And, being a techie, I sometimes assume that folks “get it” when I start espousing the virtues of some new technology.   Thankfully, I have great friends and neighbors that remind me that these high tech concepts and ideas aren’t self-evident, and that often, concepts like Open Data or the Internet of Things, are harder to understand. So, let me try.

As an example, let’s talk about the Internet of Things, or the Internet of Everything. What does it mean, and why should we care?

Well, let me try to explain.

What is the Internet of Things?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a concept that says that any electronic device can be connected to the Internet, and (potentially) to each other. With the increasing reach of the Internet, and with more and more devices having wifi and radio frequency ID (RFID) connectivity capability, as well as the decreasing costs of these devices – more and more of what we use everyday connects to the Internet, and shares information with it. In fact, according to a variety of sources (Gartner, Cisco and others), more than 5 Billion devices are connected to the internet today – some say it will be 25 billion by this year, with 75 billion by 2020.

Internet of Things Infographic – Cisco

Number of IoT – Cisco

Yes, this is happening now.  You know it is, because you probably have a smartphone that is connected right now.  But what you might not realize is that there are a slew of other devices connected, as well.  From a toothbrush that can watch to make sure your children are really brushing their teeth well, to a voice-activated smart outdoor grill that will notify the user when their food is ready, to even a sensor loaded and connected tennis racquet (promoted by Rafael Nadal) that is said to improve your game by providing information on power, strokes, and more.  This is just the beginning.

From Toothbrushes to Racquets

What you may NOT know, is that companies of all types are using it to improve their services – from UPS who is using sensor data from their 80,000 vehicles to provide information on the speed, miles per gallon, number of stops, etc – to save money and improve delivery routes.  By using this data effectively, they have saved more than 39 million gallons of fuel through route optimization and reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the number of miles and idling time.

From UPS Press Room

Just think about Disney, the mecca of great customer service (and Mickey Mouse.) Disney World  is now using the MagicBand, which I would say is the new height of IoT. The MagicBand is a wristband that is not only a key into your hotel room, but also provides you access into the park(s), as well as allowing you to buy food and merchandise. On the back end of this system, Disney is using this data to track visitors throughout the park, knowing proactively where visitors are, and thereby able to support more visitors, and to better staff rides and restaurants.  Not only that, but kids and adults can personalize their wristbands to make them their own.

Photo by Erik

Photo by Kevin Baird

Why do we care?

So, this is all great information – but really, why should we care?  Well, for lots of reasons.

FIRST – it can mean big life changes are in store.

My FitBit

How? Well, just take my little FitBit, for example. A few years ago, in order to improve my commitment to my health I made a decision to wear this little guy everyday.  The FitBit counts my steps, my activity, and even the number of stairs I climb. The information is automatically sent to an app on my phone, as well as the “cloud” (just a word that means the Internet repository for this data) and it tracks my trending data. I can even set it up to track my sleep patterns. More importantly for me though, is that I’ve set it up to send this information to my company’s health and wellness program.

Why would I do that? Because for every 30 min of exercise I track per day, my healthcare incentive plan PAYS ME $5/day to my Healthcare Savings Account (up to $800/year.) The device costs less than $100. So, that’s a win of $700/year, just for me! It’s also a win for my company, because studies have shown that even 30 min of activity a day reduces healthcare costs. That’s a personal decision, for sure, and the connection to my device isn’t a requirement – but it saves me the time from going into the tool and self-reporting my exercise everyday.

Healthcare is just one industry looking at this phenomenon– from wearable fitness devices like mine, to special GlowCaps that fit prescription bottles – reminding people to take their medication; to wearable alarms for aging family members, this is just one industry poised to take the IoT to a new level.

SECOND, it can improve productivity, while also reducing costs. For real.

Here’s another example. You may have read about our new Solar Trash Cans made by Big Belly. This trash compactor, powered by solar energy, uses the internet to let our Public Works department know when it’s full, reducing the need for our trucks to drive around and waste time, gas and people to empty partially filled trash cans. The power of the Internet is saving us money, reducing our carbon footprint. And, keeping analytics on these activities will continue to allow public works to improve their services, over time.

