SmarterCities Rio | IBM helps Rio become a Smarter City. How to Build a Smarter City. Why Rio for the Smarter Cities Program. The mayor of Rio and his 4 commandments of cities. IBM Centre of operations. How Data is Making Rio de Janeiro a Smarter City. Do you plan to attend 2014 FIFA World Cup or 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro? If so, the city is already getting ready to welcome you. Here is how Rio is using technology and data management to get smarter. Manage information to avoid tragedies In April 2010, the State of Rio de Janeiro was hit by a natural disaster, when floods and mudslides killed over 200 people and made 15,000 homeless.
Worse, Rio de Janeiro’s Mayor admitted that Rio’s preparedness was “less than zero”. Rio Operations Center, the city’s control room Although its initial focus was floods, the scope of Rio Operations Center expanded considerably. The Center is part of the Smarter Cities initiative that IBM has been promoting since 2007. The Center itself is a paradise for data geeks: the amount of information displayed on its 300 screens is impressive, starting with the images streamed from 200 traffic cameras (soon to be 400).
Sharing data with the public through Twitter and apps What about you? IBM Selects 5 Brazilian Startups to Help Build Smarter Cities. IBM announced today the 5 finalist startups for its SmartCamp in Brazil, following a preliminary round of selections across 8 Brazilian cities. So what is the event about and what do these 5 startups do? What is IBM SmartCamp? The ninth global event of its kind this year, IBM’s next SmartCamp will take place in Rio de Janeiro on November 10th and 11th, in conjunction with the IBM Venture Capital Symposium.
It will bring together senior Latin American government and business leaders, IBM executives, university representatives and startups interested in finding solutions to urban issues like traffic, healthcare and food safety. Betting on startups According to IBM, its SmartCamp provides mentorship to early stage start-ups and facilitates access to venture capital companies. “We believe entrepreneurs will play a critical role in addressing the needs of cities around the world. Betting on Brazil This isn’t IBM’s first action to promote smarter cities in the country. Meet the finalists.