Light Litter: Smart City and IoT Solutions Can Fix This

Light Litter!!! Have you ever noticed outdoor lights on during broad daylight in roadways and buildings? That is an example of ‪#‎LightLitter‬. These street lights in San Jose between Moorpark and Stevens Creek on Winchester Avenue were on at 9:30am on Thursday, August 11, 2016.

 

If the timer is out of sync with sunrise/sunset, that may mean they are OFF at night when they should be ON.  It doesn’t have to be that way, IoT and Smart City solutions can solve this problem, putting technology to work for municipalities around the world.

Lets raise awareness, improve safety and save energy!

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Tesla, Solar Impulse, SRI, Comfy & More in this ControlTrends Interview

Emerging technologies, including Internet of Things technologies, are enabling building owners, operators and managers to leverage technology to impact asset NOI.  This weekend I was a guest on the ControlTrends videocast and podcast with hosts Kenneth Smyers and Eric Stromquist.  ControlTrends is a weekly show exploring the future of HVAC and building system controls, including emerging technologies.

In the podcast we talk about

You can listen to the ControlTrends ControlTalk NOW podcast here:

http://controltrends.org/?powerpress_embed=21194-podcast&powerpress_player=mediaelement-audio

 

You can watch the ControlTrends ControlTalk NOW videocast here:

Note: I’m the second interview so in this link I’ve queued up my conversation with Kenny and Eric but I’d recommend you back up and watch the whole thing.

 

 

RealComm/IBcon 2016 Summary & Videos

JoshJimHoward.jpgThose of you familiar with my background know that it is in real estate technology. Those of you that understand my present passion know that it is in disruptive technologies, most of them enabled by the Internet of things.

June 21-24, 2016 I attended RealComm/IBCon 2016, the world’s largest real estate technology conference.  During the conference I had the opportunity to meet and talk to the most brilliant thought leaders in real estate.  A few of them stepped in front of the lens to share their views and the videos were posted on my Facebook page. Here they are for you to browse.

If you like a video, click through to the clip on Facebook and let me know via the comments on the video. Enjoy!


In this clip I talk with Jim Young, Co-Founder and CEO of Realcomm following the Realcomm 2016 opening session. Topics covered in the opening session included robots, drones, wearable technology, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, Internet of things, big data, intelligent building solutions, the shared economy and much more.

This is a quick peak at the #SmartBuildingshowcase at Realcomm/IBcon 2016. Real value generation. Real ROI. Real impact on asset NOI. All the big names are in this game. Companies represented in the case studies include Intel, Google, Microsoft, Cisco, Stanford University, and that’s just the ones with space here in Silicon Valley. Shanghai Tower, multiple buildings in Australia including Barangaroo South in Sydney, are some international buildings. The world is on board with IoT solutions for the building. Are you in the game?

Check out this demo of Microsoft HoloLens by Jordan Lawver from Trimble at RealComm. The future is here: #augmentedreality that creates real value.

The tours following RealComm/IBCon 2016 both impressed and inspired.  I toured the new Stanford University Central Energy Facility and interviewed Gerry Hamilton, Director of Facilities Energy Management at Stanford University’s Department of Sustainability & Energy Management. This is the place that provides the hot and cold water pumped all over campus to heat and cool buildings, labs and the new hospital. Everything is state of the art.  I invite you all to learn more at https://sustainable.stanford.edu/

In this interview I speak with Cityzenith CEO Michael Jansen at Realcomm 2016. The Cityzenith solution provides what they call ‘Big data for the built environment’ and Michael and his team won one of this year’s Digie awards. Note: The video got cut, so it jumps from talking about the property to the individual sensor, but you can look at floors too.

In this video I catch up with Eric Stromquist and Kenneth Smyers, the hosts of the ControlTalk podcast and show. It’s the place to hear about the latest in #cretech #smartbuilding and many other related topics in the real estate industry. Check it out at www.controltrends.org

Tonight history will be made as Solar Impulse flies over the Statue of Liberty

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The flight is the most symbolic to date in the Solar Impulse around the world mission, which is to show the world the possibilities of clean energy technologies.

The Statue of Liberty symbolizes American liberty, fought for in a new frontier and enabled by a new form of government created by risk taking pilgrims, colonizers, explorers and pioneers.  Today clean energy is the uncharted frontier and technology is the enabler.

It is an amazing reality that Solar Impulse pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg can fly indefinitely using only the power of the sun if weather and limitations of human endurance allowed.  They, like pilgrims, have taken great risk to try something else.  They, like colonizers, have developed the foundation, this one of clean energy technology, for others to build upon.  They, like explorers, have foraged into the unknown on a mission that literally changes with every shift of the wind.  They, like pioneers, have tirelessly pursued their vision with hard work, passion and optimism.

Lady Liberty’s torch represents progress and her crown is composed of seven sun rays, one for each of the seven seas and continents.  Solar Impulse similarly represents progress and is leveraging the power of the sun to bring the message to the seven seas and continents that the future is clean.

Tune in this evening from wherever you are in the world between 11pm and midnight US Pacific Time (2-3am Eastern) and watch this symbolic flight live at www.SolarImpulse.com. #FutureIsClean

You may also be interested to view these WorkTechWork pieces on Solar Impulse:

June 10, 2016: Note: The Solar Impulse fly over NYC earlier this week was delayed due to weather. They will attempt again tonight, June 10, at approximately on 11pm USA Pacific Time (between 2-3am the morning of June 11 in NYC). Tune in & watch history in the making!

Tech, natural design and much more in this interview with André Borschberg of Solar Impulse

“Each obstacle can lead you to a better path, maybe to an opportunity,” André Borschberg shared with me in this interview on Sunday, the day after Solar Impulse completed the Pacific Crossing and arrived in Silicon Valley.  The camera wasn’t rolling right at the beginning so I added a short intro.  Enjoy!

 

 

Advice for Entrepreneurs from Bertrand Piccard of Solar Impulse

“It is not with what we have learned that we will go further than others. It is with what we have not learned, with what we have not yet done and thought” Bertrand Piccard, Initiator, Chairman and Pilot of Solar Impulse shares in this interview.

 

Solar Impulse is a mission to fly around the world with only the power of the sun and share the message of clean and renewable energy. This is accomplished with a pioneering attitude and by leveraging the best of technology to do what has never been done before.

Piccard is no stranger to breaking records and inspiring the world. In 1999 he completed the first non-stop balloon flight around the world, setting world records for aviation’s longest flight in both distance and duration. When I asked his advice for entrepreneurs he referred to the function of balloons and then explained, “a good entrepreneur is the one who can drop his certitudes, his beliefs, all the common assumptions, to raise to other levels and catch other influences, other visions of the world, other solutions and strategies that will bring him in completely different directions.”

Piccard is not alone in this mission. Solar Impulse is also piloted by André Borschberg, Entrepreneur, Engineer and Explorer. The two are supported by an excellent team and by technology at every level, including monitoring and alerting the pilots and providing global live coverage during each leg of the mission. The Solar Impulse mission exemplifies the WorkTechWork mantra: Don’t work for technology; make technology work for you.

Learn more about Solar Impulse at www.SolarImpulse.com and follow the hashtag #FutureIsClean.