Committed to providing solutions for customer viewing needs, LILIN has been active in the handheld, cloud, and digital home product spaces for the past couple of years. In 2014, LILIN 's product R&D strategy will be aimed at developing 4K IP cameras as well as 120fps IP cameras, which are both related to various smart city applications.Steve Hu, Product Manager, LILIN , points out that 60fps cameras already produce video that is just as smooth as analog cameras, whereas 120fps IP cameras, with their ultra-high shutter speeds of up to 1/20,000 seconds, are suitable for cash-counting centers, casinos, high-speed production lines, as well as high-speed vehicle license plate recognition. This type of technology has the ability to provide significant benefits to the financial sector, the entertainment industry, as well as smart transportation applications.In reality, digital video technologies have advanced rapidly in recent years, and most cameras have already reached "Blu-ray levels" (1920 by 1080 pixels). In the future, it can be anticipated that cameras will trend toward the 4K2K (3840 by 2106 pixels) television standard. However, as Steve Hu points out, it is difficult for high-resolution cameras to focus. If manual focusing is used, costs are higher in regions where labor costs are high, which would result in additional difficulty in the promotion of digital imaging. Using automatic focusing results in a 40% saving in installation time, which in turn reduces installation costs.Another important type of digital imaging technology is compression. The key is to be able to use the minimum amount of bandwidth for the same level of high resolution, says Steve Hu. With good compression technology, we are also able to save hard-disk space. For example, 3Mbps cameras save about 50-60% of space compared to 8-12 Mbps cameras.In addition, low-light color capturing technologies that do not require infrared (IR) will also play a critical role, says Steve Hu. In general, low-light color capture technologies that use IR consume between 10W to 20W of power (based on the distance between the IR camera and the object it needs to record). If we were able to still see color without the use of IR, power consumption would drop to 2-5W and a significant amount of the cost for electricity could be saved.Steve Hu further points out that many small-to-medium-sized corporations choose to use PCs as network video recorders (NVRs). Using a dual-core 350W PC as an example, since graphics cards and decompression are required, electricity costs can be at least NT$10,000 (US$329) per year. When environmentally friendly embedded NVRs are used, even with high-resolutions, power consumption is only between 48W and 120W, delivering an effective reduction in electricity costs.Environmentally friendly, energy-saving solutions are particularly important to retail stores, says Steve Hu, since retailers tend to install 200 to 300 NVRs at various locations. These types of vendors not only require energy-saving solutions, but also want systems that are fast and easy to install. Furthermore, they also want to be able to connect with external equipment for advanced data analysis.With respect to the NVR requirements of chain stores, Steve Hu thinks that chains that have many stores and also require simultaneous recording at their headquarters need low-bandwidth solutions. Also worth noting is that there have been many robbery cases in which the perpetrators destroyed on-site NVRs to avoid leaving evidence. This is why IP cameras, SD-card recording, NVR recording, and synchronous off-site recording have become mainstream in the market. NVR solutions for chain stores should also include remote playback and backup.The success of smart cities closely relies on smart transportation, and for smart transportation to be effective, on-vehicle video management as well as mobile video management are crucial. Steve Hu uses the monorail in Daegu, Korea as an example, over 400 IP cameras are installed, and remote vehicle video management is achieved through wireless networks.According to Steve Hu, many corporations currently still use PC-based solutions for their high-resolution needs. However, what they should be using are decoders to replace PCs, which would not only reduce power consumption, but also allow them to display multi-matrix screens, enlarge single screens, use multi-touch controls, and connect dedicated keyboards.As for the banking sector, in order to ensure continuous uninterrupted recording, Steve Hu believes that RAID support must be incorporated. When one disk fails, the system immediately switches to another disk and executes rapid data recovery. Other required functions include long-duration recording, support for over 100 cameras, as well as SD-card video synchronization when a camera loses connectivity.There have already been many successful deployments of digital video surveillance applications in aerotropolis-related industries, such as the video management system at the DHL warehouse and shipment center in Germany, the LCCT airport video management system in Malaysia, and the data center video management system in the Philippines.Video management system solutions for large-scale aerotropolis shopping malls and hotels must, as pointed out by Steve Hu, be able to manage more than 10,000 cameras. They must also be able to perform multi-channel video format conversion and backup, as well as have failover capabilities so that in the case of a network outage or during equipment maintenance, failover kicks in and system recording is not interrupted.Furthermore, digital video management systems must also have integrated alarm input/output management functions. In particular, in the case of an abnormality, such as cash registers abnormally