FIWARE showcases open source technologies at Smart Cities Connect

FIWARE Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes the adoption of open standards through the use of open source technologies for the global development of smart solutions, for the first time, is gathering 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, and innovation hubs.

It also gives FIWARE an opportunity to present solutions based on recognized open source technologies for smart cities. Over the course of three days (November 28-30) FIWARE management and experts are enriching the Smart Cities Connect program by giving presentations, demonstrating references, and showcasing the Smart Cities Book, which includes over 350 real city cases. Additionally, they will run a panel and invite all interested visitors to an Open Source MeetUp with refreshments.

This year, as a Bronze Sponsor of Smart Cities Connect, FIWARE has secured a booth in a prime location alongside its long-term Gold Member, ms.GIS, a leader in geospatial intelligence and IoT technologies for smart cities, buildings, energy, and mobility. The FIWARE booth and panel room serve as the main matchmaking hubs for all FIWARE members and partners operating in North America, including 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!], and Urban Service Provider. These hubs aim to facilitate the creation of new contacts, business opportunities, and collaborations, and will play a significant role in the further adoption of open source technologies in North America’s markets.

“The US, especially, 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, or 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 increasing urbanization, the need for efficient management of resource utilization, public safety concerns, and increasing demand for an environment with efficient energy utilization, is that it’s the cities with a growing number of citizens who will drive the journey towards a ‘smarter city’. Open source allows for a fast and impactful co-creation as well as citizen involvement, which is increasingly important in making cities more livable again and resilient for the future”.

What to expect from FIWARE in the Smart Cities Connect program

Alongside its partners and members in North America, FIWARE presented a half-day program, and invited city representatives, decision-makers, policymakers, government officials, platform operators, and Smart City enthusiasts to join the panel discussion “FIWARE – The Smart Cities standard running in more than 350 cities worldwide”. This panel involved distinguished speakers and thought leaders from international organizations including AWS, ms.GIS, Red Hat, Temple University/ENRICH Program, and Urban Integrated [ui!], who drew upon the experiences of over 350 cities using FIWARE. They shared their vision and ideas to support US cities and communities with practical solutions, as well as discussed some of the biggest current challenges facing smart cities:

• How smart city projects can respond to the challenges of developing cities and territories.
• How cities can evolve from just being more efficient to becoming platforms for growth and well-being (the ‘city as a platform’ concept).
• The necessity for open “de facto” standards for cities and/or regions, and the importance of putting them at the forefront of innovation.
• The correlation between standards and sustainability.
• The benefits derived from the existence of a Digital Single Market at a global scale, contributing to the creation of a better world where citizens can improve their daily lives and businesses can operate more efficiently.

For more information, please visit the official FIWARE website. You can also watch FIWARE’s and mg.GIS’s video invitation (available on YouTube video with a free download) and stop by the FIWARE booth from November 28th-30 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center, Washington DC, Booth No. 316.