Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Oregon at IBM's Smarter Transportation Forum
Rather than provide only my own recap of the highly insightful sessions at last week’s Smarter Transportation event in Washington D.C., let me simply point you to the recap from Sean Barry, from Transportation For America, and give you direct access to all the videos of the sessions.
Barry points out two session highlights in particular on the T4America blog, the first from Dr. Leo Kroon of the Netherlands Railway and second from Gunnar Soderholm, of the Stockholm. We’ve talked about Stockholm quite a lot here on the blog, so I’ll focus Dr. Kroon’s comments:
“Kroon described the importance of rail in his “tiny country,” whose 16 million people make it extremely dense. According to Kroon, rail market share between some Dutch cities reaches 50 percent, an amount that would be unheard of in the United States. And rather than force anyone onto the train, Kroon says the Netherlands Railways “seduces” them instead, through continued technological improvement that makes travel convenient and a commitment to reliability and affordability.”
The concept of “seducing” travelers into transit is one we could do well to emulate elsewhere. Even here in New York City, where transit is quite effective and ridership is relatively high, I would hardly consider the riding the subway a seductive experience (though, it does have it’s own charm.
Cost and efficiency are critical pieces of creating a public transportation system that seduces ridership. But it’s beyond simple utility.
Think of premium brands: Apple, BMW, etc. They seduce you on a level above pure functionality. You pay more for the experience. I could find mp3 players far cheaper than the iPod with similar (sometimes better) functionality, yet I willingly pay more so I can have an iPod in my pocket.
What if we applied a similar approach to transit? I’m not naive about the realities we face, nor the challenges of this kind of approach. But surely there’s more we can do to entice transit ridership.
Click here for video archives of the entire event, which included remarks from the following:
- * Dr. Robert Bertini, Deputy Administrator, Research & Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), US DOT
- * Dr. Leo Kroon, Logistics Consultant, Netherlands Railways
- * Gunnar Soderholm, Head of Environmental & Health Administration, City of Stockholm
- * Judge Quentin Kopp, Member and Former Chairman, California High Speed Rail Authority
- * Tom Wright, Executive Director, Regional Plan Administration
- * Janet Kavinoky, Director of Transportation Infrastructure, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- * Michael Replogle, Global Policy Director, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
- * Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Oregon, 3rd District
Update: As noted in the comments below, I’ve corrected the Netherlands population number to “16″ million in the quote.
“The point of cities is multiplicity of choice,” said Jane Jacobs, the champion of cities who penned the breakthrough 1961 critique of urban renewal, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. We think it’s a good idea to give a multiplicity of people who are interested in the future of cities opportunities to learn about it and do something about it. That’s why we’re conducting a virtual Smarter Cities event on Feb. 23 (10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Eastern U.S. Time) as we mentioned here on this blog a few days ago.
This Smarter Cities phenomenon is really taking off. We’ve held major terrestrial events in Berlin and New York, and plan another in Shanghai this summer. We’ve also staged dozens of mini-events in cities throughout the world. So going online is an obvious next step. Anybody who wants to participate is welcome. Register on ibm.com.
The event will start off with a handful of speeches delivered by government and business leaders who are up to their elbows in making cities work better. They include Bev Perdue, governor of North Carolina, and Joseph Rigby, chairman of utility giant Pepco Holdings. Our own Bridget van Kralingen, IBM general manager, North America, will launch the event with an update on our Smarter Planet initiative. (One tidbit: A little more than a year after launching the initiative, we have 1200 partnerships with clients worldwide–a faster uptake than we expected.) Gov. Purdue will talk about a test project in Charlotte aimed at revolutionizing the way highways are built. Using a public-private partnership model, North Carolina is teaming up with developers who will not only perform the design and construction of the new highway sections, but will invest some of their own money, as well. If this approach works in Charlotte, Perdue plans on rolling it out across the state.
After a lunch break (you’re on your own for that), there will be breakout sessions focusing on education, public safety, transportation, government, energy, and healthcare. As somebody who attended university in Pittsburgh, I’m particularly interested in hearing from Dr. Daniel Martich, the chief medical information officer at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. UPMC is reinventing itself as a laboratory for innovations in healthcare technology and new approaches to delivering care.