opening, video surveillance should immediately be triggered. Many shopping malls and hotels have already successfully deployed video surveillance solutions, including the Westfield Shopping Mall in Australia, the Ramada Hotel in Saudi Arabia, a gold jewelry chain in Malaysia, as well as the Alegra Shopping Mall & Outlet in Spain.As for urban transportation and video management, Steve Hu points out that in the past, megapixel cameras were not sensitive enough and did not work well under low-light conditions. These issues, however, have all been solved. Now, license plate recognition can still be conducted even on vehicles traveling at 120km/h at nighttime in the absence any light sources. For parking lot management applications, gates could be controlled or monitored through the control of camera directions and bidirectional voice communication, thereby effectively avoiding vehicles being blocked outside parking lot gates, which could result in stalls in the operation of parking lots.Digital video management can also be integrated with lights, curtains, air conditioning, background music, home theaters, real-time video, as well as electrical appliance control systems in commercial spaces and digital home applications. When used in commercial spaces or digital homes, Steve Hu points out, digital video vendors must work with control application vendors in order to allow customers to control NVRs using a single remote control or smartphone, making digital video monitoring even more convenient.Steve Hu believes that the future of digital video applications is the cloud, which is why LILIN Technologies is committed to developing cross-platform (Mac OS, iOS, Android, and Windows) video management solutions as well as establishing cloud-based systems in which IP settings and dynamic port forwarding will no longer be necessary. Furthermore, integration with smart TVs may also be possible. 3G/Wi-Fi will also be gradually added, creating even more possibilities, such as digital video rental applications or examination room applications, making the value of digital video applications in smart cities even more significant.Steve Hu, Product Manager, LILIN

Demand for creating a paperless environment through document digitization has surged. However, Maggie Shu, Sales Manager, Document Imaging, Kodak Alaris Taiwan Ltd., has pointed out that for many documents such as contracts, consent to operation, proof of payment, delivery receipts, insurance contracts, compensation documents, and birth certificates, the original still needs to be kept due to legislation or management requirements. How to maintain hardcopies has become a challenge for many enterprises.Our lives are connected to all sorts of documents. From the day we are born until we die, lots of information must be presented on paper. Despite the growing availability of information technology, paper still plays an important role in our lives, and so effective integration of hardcopies with digital systems has become an irresistible trend.According to Shu, enterprises need to manage a huge amount of information. While different methods of data processing may be adopted by each enterprise, all data is centrally managed in the end. Depending on the user, data inquiry and storage locations can vary, leading to many management challenges such as finding documents, ensuring versions are up-to-date, consolidating different versions of a document, ensuring hardware/software security, and deleting documents or removing mistakes.To maintain hardcopy information, documents must be scanned to digital files. In the past, it was difficult to file and classify scanned materials. Nowadays, data can be entered rapidly using barcodes and page coding. These data entry methods also improve accuracy as well as storage and management efficiency.Shu pointed out that different scanners should be used due to differences in paper texture and the number of pages. This helps ensure a consistent level of quality for the scanned images whether they are from onion skin paper with high durability, anti-copy paper, hardboard paper (for national health insurance cards or ID cards), or documents with pencil or ball-point pen marks.For example, the Fiscal Information Agency of the Ministry of Finance has to process over 580,000 pieces of tax data every month, equivalent to the need to digitize over 24,000 pieces of data every day (tax slips). Apart from scanning the materials, the agency must build a database of the scanned results in order to allow effective data inquiry and management.Shu said efficiency at the scanning stage is important for streamlining, digitizing, and mobilizing a huge amount of information, and imaging software is the key to enhanced scanning capabilities. For instance, high-speed scanning is not just about speed but also about automatic gradient calibration and noise reduction. With these features, the scanned document can look exactly the same as the original hardcopy.Another key issue is how to share scanned documents efficiently. With the help of OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software, scanned content can generate index information such as barcodes, account numbers, company names, and addresses automatically during scanning. In addition, OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) technology can be used to process survey tables and other check tables. OMR can accurately recognize marks in a specific area and populate data in corresponding index fields.Shu also mentioned the problem of information overload. As global clients, partners, and co-workers need to access the same documents, the cost of distribution and collaboration has stepped up. Complicated and dynamic networks also bring severe challenges to enterprises