BENGALURU, India, February 12, 2009 - Cisco today announced a pilot program to assist the government of Karnataka in developing a road map for an intelligent and sustainable Bengaluru city.
The announcement was made today at the Cisco campus in Bengaluru, after a meeting between B.S. Yeddyurappa, the chief minister of Karnataka; John Chambers, Cisco chairman and CEO; and Wim Elfrink, Chief Globalisation Officer and EVP, Cisco Services. As part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Cisco will work with the Karnataka government to share relevant experiences and best practices from its work in other parts of the world, including conducting workshops, requirement studies and architectural designs for the pilot project.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. B.S. Yeddyurappa said, "Public safety and security, health care, and energy being our primary focus, we are looking to work closely with Cisco, in developing a world-class urban infrastructure for the citizens of Karnataka. We are delighted to collaborate with a world technology leader like Cisco in this important initiative."
Mr. Elfrink said: "The vision of the Karnataka government for Bengaluru is exemplary. Cities which run on information will transform the quality of life for citizens, drive economic growth, and improve city services and management. Particularly in these difficult economic times, cities which use the network to accelerate and multiply their infrastructure investments will be those which not only survive challenges but thrive and lead into the future. The signing of this MoU and the presence of our Globalisation Centre East in this city gives us the opportunity to work closely with the authorities and apply our knowledge and experience to play a role in Bengaluru city's transformation."
The MoU was signed at the Cisco campus by Naresh Wadhwa, president and country manager, Cisco India and SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), and Ashok Kumar Manoli, principal secretary, information technology and biotechnology, the government of Karnataka.
This project is part of Cisco's global 'Intelligent Urbanisation' initiative announced today from Cisco's Globalisation Centre East, designed to help cities around the world use the network as the fourth utility for integrated city management, a better quality of life for citizens, and economic development. Bringing together a broad portfolio of products, services, partners and solutions across Cisco, the initiative is initially focused on intelligent, sustainable solutions for public safety and security, transportation, buildings, energy, health care and education.
This partnership builds on Cisco's technology expertise around the world in cities like San Francisco, Amsterdam and Seoul to help promote sustainable, intelligent urban development practices.
As part of the pilot program, Cisco will work with Karnataka State Road Transport Corp. and the Karnataka police to improve public safety and security around one of the major bus terminals in Bengaluru. The project will help enable public safety and security at strategic points within the terminal, offering remote monitoring capabilities with real time information.
The chief minister and other senior officials were also taken through a tour of Cisco's Intelligent Urbanisation exhibition, which demonstrated solutions for public safety and security for Bengaluru. As an example of how technology can be used to improve security operations, Cisco showcased its own internal Security Operations Centre. Real-time security monitoring and alerts, video surveillance tools, acoustic sensors, card-readers with biometric recognition, automatic alerts and security activation systems were the highlights of this module. Through simulations, the Cisco team demonstrated how automated responses and technology can help reduce the potential for human error and time lags.
In addition to public safety and security, technology solutions were displayed at the Intelligent Urbanisation showcase around what the concepts would mean in the areas of transportation, health care, energy, buildings and connected real estate.
Cisco's Globalisation Centre in Bengaluru, established as part of a total investment in India of US$1.16 billion, is already a showcase of the technology components of the company's Intelligent Cities vision. The campus in Bengaluru is ISO 14001 certified, which is the internationally accepted standard for environmental management systems. The initiatives at the campus include solar lighting and daylight harvesting, rainwater and treated sewage water harvesting for irrigation and fertilization, network-controlled lighting and HVAC systems, and a ubiquitous security system.
Through the various programmes and initiatives that it has undertaken at the Globalisation Centre East in Bengaluru, Cisco is demonstrating its commitment to pollution reduction, environmental protection and continuous improvement in India.
