‘Somebody should do something about that.' And then I realized I am somebody” (Lily Tomlin. Join us for smart Smart Cities and Analytics: Tear Down That Silo!

The buzz: “It’s simply not feasible to rip out utility infrastructure to build new…There is, however, another way..introduce a layer of digital intelligence.” (Peter Madden OBE, 07/21/16). With the U.N. forecasting 70+% of the world will live in cities by 2050, Utilities are feeling the urgency to deliver energy, gas, water, and other resources efficiently, cost-effectively and sustainably to the people, businesses, government and non-government organizations in urban areas. How to meet this challenge? The experts speak. Steve Sarnecki, OSIsoft: “To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk” (Thomas Edison). Russ Vanos, Itron: “Success doesn't come from pie-in-the-sky thinking. It's the result of consciously doing something each day that will add to your overall excellence” (Nick Saban). Lisa D’Alesandro, SAP: “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it” (Edith Wharton). Join us for Utilities in Cities: Get Smart!

The buzz: “Can smart cities also be safer cities?” (Safe Cities Survey, Hitachi Data Systems 2015). With 70+% of the world projected to live in cities by 2050, public safety is top of mind. But achieving it is elusive. What will it take? Blending crime-monitoring device data in real time so authorities can correlate a license plate with an incident; dynamically reposition surveillance cameras to view suspects; and intelligently predict crime, not just react to it. How safe is your neighborhood? The experts speak. Justin Bean, Hitachi Insight Group: “There is not a crime, there is not a dodge, there is not a trick, there is not a swindle, there is not a vice which does not live by secrecy” (Joseph Pulitzer). Dr. Alison Brooks, IDC: “It’s nice to be nice to the nice” (Frank Burns). James Alfano, SAP: “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today” (F.D. Roosevelt). Join us for Smart Cities and Public Safety Technology: Monitor, Predict, Prevent Crime–Part 2.

The buzz: “I’ll never get over the fact that the buildings all light up at night….” (Alex Dimitrov, “American Boys” 2012 chapbook). How can we brighten the lives of increasingly dense populations, given projections that 70+% of the world will live in cities by 2050? Energy-efficient LED lighting. How? It's already transforming urban lighting infrastructures into pathways that collect and share data and insights that are driving the smart city. Connected lighting also can be a backbone for IoT functionality. See? The experts speak. Susanne Seitinger, Philips Lighting: “At night the buildings must sleep” (Alvar Aalto). Matthias Weis, SM!GHT: “If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done” (Thomas Jefferson). Marlyn Zelkowitz, SAP: “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light” (Plato). Join us for You Light Up My Life: Smart Cities, Smart Lighting – Part 2.