when sharing and managing data.Through scanning and imaging solutions, enterprise needs can be met. For example, users can configure scanning profiles easily using KIAS (Kodak Info Activate). Simply pressing a button allows a document to be scanned and saved as images. Users can also customize the workflow to import, search, and access the most important documents, thereby reducing business workloads.Kodak Info Activate provides image enhancement technology which optimizes readability, along with OCR-assisted manual indexing that is accurate and fast. For example, the auto-focus OCR function enables words to be populated in a corresponding index field simply by tapping on a word.The operation of Kodak Info Activate is easy, and its intuitive user interface shortens the learning curve. All you need to do is put the document in place and wait for the work to be done. Kodak Info Activate also allows you to capture documents, create an index, and submit image data on Android or iOS smartphones. The mobile version of Kodak Info Activate can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play.With the Kodak Alaris document imaging solution, customers can access, process, and consolidate information from digital and paper sources easily and quickly, significantly improving information utilization and value.Maggie Shu, Sales Manager, Document Imaging, Kodak Alaris Taiwan Ltd.

The earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011 in Japan triggered a subsequent tsunami as well as a nuclear power plant catastrophe. Typhoon Morakot, which struck Taiwan in 2009, passed through northern Taiwan but brought torrential rains to central and southern Taiwan. The major damage as well as loss of life caused by these compounded natural disasters clearly demonstrates the importance of the integration of disaster-prevention information at the national level. At the Smart City Forum organized by Digitimes, the National Science & Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) announced its latest progress, which includes integrating government resources through its internally-developed Disaster Response and Decision Support System (EOCDSS) as well as the Standardized Information Format for Disaster Alerts; quick communication of disaster-related information will be conducted via NCDR's "Public Disaster Alert Information Platform," and development of related hardware and software industries will be carried out in cooperation with the private sector.Current scenarios for the application of smart disaster prevention include natural disaster alerts, disaster response and relief, human safety and protection, community protection and safety, industrial area disaster prevention, as well as key facility protection, etc. Functions of the solutions must include remote environment monitoring, real-time transmission of information, disaster prevention alerts, damage analysis and evaluation, decision support, disaster relief as well as positioning and monitoring, scheduling and dispatching of personnel and resources, as well as integration of geographic information with cloud applications. While most people believe that disaster prevention can be performed by other institutions, the NCDR tends to focus on the alert and response processes for natural disasters. Based on developmental trends, smart disaster prevention services can be divided into data services and smart services.According to Wen-Ray Su, Associated Research Fellow, NCDR (National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction) during relief efforts for the Sept. 21, 1999 earthquake as well as during Typhoon Morakot, Taiwan was still in the data services phase, which means it focused on the establishment of infrastructural facilities as well as observation stations/networks, and transmitted data via dial-up network connections or manual transmissions. With the availability of broadband networks, disaster data can now be transmitted via the information services systems in real-time and converted into useful early-warning data. Currently, the situations in various locations can be viewed on a single map, and discussions regarding how to carry out disaster response operations can be conducted. Furthermore, with the widespread development and availability of wireless communications technologies, such as WiFi and 3G, the range of smart services has expanded, allowing people to use apps such as Twitter on their mobile phones to transmit messages. In the future, we may even be able to form an Internet of Things (IoT) connecting hardware and software and conduct Big Data analyses, thereby quickly grasping the on-site situation at disaster sites in order to respond and conduct rescue operations.Take earthquakes for example: although current technology does not allow us to predict earthquakes, if we are able to take advantage of real-time information through the smart disaster prevention network at the time an earthquake occurs as well as transmit this information to users and conduct automatic disaster prevention control (such as turning off the power and natural gas in our homes), we would be able to effectively reduce the number of casualties as well as damage to industries. Especially since Taiwan possesses mature network infrastructures and well-developed ICT industries, if we could develop various integrated disaster prevention control systems, we would be able to create "1+1>2" effects in terms of disaster prevention and response.From 2003 to 2007, Japan carried out its national emergency earthquake notification system program, and in 2007, the Japanese prime minister announced that emergency earthquake notifications to the general public had been fully implemented by government agencies and in various civilian applications. In the 2008 