Thorn Lighting’s Smart City comes to life at Year of Light event
At the Year of Light event in Dornbirn, Austria, Thorn Lighting unveiled their 3D live version of the popular online Smart City experience.
The 3D model brings to life the online experience which was first launched in 2012. Designed to make it easy for customers to visualise urban lighting, it incorporates real case studies and recommendations of the most energy efficient products for each application.
However as many governments strive to achieve the status of 'smart city' do we really know what a 'smart city' is? Today the definition is still very diffuse and it isn't used consistently. Thorn lighting defines a smart city as "one that uses data and deploys technology to deliver public services in innovative ways for the benefit of citizens so that they become more prosperous, sustainable and have a better place to live."
Smart lighting can have several functions within a smart city - creating an attraction, saving energy and guiding people around safely. Iain Macrae, Head of Global Lighting Applications, Thorn Lighting states "Lighting doesn't just change a space into a place unless there is something worth seeing. Normal lighting is uninteresting but today you can create an attraction with light, which will draw interest and in turn tourism to a city."
LED creates possibilities for cities inhabitants and managers to connect devices. Iain explains, "One example is the integration of sensors that respond to live traffic and road conditions, reporting back via open protocols to other city systems – truly working in partnership. Thorn can do all of this and still save energy, provide for inhabitants and travellers safety and reduce the demands on municipal budgets. With LED, the future really is about lighting people and we at Thorn are prepared for it."
The smart city 3D model will be developed further and showcased at customer events throughout the year. The aim is also to integrate real city data for an actual representation of city lighting needs in the future.
You can access the online Smart City Experience here.