Berlin, November 23, 2023 - FIWARE Foundation, the non-profit organization that encourages the adoption of open standards using Open Source technologies for the development of smart solutions on a global basis, for the first time, will gather its international network and strategic partners at Smart Cities Connect in Washington D.C., offering a platform to network and collaborate with stakeholders from city administrations, universities, tech players, consultants, system integrators, standardization institutes, or Innovation Hubs to present digital and smart solutions based on recognized Open Source technologies for Smart Cities. For three days (28-30 November), FIWARE management and experts will enrich the Smart Cities Connect program by giving presentations, demonstrating references and the Smart Cities Book with 350+ real city cases, running a panel, and inviting all interested visitors to a specific Open Source Meet-up with refreshments.
This year, being a Bronze Sponsor of Smart Cities Connect, FIWARE successfully secured a prime location booth together with its long-term Gold Member, ms.GIS, a leader in geospatial, location intelligence, and IoT technologies for Smart Cities, Buildings, Energy, and Mobility. For all FIWARE members and partners acting in North America, such as ADDIX, Antel, Atos, AWS, Blue Sky Technologies, Deloitte, Digital Twin Consortium, Elliot Cloud, Engineering, Instituto Ciudades del Futuro, NEC, Nivid Technologies, NTT Data, RedHat, Sysman, Telefónica, Trigyn, Ubiwhere, Urban Integrated [ui!], Urban Service Provider, the FIWARE booth and panel room will become the main matchmaking hubs that will allow to create new contacts, business opportunities, and collaborations, and will play a significant role in the further adaptation of open source technologies in North America’s markets.
“Especially the US is a focus market for FIWARE, as we can see a strong request from municipalities and urban areas that need to deploy connected technologies and IoT solutions to improve everything from critical infrastructure and public safety to efficiencies in city lighting and energy usage to better traffic flow and mobility— all of which stand to make cities better places to live, work, and play while lowering their carbon footprint. Open Source technologies like FIWARE play a pivotal role in creating less costly, innovative, and collaboration-driven platforms allowing a proper use of standards. FIWARE with its global ecosystem, spurs innovation, uniting cities and entities, and opening new business models and growth pathways”, - explained Cristina Brandtstetter, Member of the Board of Officers and Chief Marketing Officer, FIWARE Foundation.
Commenting on the future of cities, Cristina Brandtstetter, added: “What we can see from the increasing urbanization, the need for efficient management of resource utilization, public safety concerns, and increasing demand for an environment with efficient energy utilization, it’s the cities with its growing number of citizens who will drive the journey towards a ‘smarter city’. Open Source allows for fast and impactful co-creation as well as citizen involvement, growingly important to make cities more livable again and resilient for the future”.
Powerful Open Source Solutions for Smart Cities - What to expect from FIWARE in the Smart Cities Connect program?
Together with its partners and members in North America, FIWARE presents a half-day rich program and invites city representatives, decision-makers, policymakers, government officials, platform operators, and Smart Cities enthusiasts to join this panel discussion “FIWARE - The Smart Cities standard running in more than 350 cities worldwide”. This panel will involve renowned speakers and thought leaders from international organizations such as AWS, ms.GIS, Red Hat, Temple University/ENRICH Program, or Urban Integrated [ui!], who will leverage the experiences of more than 350 cities using FIWARE and their vision and ideas to support US cities and communities with handy solutions, as well as discuss some of the biggest challenges these days:
- How do Smart City projects respond to the challenges of developing cities and territories;
- How cities can evolve along a transformation journey from more efficient cities to platforms for growth and well-being (‘City as a platform’ concept);
- The need for open "de facto" standards of the city and/or region and those being at the forefront of innovation;
- The correlation or dependency between standards and sustainability;
- The benefits derived from the existence of such a Digital Single Market on a global scale for creating a better world where not only citizens can improve their daily lives but also businesses may operate better.
Urban Sustainability MeetUp (Nov 29, from 3 PM, with a joint refreshment): Transforming Cities with the power of Open Source - a vivid dialogue together with representatives coming from ENRICH Program, Open Solutions For Government, Topio Networks, FIWARE iHubs such as Nivid Technologies (Virginia), Smarta Byar Smart Village Community (Boston), Urban Service Provider Co (Miami), and FIWARE, as well as innovators, individuals, and “change-makers” both from Public Administrations and business, to explore and share insights in the intersection of sustainable cities. The experts, together with all interested participants, will discuss how Open Source approaches and the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Twins enable cities to collaborate and address common challenges, helping to build more sustainable and resilient communities and more connected works.
During the MeetUp, a FIWARE team will give further insights into open-source and AI-based projects currently underway in Smart Cities around the world. These projects range from efficient energy management to public transport optimization, demonstrating the transformative potential of Open Source and AI driving the evolution of cities. The MeetUp will strive to engage in a dynamic conversation in small groups to discuss challenges, successes, and strategies for creating resilient and sustainable cities.
FIWARE panel discussion: November 29, 2.10 PM - 3 PM, room: Annapolis 1.
Meetup: November 29, 3 PM - 5 PM, room: Annapolis 1.
For more information, please visit the official FIWARE website. Get FIWARE’s and mg.GIS’s video invitation (Youtube video, free download) and visit the FIWARE booth November 28-30, Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center, Washington DC, Booth No. 316.
Press contact:
Kseniia Chernikova, Communication Manager, FIWARE Foundation
E-Mail: kseniia.chernikova@fiware.org