Iwate earthquake as well as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, the notification system worked successfully, allowing Japanese citizens to obtain alert information through television, the Internet, mobile phone messages, and disaster-prevention radio broadcasts. Taiwan's emergency alert systems begin with schools. In addition to being able to issue alerts regarding regional earthquakes as well as provide on-site monitoring information within 20 seconds of an earthquake, it can also trigger school-wide alarms via wired or wireless transmissions, allowing schools with or without on-site observation stations to be able to immediately notify its students as well as faculty of the occurrence of an earthquake.Three problems that urgently need to be solved in terms of smart disaster prevention and response integrationHowever, Wen-Ray Su also admitted that the smart disaster prevention and response effort currently faces three major problems:1. From a legal perspective, since sources of data are becoming more diverse, the usage of collected data is subject to more rules and restrictions. People are very wary of how their information is handled and used, and any unauthorized use or publication of information is strictly prohibited. This is why we need a set of common data processing standards and regulations.2. From a technical perspective, Taiwan's electronics industry is good at providing single products and solutions, such as front-end sensor components or intermediate-level networking technologies, but it lacks the ability to produce integrated applications, which makes it difficult to demonstrate the value of certain products. Furthermore, disaster prevention network systems are mostly independently designed and lack interoperability and integration. Looking forward, cross-industry integration capabilities will need to be strengthened.3. In terms of applications, products must be able to operate under extreme conditions and in harsh environments, which is why backup solutions are required in order to ensure that messages can indeed be sent when needed. In addition, through the integrated platform, we will be able to provide information with additional value so that various types of safety and disaster prevention applications can be developed.Wen-Ray Su went on to stress the importance of Big Data, especially the ability to collect large amounts of information, absorb it, digest it, filter it, and then convey simplified information that can provide real value. Currently, government institutions already have the ability to collect information in a timely fashion and issue alerts during natural disasters. The next step will be to integrate that information through a unified platform, allowing the general public to quickly understand the situation.This is why the NCDR developed the CEOC support system in 2010, which can perform integration of disaster response information. Information that can be used in disaster response efforts is collected from various sources, consolidated, organized, and then presented in a manner that the central disaster response center can use to rapidly execute a response. Currently, monitored information from more than 20 central government agencies as well as nearly 120 items of Big Data are used in the system. The integrated typhoon local application module has been under development since 2011 in order to expand services to local areas, as well as to assist city and county governments and volunteer teams in disaster prevention operations. Furthermore, the NCDR's Public Disaster Alert Information Platform was established last year to allow information from various departments to be quickly consolidated and announced. Local government agencies, NGOs, and private corporations can develop apps to take advantage of these services.Unifying open information formats and working together to create industry valueIn addition, this year we will standardize disaster alert information formats to facilitate transmission through the public disaster alert platform, providing M2M services, establishing cooperative relationships between government and private sectors, building an information feedback mechanism, and working with corporations to create industry value. According to Wen-Ray Su, foreign standards such as the CAP (Common Alerting Protocol) were referenced in the writing of these standards, and their goal is to provide a simple and universal format, allowing information obtained from traditional sensor devices and alert technologies to be converted to international network alert formats, which will be beneficial to the exchange of emergency disaster alerts and public warnings in various networks, and help reduce the cost and complexity related to operations required for various media organizations to establish proprietary systems for receiving disaster alert messages.Furthermore, the system should be able to effectively collect and immediately forward disaster information as well as alerts to various areas and regions. It should also be able to issue national disaster alerts. The system should also automatically convert messages to be publicly announced and transmitted on various transmission media, such as television or radio. In 2004, the CAP1.0 version was accepted into the OASIS standard, and the latest version was announced in 2008. Then, the CAP-EAS was established for developing related disaster-prevention hardware industries and applications. Since last year, Taiwan's public and private sectors have been working together to develop the OASIS Common Alerting Protocol v1.2 standard and produce a Taiwan profile. It uses simple XML and portable structures, and supports various message formats to convert traditional alert messages into unified common formats.Wen-Ray Su, Associated Research Fellow, National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR)