For participants, there will be plenty of opportunities to weigh in. There will be a question-and-answer session after the major addresses and interactive discussions during each breakout panel. Participants will type their comments and questions on their computers.
Who knows, maybe the next Jane Jacobs will emerge out of one of these events. The pool of brainpower is certainly getting big enough to make that possible.
Posted by
George Faulkner in
As you may have noticed from the last post, IBM’s Sam Palmisano visited the Chatham House stage in London today having delivered a speech titled ‘Welcome to the Decade of Smart.’ Throughout tonight (and over the coming days) we will be posting content and links to images and video from the event here, as they become available.
From the post-event materials being distributed:
On January 12, 2010, Samuel J. Palmisano, IBM Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officers, addressed business and civic leaders at Chatham House in London. In his remarks, he described how forward-thinking leaders in business, government and civil society around the world are capturing the potential of smarter systems to achieve economic growth, near-term efficiency, sustainable development and societal progress.
Links:
Launch a video of the speech: Sam Palmisano at Chatham House
Launch a video of the Q&A from Chatham House: Q&A from Chatham House
Today, Steve Lohr of the New York Times published a brief article about the speech that takes a look at the past year of Smarter Planet work from IBM.
Paul Glader of the Wall Street Journal published an article today as well that examines aspects of IBM’s Smarter Planet initiative.
Adam Christensen and Susanne Dirks talked with me about a question being posed by Dana Blankenhorn.
Dana asks an interesting question: are IBM’s “smarter traffic” ideas an homage to Moses or Jacobs?
He immediately answers his own question with the statement:
“Looking at IBM’s highly-advertised ideas on smarter traffic, much of it is built on the idea Robert Moses called flow.”
To answer simply, IBM’s work in this area is not “built” on Moses’ notions. Our work on helping cities build smarter transportation systems is built on three simple observations on some aspects of how society and technology are changing. Readers of this blog will know them as instrumentation, interconnection and intelligence. The people and systems of the world are becoming increasingly able to be more aware, of many more things, in many more places, much faster, and to analyse and derive timely insight and action from that. That’s it.
We use these observations to build things to help achieve people’s goals. If those goals are Moses-like, or Jacobs-like, that’s fine. The community that sets them is the judge of what they are or should be.
That isn’t to say we don’t have a strong point of view, though, because we do. Our approach is about leveraging technology for the sake of a city’s citizens. We don’t advocate tolls. Or not advocate them. We don’t advocate city centre cameras. Or not advocate them. We do advocate, say, holistic multi-modal solutions for transport, leveraging technology where and when applicable (this is where my son says, Dad, you sound like Dilbert). We want progress through making the overall systems smarter. And that approach has many facets, completely dependent on the community, city or nation in question.
In the end, Dana’s answers his own question with exactly the right answer:
The smartest city will find ways to support both. People and goods have to get around. But they also need destinations. Getting off the freeway and into the crowd is the challenge.
I believe – and many of the people I work with believe – that the Moses vs. Jacob is a false dichotomy. It isn’t about one or the other. The world has moved beyond that – our problems are too complex and interconnected.
With the launch of IBM’s Institute of Business Value new study Truck 2020 underway (and Project TwitStop behind us) we’d like to share a new social media asset: a top level overview of the report from the authors themselves — Sanjay Rishi, Kalman Gyimesi, Connie Burek, Michael Monday — via a new screencasting service called Screenr. Also take a look at the online video overview of Truck 2020 below, and links to the rest of our social media initiative to build conversation around this piece of thought leadership.
Meanwhile, you are welcome to access Truck 2020 right here:
Author Screencast
Overview
Links & Resources:
- IBM Institute for Business Value Channel on YouTube
- GBS New Intelligence Channel, via the Livestream platform
- TwitVid collection: video clips and photo slideshow shared by mobile devices during the National Hybrid Truck Conference, convoy and Ride & Drive events
- Twitter IDs: @ibmbizanalytics, @IBMResearch, @smarterplanet, @ibmevents, @calstart
- IBM Institute for Business Value on ibm.com
- Calstart. org group dedicated to expanding high-tech, clean transportation industry
8:05
On Tuesday, Oct. 27th, a convoy of dozens of hybrid trucks will be rolling through Atlanta on their way to the Hybrid Truck 2009 National Conference at the Georgia World Congress Center. As part of the conference, IBM will also be publishing its new study, Truck2020, which examines the critical role that next generation trucking will play in making cities, supply chains, retail businesses and many aspects of our planet smarter, greener and more innovative.
