How to Create a Smart City With IoT and Big Data
These days, it seems like every city is trying to implement “smart city” initiatives. Take Singapore, for example, now known for the most extensive effort to collect data on citizens’ daily living habits/routines ever attempted by a municipality. Even Bill Gates has pumped millions of dollars into helping Phoenix in their smart city efforts.
But what do we mean when we talk about a “smart city”? Is it the better use of resources within the city center or the fact that all resources being wasted would eventually be overcome? Eventually, we can all agree to disagree, as there is a perception most people have in their mind with regard to the functionality and the phenomenon we know as the smart city.
Since development has been rapid, it is difficult to keep an eye on all that is happening. Industries have started adapting the Internet of Things (IoT) and wish to implement it in a broader level to increase efficiency. But regardless of what’s transpired to-date in all industries, one thing that does not escape the eye is M2ocity’s rollout in France.
To talk over this matter, I got in touch with the man behind these technicalities: Xavier Diab, IT director at M2ocity. Readers who are not yet familiar with M2ocity should know that the company is France’s biggest telecom operator for the Internet of Things (IoT). A result of a merger between water supplier Veolia and operator Orange, M2ocity has emerged as a leading protagonist in the market for IoT in France.
Veolia Water and Orange gave birth to M2ocity in 2011, bringing both companies’ services together in the form of a smart metering entity. M2ocity has expanded its range from France to other areas of the world. Veolia Water, which had a strong presence across France, initiated the union with Orange, fostering hopes that both the companies could improve their quality of customer service by safeguarding resources and optimizing performance at scale
The merger between Veolia Water and Orange has come a long way from where it started, as M2ocity now stands at a crucial position in the drive towards a smart city.