The themes of the International Smart City Forum in 2014 included 4G, Internet of Things (IoT), and the aerotropolis. According to Ruey-Beei Wu, President, Institute for Information Industry (III), a total of 135MHz of bandwidth for 4G operations was auctioned in Taiwan in 2013, raising NT$110 billion. The government will invest more than NT$10 billion in projects that accelerate the availability of 4G applications, and 4G is indeed a key future trend.For the development of IoT, Wu said Morris Chang, chairman TSMC, also agrees that IoT is the next big thing and will generate demand for advanced packaging, smart sensor devices, and low-power-consumption components.As for the aerotropolis project, the government will make an investment of over NT$100 billion to establish the Free Economic Pilot Zone, which consists of six major seaports and one airport. The project will push Taiwan to the next stage in the development of smart cities.Smart city development must be planned through a top-down approach, with thorough arrangements in place to address different needs. For example, people's daily needs are the most important requirements for smart city development. Therefore, each city must be developed differently to achieve different goals such as the development of smart transport for traffic jam problems and flood control solutions for areas prone to flooding.To achieve further progress in the development of smart cities, economic growth must be transformed into support for people's needs. Wu also emphasized the importance of universal value such as environmental protection, health, education, and human rights.With an increasing number of people moving to cities, urbanization has intensified. Therefore, the development of smart cities must be able to address demand from a huge population. Wu thinks ICT technologies such as cloud computing, big data, wireless broadband, social networks, and information security will play a key role in solving the abovementioned problems.In recent years, foreign countries have seen the development of smart city-related ICT technologies which have bred many business opportunities. In June 2013, Google acquired Waze for nearly US$1 billion to help its integration of social networks and e-map. Through the information from social networks, drivers can access more real-time information such as road safety, traffic routes, and suggested gas stations. These efforts have brought about the era of smart transportation.In early 2014, Google acquired smart home appliance company Nest for US$3.2 billion. Nest's main products include temperature control systems and smoke detectors widely used in American homes. Purchasing the company with IoT technologies at such a high price not only serves as a solid indication that Google is eying the smart home market but also indicates business opportunities brought about by mobile phone apps, wireless applications, social networks, and cloud computing for smart cities.Taiwan has achieved significant results in smart city development, said Wu. New Taipei City and Hsinchu City have been selected as the candidates of seven global leading smart cities by International Smart City Forum. Taipei City, Taoyuan City, and Taichung City have all won the award before, indicating the strong potential of Taiwan's urban infrastructure.With the support of the government's Free Economic Pilot Zone initiative, Taiwan's ICT industry will enjoy great advantages in the sensor market, stated Wu. The government-led platform will provide vendors with an outstanding environment to test and promote a variety of applications.The Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport handles 30 million travelers a year. Smart technologies can thus be integrated with various applications such as transport, sight-seeing, shopping, and logistics, allowing foreign visitors to access information in need or providing more secure consumption services for them as soon as they get off the plane. These advanced business applications are all worth to be developed.When shopping in a duty-free store in the airport, consumers can claim for a VAT refund using their mobile phone apps. They can also have the products delivered to designated locations using smart logistics services. As soon as they return home, the products will have arrived at their destinations.The Institute for Information Industry has spent a lot of efforts establishing a demonstration zone in areas near Taoyuan Aerotropolis. According to Wu, Taiwan's high-quality, affordable medical treatment, friendly services, good public safety, and adequate privacy protection has made it the best place to develop smart healthcare in the Asia Pacific region. The combination of advanced virtual medical care and the cooperation with overseas research institutions in talent training will enable Taiwan to expand to the education market.Cloud IDC also posts great opportunities for Taiwan's future development. With the integration of the abovementioned technologies and platforms, the smart aerotropolis project will serve as a tangible example of smart cities. Wu hopes smart city development will encourage people to pursue a happy life characterized by high living quality, morality, and good taste, while achieving the goals of environmental protection, sustained development, and public welfare.Ruey-Beei Wu, President, Institute for Information Industry (III)