Speaking of next generations, many kids (and plenty of grownup kids) love trucks. To feed that passion and promote interest in this emerging high-tech industry, IBM’s Institute for Business Value, which produced the Truck2020 report, is organizing a multimedia collaboration via Twitter for spectators and convoy participants. We’re calling it a “TwitStop.” See details below on how people in the Atlanta area can be part of this social media mashup.
Beyond the environmental aspect of hybrid trucks, what’s economically significant about these new models — which blend electric and conventional motors both for moving these work vehicles, as well as powering some of their special equipment – is that the U.S. is leading in this market sector.
As the convoy cruises through Atlanta from 11:00 – 12:00 — people are invited to use their phones and mobile devices to share pictures, brief video clips and tweets to the Twitter search term (aka hashtag) #truck2020.
(click on map for convoy route details and a Google Earth view )
Folks can follow the flow of content via that Twitter hashtag. Get some background on hybrid trucks and the Truck2020 Study IBM New Intelligence Video Studio, our new webcasting platform, below.
In the player below, watch some of the best TwitStop pix and clips live from the Hybrid Truck convoy, as well as the Ride & Drive event on Oct. 29th (see details at bottom of post).
How to Share Pictures/ Video for the Truck2020 TwitStop
1. Send pictures of the convoy and your favorite trucks to Twitter-friendly image sharing service such as TwitPic, TweetPhoto, Pikchur or whatever service or site you prefer. See this Mashable article – 5 ways to share images on Twitter — for more options and tips. Be sure to add #truck2020 to your tweet.
2. Send short video clips to services such as 12seconds.tv, TwitVid, Qik, Posterous or others. Tell the world about your favorite hybrid trucks, talk to the drivers, interview other Convoy watchers and participants.
Some services enable you to share either photos or video clips, so check out 26 ways to share images and pictures on Twitter for even more options on ways to share your multimedia to the Truck2020 Twitter Convoy via mobile device, email, MMS.
In addition to the Convoy, on Oct. 29th there will be a Ride & Drive event, from 9a.m to 2p.m. at Turner Field in Atlanta, where drivers can actually get in and try out some of these high-tech trucks. People are welcome to continue the TwitStop by sharing pix, vid and tweets from there.
Please let social media enthusiasts in the Atlanta area know about the TwitStop. And remember, by adding #truck2020 to your tweet, you will enable us to collect and organize everyone’s contributions for all to enjoy. We’d also welcome any innovative ideas on how to assemble all this creativity into a useful online package.
Atlanta Hybrid Truck Convoy & TwitStop Details
When: Oct 27, from 11.am to 11:45
Where: Starting at 241 Ralph McGill Blvd, ending at the Georgia World Congress Center, see Convoy Route
What: Share pictures, video clips and comments via Twitter hashtag: #truck2020.
Posted by
Adam Christensen in
Below are links to full videos from every session of the New York City Smarter Cities event, in order of the agenda. (These are streaming videos, so click the image and it will launch the default player of your browser).
DAY ONE
Sam Palmisano, IBM CEO
Building a Smarter Planet, City by City
Length: 23:28
Michael Bloomberg, Mayor, New York City
Special Address
Length: 24:25
A conversation with Sam Palmisano and Michael Bloomberg, moderated by Dr. Laura Tyson, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley
Length: 18:14
Ivan Seidenberg, CEO, Verizon Communications
Smarter Cities, Smarter People: Enabling citizens through innovative network technology
Length: 11:17
Melody Barnes, Director, White House Domestic Policy
Partnering for Smarter Cities: The Federal Role in Supporting Local Innovation
Length: 11:30
A conversation with Melody Barnes, Sam Palmisano, Ivan Seidenberg, moderated by Kathryn Wylde, President and CEO, Partnership for New York City.
