One Brooklyn
May 9, 2016
BOROUGH PRESIDENT JOINS WITH BROOKLYN-BASED FLOWTHINGS.IO AND DELL TO COLLECT AND IMPLEMENT LIVE DATA AT BROOKLYN BOROUGH HALL IN ORDER TO IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND PROTECT TAXPAYER DOLLARS
BROOKLYN, NY, May 9, 2016: Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams announced a three-month partnership with Brooklyn-based flowthings.io and Dell to implement “internet-of-things” (IoT) solutions at Brooklyn Borough Hall to establish New York City as a leader in smart city development.
flowthings.io is a DUMBO-based IoT company that uses its on-demand platform to process and orchestrate real-time data. The flowthings.io solution enables apps, dashboards, and data visualization that monitor things such as energy usage, Americans with Disability Act (ADA)-accessibility, environmental conditions, and equipment. The company was recently named “one of the 10 innovative companies to watch in 2016” by Forbes magazine.
“Government must keep pace with the technological changes that are transforming our economy in the 21st century,” said Borough President Adams. “Deploying state-of-the art technologies in Brooklyn Borough Hall will allow us to protect the safety of staff members and visitors, expand accessibility, and create energy and operating efficiencies that produce savings for taxpayers. Brooklyn Borough Hall has now, literally, become a critical center for research and development in the vibrant technology sector of our borough.”
The deployment with flowthings.io uses Dell’s powerful new Edge Gateway 5000, which connects to sensors such as smart-strips and smart-plugs to measure energy usage in rooms throughout Brooklyn Borough Hall; multi-sensors to identify whether critical infrastructure is operating efficiently, and ultrasonic rangefinders to identify whether ADA-designated entrances are accessible in real-time. State-of-the art device counters will monitor occupancy capacity in rooms that often experience overcrowding, including Brooklyn Borough Hall’s courtroom and community room. All of these technologies will be operating with strong access rules to ensure data privacy and security.
“Job growth in the technology space will certainly result from our initiative with Borough President Adams and Brooklyn,” said Eric Alterman, CEO of flowthings.io. “The IoT is an emerging ecosystem where cities such as Brooklyn will deploy innumerable sensors that communicate real-time data to a wide range of apps, visualizations, analytics, and big data systems. flowthings.io can be understood as the ‘nervous system’ that makes real-time data available to developers and other solution providers in secure, flexible fashion.”
This partnership with Dell and flowthings.io will allow Brooklyn Borough Hall to serve as a research and development venue in helping to advance these innovations.
“Harbor Research estimates that by 2020, smart systems will create more than 194 petabytes of data. It’s a big job to capture, analyze, and use all that data to optimize experiences and support business growth,” said Andy Rhodes, executive director, Commercial IoT Solutions, Dell. “We’re excited to be a part of this project and think Brooklyn is in a unique position to use data to drive innovation.”
Beyond the gains in energy and governmental efficiencies, Borough President Adams is committed to ensuring that the burgeoning IoT sector is one that also creates long-term jobs for Brooklynites as well.
“I want Brooklyn to be the leader in smart city technologies, and the jobs that they will create,” said Borough President Adams. “There are currently dozens of smart city companies in New York City, and through investments I’ve made to support STEM education, I am committed to creating a workforce that will be able to fill those future jobs.”
He added that Brooklyn is just getting started in the IoT sector:
“The pilot program with flowthings.io and Dell at Brooklyn Borough Hall is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Borough President Adams. “I will continue to support innovation that will improve the quality of life and job prospects for Brooklynites, whether through the use of monitors to help reduce tenant harassment or more advanced technology to maximize our existing infrastructure.”
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