ST Electronics rolls out solutions for smart, safe cities

Singapore-based ST Electronics has rolled out a suite of IT products targeted at helping city planners and authorities address growing urbanization, sustainability and environmental challenges. Under what it calls Future Cities solutions, two of its key systems include Safe City, which aims to provide a safe living and working environment, and Smart Utilities Suites and Energy Management Solutions for increasing operational efficiencies.

One of this includes a system to collect and analyze data from sensors across a city, where it will alert operators and recommend appropriate responses, according to David Tan, vice president of defence business at ST Electronics.

"You want a smart glance, information that can help you. So you have very good visual analytics, telling you in time and space as events happen what do you do and as you do," said Tan. He said this would also allow a collaborative decision-making process among stakeholders such as police, government sectors, and citizens.

Among the technologies is a form of video content analytics. The system captures images, voice and video and tries to identify any warning signs or unusual patterns. For example, it can sound an alarm if a car has been found to have been parked for an unusually long time outside key buildings.

Analytics also features in its utilities management solution. For instancee, electricity providers can make use of a demand response program to optimize how much electricity is produced by influencing the level of consumption through incentives and an easier management platform.

ST Electronics says such technologies are already in use in countries like the United States, but it could take three to five years for them to get more popular in the region, especially in Singapore due to the smaller market size.