Length: 30:26
Dr. Denis Cortese, President and CEO, Mayo Clinic
Great Expectations for U.S. Healthcare
Length: 18:08
A conversation with Dr. Denis Cortese and Garrick Utley, president, The Levin Institute, The State University of New York
Length: 22:37
DAY TWO:
Ginni Rometty, senior vice president, IBM
Building a Smarter City
Length: 21:14
Joseph Hogan, CEO, ABB
A Smarter City Needs Smart Power
Length: 14:17
A conversation with Ginni Rometty and Joseph Hogan
Length: 19:18
Culture in the Smarter City. Charlie Rose, Editor and Anchor, Charlie Rose, with Roger Goodell, Commissioner, NFL; Rocco Landesman, Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts; Dr. Reynold Levy, president, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; Glenn Lowry, director, The Museum of Modern Art.
Length: 53:03
Seizing the Opportunity. A panel of mayors, moderated by David Gergen, Harvard University and senior political analyst, CNN, with Mayor Shirley Franklin, Atlanta; Mayor Phil Gordon, Phoenix; Mayor Patrick McCrory, Charlotte; and Mayor Chuck Reed, San Jose.
Length: 47:18
Dr. Fareed Zakaria, editor, Newsweek International
The Leadership Challenge
Length: 10:44
A conversation with Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer and Sam Palmisano, moderated by Dr. Fareed Zakaria
Length: 35:39
Posted by
Adam Christensen in
With Day 2 of the NYC Smarter Cities Summit now getting underway, we move to breakout sessions in the morning (Healthcare, Public Safety, Education, Transportation, Government Services and Energy & Utilities). For background on each, I’d recommend looking at the respective “Categories” to the right of this page and perusing through the Smarter Planet pages on ibm.com.
And just like yesterday, many will be Tweeting through the day. Follow along below and join in by following @smarterplanet and tagging your tweets with #smartercity.
Posted by
Adam Christensen in
Day 1 of the Smarter Cities Summit is underway right now in New York City. Below is the live conversation. Join in by tagging your tweets with #smartercity, and check back later for an in-depth analysis of Day 1.
Following is a guest post from IBM’s Gerry Mooney:
I’ll be the first to admit that I had expected to hear a lot ‘doom and gloom’ at the Intelligent Transportation Systems World Congress in Stockholm this week. After all, traffic congestion has become a systemic problem, affecting quality of life, productivity and the economies of large cities everywhere.
Instead, speakers and participants at this five-day conference focused on the real progress being made and the innovative new systems and services that are surfacing to make our transportation systems safer, more efficient, reliable and sustainable.
It’s fitting that this year’s ITS congress is being held in Stockholm. Besides being one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Stockholm is also among the most advanced in traffic management. In 2007, the Swedish Road Administration began a pilot road charging system to get a handle on traffic congestion in the inner city and corollary problems, like ambient pollution and CO2 emissions. The pilot was so successful, Stockholm residents overwhelming supported full adoption of the system a year later.
Image Source: Analysis of traffic in Stockholm – Summary (pdf)
IBM is Stockholm’s technology partner. Earlier this week, the two organizations announced the latest results of the Stockholm Congestion Charging System:
- * City traffic is down by 18%
- * CO2 emissions have been cut by between 14-18%
- * Ridership on public transport has increased by 60,000 passengers per day.
Chart Source: Analysis of traffic in Stockholm – Summary (pdf)
You can download a pdf of the entire report on the Stockholm home page. It’s not surprising that other cities, such as London, Brisbane, and Singapore are following Stockholm’s lead.
While this is a great example of a private-public partnership that’s working, we know that governments and big business can’t come up with all the answers to traffic congestion: We also need good ideas and feedback from entrepreneurs, commuters, and others. So another important announcement at the conference was the winner of the ITS Congestion Challenge – Seattle-based iCarpool.
ITS America, IBM and Spencer Trask Collaborative Innovations launched a global challenge in June to identify innovative ideas for combating transportation problems. iCarpool won with an innovative solution for giving commuters and other travelers choices for travel other than driving alone. The company will receive a cash investment of $50,000 USD to support further development efforts.
It has been a good week and I’m convinced that the smart ideas and initiatives that underway and that were discussed here in Stockholm will be important steps towards in developing more sustainable transportation systems. These efforts to improve “ITS in daily life” will drive changes that will benefit cities, citizens and the business community alike.
Editor’s note: For more background on the Stockholm congestion charging program, watch the following video:
Gerry Mooney is a general manager in IBM’s public sector business.
