The State Grid Corporation of China Is Running a Smart-Grid Project Using Passive Optical Networking Technology | MIT Technology Review

As well as making the grid more reliable and efficient, the technology could deliver high-speed Internet, TV, and telephony.


hina has begun testing smart-grid technology that could eventually be deployed nationwide to make the delivery of electricity more reliable and efficient. It might also serve as a way to deliver high-speed Internet, TV, and telephony to the farthest reaches of the country.

The State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) is running the smart-grid project using passive optical networking (PON) technology—a high-bandwidth data wiring that can be run inside electric power cables without interference. Around 86,000 premises in China have so far been connected to the grid; if the project goes nationwide, it would cost around $2 billion to deploy.

Smart grids use computer networking to let utilities monitor everything from electricity use in customers’ homes to the performance of generators at power stations in real time. The concept has gained much attention in the United States but has been slow to catch on. This is partly because regional utilities have different ideas about how to best connect the last mile of the smart grid to users’ homes, says Rajit Gadh, a professor in UCLA’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

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In China, virtual reality stores turn open spaces into a supermarket Innovations like Prague’s QR code grocery store located in subway stations around the city have already shown how the online shopping world can still maintain a presence in public spaces. In China, e-commerce site Yihaodian is now launching its augmented reality stores, which give customers the impression of a physical store while they browse online. READ MORE…

In China, virtual reality stores turn open spaces into a supermarket

Innovations like Prague’s QR code grocery store located in subway stations around the city have already shown how the online shopping world can still maintain a presence in public spaces. In China, e-commerce site Yihaodian is now launching its augmented reality stores, which give customers the impression of a physical store while they browse online. READ MORE…

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‘Smart’ cities aim to predict — and manage — traffic future | Greenbang The “internet of things,” as the smart grid is often called, entails making our lives, homes and cities more efficient by connecting all the pieces with networking technology and applying advanced strategies like “big data” analytics to better understand how all the pieces interact. The analogy to the computing internet, though, isn’t entirely applicable. For one, the internet of things is aimed not only at making our systems work better and smarter, but to actually help predict the future. Consider that bane of metropolitan motorists everywhere, for example: the city traffic jam. Where the traditional response has been to build new roads, expand mass transit or institute congestion pricing, smart technology aims to help predict bottlenecks before they occur and manage traffic accordingly to prevent jams. Look at what IBM is currently doing in the Chinese city of Zhenjiang. Using its Intelligent Operations Center for Smarter Cities, Big Blue aims to help the city of three million use analytics to not only enable real-time bus monitoring and management, but to simulate traffic flow patterns ahead of time. By anticipating traffic problems before they happen, IBM’s Intelligent Transportation technology is designed to improve the city’s public transit system and “increase traffic throughput” … in other words, make it possible for more traffic to flow through streets without the need to build more roads or otherwise radically change the existing infrastructure. “(W)e will make our public transportation system faster and more efficient, while making our city a better place to live in,” said Mingnian Yin, director of Zhenjiang’s Reform Commission.

‘Smart’ cities aim to predict — and manage — traffic future | Greenbang

The “internet of things,” as the smart grid is often called, entails making our lives, homes and cities more efficient by connecting all the pieces with networking technology and applying advanced strategies like “big data” analytics to better understand how all the pieces interact.

The analogy to the computing internet, though, isn’t entirely applicable. For one, the internet of things is aimed not only at making our systems work better and smarter, but to actually help predict the future.

Consider that bane of metropolitan motorists everywhere, for example: the city traffic jam. Where the traditional response has been to build new roads, expand mass transit or institute congestion pricing, smart technology aims to help predict bottlenecks before they occur and manage traffic accordingly to prevent jams.

Look at what IBM is currently doing in the Chinese city of Zhenjiang. Using its Intelligent Operations Center for Smarter Cities, Big Blue aims to help the city of three million use analytics to not only enable real-time bus monitoring and management, but to simulate traffic flow patterns ahead of time. By anticipating traffic problems before they happen, IBM’s Intelligent Transportation technology is designed to improve the city’s public transit system and “increase traffic throughput” … in other words, make it possible for more traffic to flow through streets without the need to build more roads or otherwise radically change the existing infrastructure.

“(W)e will make our public transportation system faster and more efficient, while making our city a better place to live in,” said Mingnian Yin, director of Zhenjiang’s Reform Commission.

