IBM has announced multiple Smarter Planet projects with the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Boston University.

The projects focus on using new technology to increase energy efficiency, enhance coordination of major events, reduce traffic congestion and improve the maintenance of the streetscape, says IBM.

IBM Intelligent Dashboard for Boston’s Mayor’s Office

Boston’s Mayor’s Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events will pilot an intelligent dashboard from IBM. The dashboard will help provide City officials, across all departments, with a common view of events across the City, which could allow everything from improved traffic management to better public safety support.

Asset management platform for street lights

Boston maintains over 60,000 street lights, keeping residential streets and main thoroughfares appropriately lit. At any given time, roughly three percent of these lights are out, with their bulbs needing to be replaced or wiring needing to be fixed.

Leveraging the IBM Maximo solution, Boston’s Public Works Department is piloting a new asset management platform to support street light operations. Based on the success of this pilot, the City of Boston may extend the asset management system to support additional operations in the City.

Smarter Neighborhoods project

IBM has been working with Boston University’s Sustainable Neighborhood Laboratory on a smarter neighborhoods project.  Other key community partners with the smarter neighborhood project include the City of Boston, the energy and utility company NSTAR, and community development organizations.   

Public sector buildings management

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will work with IBM to improve the maintenance, energy consumption and space management across public sector buildings among the state’s 72 million square feet of property.  Buildings account for almost 40 percent of the nation’s energy consumption in the U.S.   

Logan International Airport service and maintenance

The Massachusetts Port Authority (MassPort) has started a new project to provide predictive service and maintenance for Logan International Airport. IBM software is currently used for Terminal A of the airport, managing maintenance operations for all assets such as air conditioning systems, doors, escalators and other terminal equipment and machinery.

MassPort plans to expand the use of software to all Terminals at Logan, and to other asset classes such as buses and other vehicles, and the new Consolidated Rental Car Facility set to open in the Fall.

Water and sewer systems project

There is an ongoing project with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), which provides wholesale water and sewer services to 2.5 million people in 61 communities. IBM software provides the MWRA with predictive maintenance of its complex water and sewer system.