Tech company joins smart streetscape initiative

Tech company NEC Corporation is joining the Columbia University-led initiative supporting the development of a rich ecosystem of streetscape applications.

The National Science Foundation Engineering Research Centre for Smart Streetscapes (CS3) was founded as part of a $26m, five-year grant from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded to a team led by Columbia University, together with Florida Atlantic University, Rutgers University, University of Central Florida and Lehman College.

Streetscape data

It is estimated that more than half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas, which are composed of streetscapes that include neighbourhood streets, sidewalks and public spaces. These high-density areas are transforming how people live, work, travel, and manage urban infrastructure, which has given rise to challenges that threaten liveability, safety and inclusion. However, the effective collection and analysis of streetscape data promises to make important contributions to the public good.

CS3 is supporting the development of a rich ecosystem of streetscape applications that are built upon real-time, hyper-local sensing and can help to resolve the challenges being faced by urban communities.

“Cities throughout the world are sharing many of the same challenges, such as the impact from climate change, the coordination of traffic and the maintenance of important infrastructure”

“We are very excited to partner with NEC, a leading technology innovator whose commitment to developing smart cities while prioritising privacy, security, and fairness aligns with our values,” said Andrew Smyth, director and PI, NSF ERC for Smart Streetscapes and Carleton professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics, Columbia University.

“NEC will be vital in shaping CS3’s research strategy, mentoring a globally competitive smart streetscape workforce, and facilitating partnerships with diverse stakeholders to address community-identified urban streetscape challenges.”