At home, you can use all types of IoT tools to help defray costs and improve your own productivity. You might have heard of NEST – the smart thermostat that monitors the actual activity in your home during the day, while also watching real-time weather forecasts – to reduce your energy usage (saving you money), and to moderate the temperature in your home.

And have you ever wanted to better manage your irrigation water usage?  I have a friend who uses the Rachio smart sprinkler, to be able to control his water irrigation system, from anywhere. The system knows about the changes in weather, adjusts the watering to the seasons, and manages his irrigation dependent on his own lawn’s needs, rather than being on a “set schedule.”

From Home Depot

Don’t forget, Town of Cary water customers also have a tool at their disposal today. Aquastar will allow you to use data to manage your own water usage. (Read my blog post here.)  By reviewing your water usage data, as well as setting up alerts in Aquastar, you can tell if you have a leak, a toilet running, or see your trending water usage, even when you aren’t there.

And THIRD, this is just the beginning.

More and more of our world and devices are being connected. Sure, there are refrigerators that will send you an email when you are low on milk, (yeah, that’s an old example), but there are also scenarios that can really change your life, such as the air quality sensors that are located all around Boston.  Just think of the opportunities for folks that have asthma – with the Internet of Things sensors, folks with severe asthma and other respiratory issues can connect their smartphones to this network, and then proactively receive messages when the air quality is bad, and be able to track how often they use their inhaler. These kinds of IoT advances can absolutely improve their quality of life.

In fact, just doing a search online at Thingful.net ( a search database of Internet of Things, across the globe)  I found that there are a number of sensors by my house, from weather stations, to air quality stations.

Air quality station in Cary

In Cary – a Connected Bench?

Recently, the Information Services Advisory Board (ISAB) took a look at a new bench-type IoT product recently installed in Boston. It’s called the Soofa – is a place to sit, but so much more. It’s a public space styled bench, solar powered that charges smartphones, while also collecting real-time data about its surrounding environment. The data collected can be air quality related, or noise, and that data can be provided back to the cloud for analytics. There are already 6 of this installed in various locations around the Boston area.  At this point, it’s very new technology but is making waves, and something to consider over time.

What else do I need to know?

The key word is knowledge. Now that we know that more and more of our devices will be on the internet, and communicating information about us, we need to be aware and make a conscious decision whether this is data you want to share, or not.

I share this with the kids in my Internet Safety classes – YOU choose what data you make publically available. If you don’t want people to know where you are, don’t turn on “location services” on your smart phone applications, or disable geotagging on your iphone, to remove location information from your pictures.  Always be aware of your data and who has access to it.

Yes, it’s true that this is an extra step you have to take, but it’s up to us to ensure that the privacy settings that are on our devices reflect our respective privacy priorities. Just like you should be putting anti-virus software on your computer – the best defense is a good offense. Know what data the device collects, and what it shares is key. This is still an emerging technology, and as such, be aware, and always  proceed with your eyes wide open.

For me, my first set of experiences using these technologies has been life changing. Using the FitBit has provided me with a tool that reminds me of my commitment to my health. The capability to “compete” against friends and family online in FitBit challenges and steps keeps it fun and engaging for me, while the extra monetary incentive provided by my employer keeps it relevant. Sometimes, money does talk.

I’d love to know what Internet of Things experiences and tools you have and use, and what you see on the horizon!

