Last weeks we have read some news related to new "smart" products and services that, step by step, are making room for themselves in our lives.
One of these news emphasize an innovative initiative that New York City is carrying out and that will transform old payphones in WiFi hotspots that will provide with free coverage to the citizens. Despite this initial installation consists of only 10 points, it is planned to incorporate new locations in coming months. At present, NYC has more than 13,000 payphone and 40-60% of them are out of services. The business model that allows this renovation is also innovative since it will not imply any cost to the city due it will be supported by advertising.
This project provides us an idea of how conventional urban infrastructures can be renovated and transformed but also lays the foundations for subsequent deployment of other advanced systems that, making use of that connectivity, will create smart and connected environments to manage resources in a more efficiently way and improve the quality of living of citizens.
On the other hand, a R&D project proposal in a different aspect, in the social field, "smart-citizen" pretends to convert the citizen in the sensor itself, in such a way that the user provides "the system" with information of interest, and share it with other users.
Although, this is not the first proposal that combines sensor infrastructures with social networks, undoubtedly shows the growing interest in giving a social touch to information of our environment.
And that is, either with social character or not, systems based on sensor networks are becoming more and more prominent in our lives. As it is correctly argued in this @FastCompany article, sensors will monitor what we say and do, sensors will change every industry, because they will create exciting new business opportunities and disrupt established product lines.
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