Although the IoT (Internet of Things) can serve as the foundation for the various services in a smart city, the surge in the number facilities, devices, and sensors that connect to the IoT means that additional requirements for the processing, integration, and exchange of messages are emerging. Cisco has proposed the IoE (Internet of Everything) as well as the concept of "fog computing" in the hope of providing smart cities with an even smarter information exchange platform through efficient integration.Mature IoT (Internet of Things) technologies are the key reason why smart cities are able to operate intelligently, allowing cities to accurately obtain sensor data transmitted by facilities and equipment in order to engage in further analysis, management, and decision making, and thereby providing a variety of smart services. However, with the rapid increase in the number of sensors, equipment, and facilities that connect to the smart city infrastructure, the issue of how to process the massive amounts of data sent back through the IoT network in a highly efficient manner is becoming crucial for the further development of smart cities.Development of smart cities relies on sound IoT foundationsBased on the IoT concept, Cisco has proposed the IoE (Internet of Everything). The IoE is in fact an extension of the IoT, where smart cities of the future see not only equipment, facilities, and services, but also users themselves all connecting to the network to exchange data. The level of operational performance experienced when users, systems, or services connect to the exchange platform to access or share information, directly affects the quality of services provided by smart cities. To this end, the networking application performance requirements found in IoE application environments must be addressed at the basic networking level.In light of the challenges faced with IoE environments, Cisco proposes fog computing as a solution. Fog computing is a paradigm that extends cloud computing and services to the edge of the network - fog can be thought of as being even closer to people, places, and things than clouds. Fog computing can also serve as the layer of computing and processing situated between M2M (Machine to Machine) networks and the cloud. Fog computing's technical goal is to solve the issue of the massive amounts of data produced by M2M networks, as well as to satisfy the data sharing and reuse requirements of different smart service entities or platforms.Using fog computing to increase the value of data on M2M networksAccording to Tony Hsieh, Systems Engineer, Cisco Systems Taiwan Ltd., by first clearly describing the role of networks, we can provide an even clearer definition for fog computing. Users connect to individual networks to engage in the collection, analysis, processing, and transmission of information. They use a variety of devices to connect to the Internet to obtain information and data. In addition, many corporations have independent networks for internal use. These closed networks may provide services including enterprise applications and databases, etc. Cities also have networks for public services, such as gas, electricity, and water. There are also factory networks.In the past, these different networks were usually mutually independent, each having their own specific communications protocols. However, with the development of smart cities, we need to integrate these mutually independent network entities in order to realize the true value of the diverse range of smart applications available.Tony Hsieh pointed out that in IoE environments, we wish to connect these independent networks one by one, connecting individual (user) networks, public facility networks, as well as corporate networks into a consolidated platform, facilitating the sharing of the massive amounts of information produced by users, data, process flows, as well as various devices/facilities, and allowing smart cities to deploy even more value-added smart applications.By integrating and adding additional value to this open information, valuable applications can be provided.Establishing a foundation for the development of smart applications by building a smart city data exchange platformThe IoT includes networked applications from various devices and equipment, and engages in the integration of sensors, equipment, as well as back-end communication gateways. Under the concept of IoE, the amount and complexity of the data produced is even larger and even more complex. As an example, an individual person produces data, and when that person communicates with another person, more data is produced. When that person uses wearable devices, data is produced when they interact with the wearable device or when sensors generate information. When people start using more and more wearable devices, and large numbers of users begin to communicate with each other, all of the resulting information is transmitted to the network for computation, processing and analysis.If all data generated by all objects were to be simply sent through the gateway, the computing, processing, and analysis loads of the IoE would be transferred to the platform, resulting in a processing bottleneck on the smart city platform.Under the concept of fog computing, processing procedures are executed at the gateway, allowing pre-processing of the M2M data and generating meaningful, consolidated, semantic information instead of just raw data. This reduces the information processing loads of the smart city data exchange platform. As for the data itself, it would be worthwhile to make the data entering the smart city information exchange platform even more complete, allowing entities from different application networks to more easily exchange, as well as obtain, meaningful information. It would also be worthwhile to integrate even more value-added services.Smart cities will create new business opportunitiesAs an example of how the efficient integration of user information could lead to new opportunities for service providers