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Feature photo from IBM, and www.comsoc.org/blog 

Academy Streetscape

The streetscape project includes a number of components:

–  “Rooms” at selected locations on Academy Street
– Modification of the intersection at Academy and Dry – widening the street into the park to provide exclusive right turn lanes onto Academy when coming from Kildaire
– New light pole options (allowing flags and other hanging ornamentation)
– Street tree lighting (up lighting and string lighting in the trees.)
– Benches, with artistic components
– Electrical infrastructure locations (big power distribution boxes (4 ft tall) and smaller pedestals (18” tall)  

Park and Street Benches

Previous to this meeting, council had already given feedback and chose a number of granite benches and the accompanying artwork with a music theme. Some of the benches are shaped like dulcimers, others like violins; I think they will be beautiful. Our goal at this point was to discuss some of the quotes that will be engraved on the benches. The idea proposed was for the quotes to make references to music, dance, singing and song, linking it to our town or state if possible (perhaps by choice of the author) and also to the location.

For example, the dulcimer benches would incorporate quotes from North Carolina poets such as Dr. Maya Angelou and R.R. Richardson.

Overall, I like the concept and idea, and many of the quotes chosen. I had a concern with one of the quotes, however. This one:

“‘Tis God gives skill,
But not without men’s hands: He could not make
Antonio Stradivarious’s violins
Without Antonio.”

My concern with this quote was its mention of God. I am leery of using Public funds to put a quote that mentions God on a public bench. Don’t get me wrong, I like the quote, and I understand that it was hanging in the nearby Violin shop when the artist was scoping locations. But I do believe in the separation of Church and State, and am sensitive to the fact that not all of our citizens would appreciate the expenditure of our taxes on a quote that mentions a God. I suggested another quote – a famous one from William Shakespeare,

“If music be the food of love, play on”

But I was outvoted. Moving on.

Our Park Fountain

The next section covered the fountain – the iconic entry to our Downtown Park.  Presented with sketches and options associated with the fountain, Council was unanimous in our praise of the design – simple, yet elegant. We decided on adding an additional water pump, to provide options for water usage, asked staff for additional costs for lighting, and turned down additions of adding bronze to the bowl and bronze columns. I cannot wait for this fountain to be constructed, and for the first wedding pictures to be taken in front of it. It will be stunning!

Next steps

After staff completes right of way acquisition for the streetscape, we will soon see things happening downtown.  Please be patient as construction begins, and detours are added to allow for the work to move forward.  Here is the timeline:

November 2014 – Design complete

Spring 2015 – Begin construction

Summer 2016 – End construction

As always, thanks for listening and please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns.

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Pictures from our Town of Cary materials presented at the work session.

Aquastar is the name we use in Cary to refer to the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system for our water. The Aquastar program replaces what WAS the monthly manual reads of your water meter, with a wireless system that collects multiple remote meter reads every day. The technology used is often referred to as part of a Smart Grid infrastructure. The vendor of the system, Sensus (in Raleigh), worked closely with the town to find the right solution, while Johnson Controls developed and managed the project.  (In what the Town Staff refers to as “The Cary Way.”  I like that!)

(Here is the video that the Town used to share the process with all of us.)

Aquastar History

The project started with a proposal in November of 2009, when Cary was manually reading over 57,000 meters per month in Cary and Morrisville. (Yes, Cary is the water utility provider to Morrisville.) That meant that trucks were rolling – and a number field personnel working for the Town were driving to your neighborhood and walking to read your water meter.

With this new system of 63,000 wireless water meters, the system can monitor water usage and report the usage back to Town Hall. That means that the Town will realize the cost savings associated with:

– significantly reduced fuel consumption (over 7,000 gallons a year),
– a lower carbon footprint (71,000 miles of truck usage off the road),
– along with reduced headcount (10 people), and reduced worker’s compensation by reducing job-related injuries.

The total budget of the project is $17.9 million, which was funded through the Town’s utility fund. Originally, Aquastar was projected to save the Town (and taxpayers) $2.4 million dollars. (Which is great!)

However, the finance department has found that THAT number was conservative. A recent cost analysis shows that we will save close to $10.2 million dollars, which is great news for our utility ratepayers!