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Chinese team develop fuel cell that can clean water as it generates electricity | Physorg.com Yanbiao Liu and his colleagues from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, have succeeded in building a device capable of both cleaning wastewater and producing electricity from it. Using light as an energy source the team created a photo-catalytic fuel cell that used a titanium dioxide nanotube-array anode and a cathode based on platinum. The light energy degrades the organic material found in the wastewater and in the process generates electrons which pass through the cathode converting it into electricity. The team has published its results on Water Science & Technology.

Chinese team develop fuel cell that can clean water as it generates electricity | Physorg.com

Yanbiao Liu and his colleagues from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, have succeeded in building a device capable of both cleaning wastewater and producing electricity from it. Using light as an energy source the team created a photo-catalytic fuel cell that used a titanium dioxide nanotube-array anode and a cathode based on platinum. The light energy degrades the organic material found in the wastewater and in the process generates electrons which pass through the cathode converting it into electricity. The team has published its results on Water Science & Technology.

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Development of Sensory Cities Ramps Up in China with Application of Technologies in Key Fields : e Yugoslavia

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s proposal of the “Sensing China” strategy in August 2009 has triggered the development of “sensory cities” around the country. Along with the development of new-generation information technologies including the Internet of things and cloud computing, the development of sensory cities also focuses on the application of new technologies in key fields including urban management, environmental protection, health care and urban traffic.
In the health care field, the informatization of such sectors as public health, medical services, medical security, drug and food and health administration will help achieve the efficient, accurate and interactive collection and transmission of health care information, intelligentize the health care management and accelerate the development of the health care system.

The specific tasks include the regional health records-based health care platform, electronic medical records, public health emergency command and intelligent decision-making system, health supervision and mobile enforcement system, medical supplies tracing and quality monitoring system, as well as wireless all-in-one smart hospital.

The sensory cities focusing on health care applications will be: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Suzhou, Wuxi, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Wenzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Zibo, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Kunming.

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The biggest, baddest bikeshare system in the world: Hangzhou, China | Grist

A couple of weeks ago, I rode the Capital Bikeshare system in Washington, D.C., and I was some impressed. With 1,100 bikes, it’s currently the biggest in the nation, and it makes getting around Washington much easier than it has ever been before.

But the bikeshare in Hangzhou, China, a city of 6.77 million, blows anything in Europe, Canada, or the U.S. out of the water. Streetfilms went there recently to document the situation.

It’s got 50,000 bikes at 2,050 stations around the city. People make an average of 240,000 trips a day on the bikes, which are completely integrated into the rest of the public transit system. By 2020, the plan is to have 175,000 bikes available for use.

The bikeshare boom in China has happened in spite of the rapid onset of car culture in the last 10-15 years. According to Bradley Schroeder of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, “Now leaders are realizing that it’s absolutely impossible to build enough roads for everyone to have a car.” It’s only natural to return to the bike culture that was so prevalent in the country for so long as a solution. Watch.

Sarah Goodyear is Grist’s cities editor. She’s also on Twitter.

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IBM Global Entrepreneur | SmartCamp 2011 Events

Looking for global entrepreneurs who want to build a smarter planet

SmartCamp is an exclusive event aimed at identifying early stage entrepreneurs who are developing business ventures that align with our IBM Smarter Planet vision.

These mentoring and networking events put entrepreneurs in touch with investment firms, serial entrepreneurs, academics, marketing, communications, and technology experts that can help accelerate the solutions of startup companies to market.

SmartCamp events in 2011

Barcelona, Spain 14 Jun 2011 Apply now

New York City, New York 28-29 Jun 2011 Apply now

Tel Aviv, Israel Sep 2011 Apply now

Istanbul, Turkey Oct 2011 Apply now

London, United Kingdom 17 Nov 2011 Apply now

China Nov 2011 Apply now

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Nov 2011 Apply now

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THE SUPERSTAR: Self-Sustaining City of the Future Source: Inhabitat Beijing based MAD Architects has a new concept for a traveling and self-sufficient city. The traveling city will produce its own power and food while recycling its own waste. Their is still doubt whether the project will come to fruition but a model is planned for the 11th annual Venice Bienalle.