we can think of a typical LBS (Location Based Service) application. A mobile phone app could integrate user coordinates and combine that information with other value-added services, such as GIS (Geographic Information Systems), indoor navigation, and even socially guided shopping. During this process, information generated for the user includes positioning coordinates obtained from the mobile phone's cellular base station, and Wi-Fi or Bluetooth positioning information obtained for indoor navigation, digital clues about the user's shopping preferences left when engaging in social networks or when browsing the Web, as well as discount and shopping information provided by the stores they are shopping in. By linking all of this information together, we are able to provide the user with the most optimal shopping discount information by quickly conducting smart analytics on all relative information. If, however, all of the exchanged information were raw data that had not yet been processed, there would be no way to provide a tight and seamless smart shopping-guide experience to the user.If we effectively integrate the Internet of Everything, we can create an even more diverse range of business models and opportunities, as well as allow our work and our lives to become even more efficient through smart services, thereby producing unlimited possibilities in terms of value-added business opportunities. According to Tony Hsieh, Cisco wants to help different customers form smart groups, providing a data sharing and exchange platform under a Smart Everything architecture, which would allow different groups and entities to engage in mutual contact and communication on the platform, eliminating the past requirement of having to create an API (Application Programming Interface) or having to use a gateway to process data exchange needs from different network platforms.Cisco has already created a variety of IoE network applications, including transportation and shipping applications, healthcare applications, manufacturing applications, as well as smart device applications. Cisco has found that in order to realize smart services in smart cities, the barriers between different groups in different industries must be taken down, allowing information to be exchanged freely through a common platform and significantly reducing the difficulty of developing smart value-added services.Current technologies, including mobile computing, cloud services, high-speed 4G connections, Big Data, and IoT, can be taken advantage of to implement these strategies. Network technologies can be used to link different sectors, while IT technologies can be used to promote industrial restructuring. Furthermore, in terms of corporate expectations, new business models, growth and innovation, new experiences, as well as globalized services will attract even more industries to participate in building smart services.Tony Hsieh, Systems Engineer, Cisco Systems Taiwan Ltd.

The development of smart cities is one of the focuses for Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA). This is because the success of the development lies closely in the development of machine-to-machine (M2M) interfaces and even Internet of Things (IoT) that requires comprehensive integration of the IP network. Hence GSMA has been cooperating with telecommunications firms around the world and through numerous interactions GSMA hopes to share Vision 2020, the developmental trend study of the future telecommunication market.As technologies continue to improve, smart city development has been incorporating structures of the new generation M2M and IoT. According to Jake Jia, Head of Strategic Engagement at GSMA Asia Pacific, in Vision 2020, the trend study conducted by GSMA with global telecommunication carriers and firms within the telecommunication service ecosystem, GSMA discovered providers of wireless telecommunication technologies, telecommunication carriers, and firms within the ecosystem will play a key role in the future development of smart cities. In addition, with government engagement and promotion, it is foreseeable that the omnipresence of the Internet and all things connected to IoT can be achieved in smart cities.Close relationships between smart city development and mobile communication industryJia stated that global smart city development trend has always been one of the focuses of GSMA. Beginning with demographic data analysis, Jia noted that in year 2020 more than half of the global population will move into urban areas and this large-scale migration will contribute to more challenges and problems. First of all, the environmental challenge. This challenge requires the government to play a key role, as the government needs to figure out how to effectively use energy, improve city environments while maintaining stable medical, education, and public services. Furthermore, with rising populations, it would be harder to manage and maintain the services. Hence, the question is how IoT and Internet technology can be applied under the concept of smart cities to improve government efficiency, and citizens' participation and satisfaction. This will become a major issue for the government to tackle when planning smart city developments.Jia believes mobile communication technology and all industrial communication technology will play a key role in smart city operations, especially when the goal for developing smart cities is to improve the quality of life for citizens. In planning and re-evaluating developments for smart services, the planning committee should keep this goal in mind and not just make smart infrastructure for the sake of it being smart. For example, Jia noted, increasing the smartness of energy supply and demand, introducing digital transportation