Saving Water

There are also other huge benefits besides the cost savings. With this system, we can find a leak when it’s much smaller – so that it can be repaired more proactively, and sometimes, finding leaks earlier means a cheaper repair. And, of course, conservation is another key benefit. By giving our citizens actionable information about their water usage, the hope is that it gives us EACH the power to see what we are using, and potentially make changes to reduce our water usage.

Here’s how it works

Annotated picture from Town of Cary

1. All of our commercial and residential water meters have been replaced with Aquastar meters – meters with a wireless capability
2. Each meter will send water usage information to a regional collector 4 times a day.
3. The collector will forward that information to Town Hall.
4. And, starting in March, customers will have access to a Website with detailed information that will provide a graphical view of their water usage.  (This will be available off of your Online Billing page.)

With this capability, the Utility services will have more than 500 million data points per year. This will help narrow down any problems in the system, and also for them to notice any trends that may help improve efficiencies.

The members of the Information Services Advisory Board and members of the Technology Task Force got a sneak peak into the tool recently.  They all gave valuable feedback, and a number of changes have been made based on that feedback.   New enhancements to the tool are also coming, so make sure to give you comments, as well.

What can you learn from all this data?

Well, quite a lot. The Aquastar Webportal will show you a rolling 13 months of data – giving you the ability to compare your most recent month with the same month of the last year. You can drill down into a month, to see the weeks, days, and finally, hourly usage. You can also look at a particular data range, as well. (All of this data can be downloaded for the real geeks to use in a spreadsheet, if you are so inclined. )

For instance, look at this data below.

What can you see? Something very interesting. Look at the “Hourly Water Usage” section line chart. Notice that on December 29th, from 3am to 7am, the water usage does not ever go to ZERO. It just hovers at a few gallons an hour. That’s because there was a leaking toilet in the house.

This homeowner was able to use the data to realize this, (and to realize that the toilet had been leaking for a while before), and to fix it.  (Notice how her graph goes to ZERO after the fix later that day!)

This is a small example – but just think of it. That’s not only wasted water, but you are not only paying for the water, you are paying for the sewer associated with that.

I also heard several stories from staff and homeowners, where Town Staff were able to proactively contact a citizen to let them know that they had a leak. In one case, letting them know helped them identify that their water heater was leaking (sometimes that’s the first step before you water heater dies), and in another case, actually SEEING the system was leaking, and proactively turning off the water before significant damage was done to their house.

How much water are we talking about?

The typical Cary resident uses about 50 gallons of water – per day, per person. That’s for indoor usage, not for irrigation systems. (That number goes up to about 60 gallons per day, per person if you include outdoor uses.)

It’s possible to use less – and many folks do. I have friends, who will remain nameless, who tend NOT to flush their toilet during the day.

Their mantra is – “If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down.”

(I’m not saying you should do that, but be aware that old toilets use about 3 to 5 gallons/flush, newer ones, about 1.3 gallons.)

Want to be proactive?

From Town of Cary

You can even set up alerts in the system for it to proactively alert you on water usage. There’s a good reason for doing that. In Cary, we used a tiered rate structure for our water usage. So, at a particular threshold, any water used over that “line” becomes more expensive. Using just 1,000 gallons? You are charged $3.60. Using 6,000 gallons? You are charged $3.6 for the first 5,000 gallons, and $4.08 for the last 1,000 gallons…. And so on. You might want to be alerted when you jump over a threshold.

Or, maybe you want an alert when you exceed a particular number of gallons in a single day? That’s possible too. All of this gives you more power – more power to know your usage, on a daily basis rather than waiting for your monthly bill, when it’s really to late to make any changes to affect your bottom line.

Coming Soon

Hopefully you will find that this new system is a step in the right direction for Cary. Yes, there are still opportunities to enhance our system. (For instance, I can’t WAIT to NOT get a paper bill. ) And the usability and graphics will improve over time. But the power to see WHAT you use, close to WHEN you use it, is great. I’m looking forward to the new capability as a way to help in my own water conservation efforts.

Thanks for listening! And always feel free to contact me if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Featured photo by Stephen A Gregory