THE SUPERSTAR: Self-Sustaining City of the Future

Source: Inhabitat

Beijing based MAD Architects has a new concept for a traveling and self-sufficient city. The traveling city will produce its own power and food while recycling its own waste. Their is still doubt whether the project will come to fruition but a model is planned for the 11th annual Venice Bienalle.

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New Shanghai Bullet Train Is The Fastest Train in the World

singularitarian:

China, already outpacing the U.S., Japan and many European countries in the expansion of their railway system, has now broken the world train speed record, clocking in at 258.86 miles per hour during the trial run of a new high-speed train on Tuesday.

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smartercities: Chinese Traffic Jam Extends 60 Miles and Nine Days | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World If ever there were a case for the importance of good urban planning that includes mass transit, this is it: a 62-mile traffic standstill on a road leading to Beijing is now in its ninth day, with individual drivers caught in it for as long as three days. The cause of the jam — beyond the skyrocketing number of drivers in China — is heavy use of the route, the Beijing-Tibet expressway, by trucks bringing construction supplies into Beijing. The trucks don’t just add to traffic; they also damage the road, necessitating repair crews.

smartercities:

Chinese Traffic Jam Extends 60 Miles and Nine Days | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

If ever there were a case for the importance of good urban planning that includes mass transit, this is it: a 62-mile traffic standstill on a road leading to Beijing is now in its ninth day, with individual drivers caught in it for as long as three days. The cause of the jam — beyond the skyrocketing number of drivers in China — is heavy use of the route, the Beijing-Tibet expressway, by trucks bringing construction supplies into Beijing. The trucks don’t just add to traffic; they also damage the road, necessitating repair crews.

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China Pours Billions Into Electric Cars, Hybrids | Fast Company China, that contradictory land of coal, smog, and renewable energy, may be on the verge of leadership in another green technology sector: electric and hybrid vehicles. The Chinese government announced today a plan to invest up to $15 billion in a state-run venture that will research, develop, and generate standards for upcoming hybrids and EVs. The venture will also put millions of electric cars on the road in the coming years, according to the New York Times.

China Pours Billions Into Electric Cars, Hybrids | Fast Company

China, that contradictory land of coal, smog, and renewable energy, may be on the verge of leadership in another green technology sector: electric and hybrid vehicles. The Chinese government announced today a plan to invest up to $15 billion in a state-run venture that will research, develop, and generate standards for upcoming hybrids and EVs. The venture will also put millions of electric cars on the road in the coming years, according to the New York Times.

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Growth and collaboration: Embracing new challenges facing China’s life sciences market The Chinese government continues to invest in reforming its healthcare ecosystem. A key element of these reforms is the essential drug list (EDL), intended to reduce drug costs. The new EDL environment will create challenges and opportunities for pharmaceutical companies, pharmaceutical distributors and hospitals, as well as trigger changes in how they operate and compete. Integration and collaboration supported by information sharing will be required across four areas: new differentiated services development, operational excellence, sales effectiveness and supply chain optimization. To find out more, download the IBM Institute for Business Value report: “Growth and collaboration: Embracing new challenges facing China’s life sciences market.”  Download the complete IBM Institute for Business Value study: “Growth and collaboration: Embracing new challenges facing China’s life sciences market” (1.9MB)

Growth and collaboration: Embracing new challenges facing China’s life sciences market

The Chinese government continues to invest in reforming its healthcare ecosystem. A key element of these reforms is the essential drug list (EDL), intended to reduce drug costs. The new EDL environment will create challenges and opportunities for pharmaceutical companies, pharmaceutical distributors and hospitals, as well as trigger changes in how they operate and compete. Integration and collaboration supported by information sharing will be required across four areas: new differentiated services development, operational excellence, sales effectiveness and supply chain optimization.

To find out more, download the IBM Institute for Business Value report: “Growth and collaboration: Embracing new challenges facing China’s life sciences market.” 

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“A little less than a year after IBM announced the launch of its Business Analytics and Optimization Services, a client-focused consultancy to provide business analytics, it has announced the opening of a global hub in China for the development of new predictive analytics software. The new hub is to be part of IBM’s China Development Laboratory (CDL), IBM’s largest network of software labs with more than 5,000 software engineers, and follows a pattern that IBM has laid down over the past year that has seen business analytics hubs being opened in locations as far apart as the UK and India.”

IBM Extends Business Analytics Capabilities With Global HuB | CMS Wire

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