fare systems, and transforming traditional government services into ones based on electronic or digital operations, can be adopted so citizens get to experience the value of living in a smart city.GSMA Vision 2020 study believes 4G network will facilitate smart city applicationsIn the GSMA Vision 2020 study, connectivity, the sensor, digital commerce, identity, and big data have been listed as some of the aspects in driving smart city developments. First of all, connectivity is important in the development of smart cities because it allows personal devices to be connected to the Internet at all times through M2M or IoT. As wireless communication continues to growth rapidly, such as the new generation 4G network or even 5G, high speeds and minimal delays will allow smart city developments to grow faster and show the advantages of increased smartness in services.The success of smart city development depends on sensor-related applications and technologies, said Jia, because these products allow equipment and devices to collect data and provide vital information for various smart services. Digital commerce services such as digital payment are designed to increase the convenience for users and help strengthen the concept of smart city in daily life.Sensor network with big data technology to improve smart city policy-makingJia mentioned the identity aspect as each citizen has many ID documents that are required on many occasions, such as applying for proof of residence or other services. For smart city developments, this type of IDs can be digitalized and such services can be completed via the Internet. Overcoming the challenge of transforming personal identification documents to virtual personal identification mechanisms will be a milestone for smart city developments that aim to increase the convenience for citizens.The big data concept has created much buzz, which is also an important technology in constructing smart city and related services. Following the rapid development of cloud technology, which highlights the importance of the big data application especially when this application can compile, process, analyze and share large amounts of data collected through various equipment. This allows the smart city and related services to derive more efficient and accurate policies based on the data.Communication technology affects smart city developmentsIn the Vision 2020 study, mobile network and application technology will bring dramatic changes to smart cities. Developments such as low power-consumption Bluetooth technology, Wi-Fi, and 4G/5G wireless communication technologies not only serve the purpose of exchanging information and increasing the coverage of the Internet; with mobile telecommunication network, they can rapidly bring smart services to end-user devices. In addition, the telecommunication network can connect different devices to effectively link users, mobile devices, and smart service infrastructures to achieve the goal of connecting any device at any time anywhere to the smart city services.In particular, the development of smartphones and smart mobile devices is expected to bring revolutionary changes to the development of smart cities. GSMA discovered that smartphones are now the best portal for citizens to connect to smart city services. Through smartphones, smart city services can be effectively incorporated into the daily life. In addition, under the M2M and IoT environment, all smart devices can be connected and services can be obtained through smartphones, which further strengthen the coverage and development of smart devices and smart cities.Global data usage to increase by 11-fold in 2020The role of telecommunication carriers in smart city developments was also studied. Jia stated that telecommunication carriers play a key role in the mobile communication industry. In recent years, data usage has been growing fast as previous usage was less than 10% and now demand is strong. GSMA observed that in 2020, data usage can grow by 11-fold and developing countries such as China and Brazil will lead the market.As for the sources of mobile service revenues, Jia pointed out that telecommunication operators continue to account for the major part. Although telecommunication service providers are expected to account for 50% of the mobile service revenues in 2020, the growth will slow down showing approximately 3% of growth. In contrast, within the same ecosystem, content and service providers are expected to experience faster revenue growth from products such as apps, digital content and value-added services. The revenues generated by content and service providers will become comparable to that of telecommunication service providers. The competition and cooperation within the telecommunication industry will become more heated and complex.Jia pointed out the four key aspects that telecommunication carriers and the mobile communication industry will be involved in smart city developments: personal data, IoT, digital commerce/payments, and Network 2020. For personal data, the industry should increase the security and sharing mechanisms to allow users to easily share information without safety concerns. For IoT, the industry is facing the challenge of providing a more stable and smooth network environment while meeting the demand of IoT applications. Network 2020 is not a new concept, but according to Jia, the current wireless communication network, like the 4G network which Taiwan recently completed issuing licenses, needs to figure out ways to transform from traditional telecommunication networks to all IP-based application network in order to provide innovative products and create higher values for mobile communication.Jake Jia, Head of Strategic Engagement at GSMA Asia Pacific