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THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2017 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • 3 From the latest information on local politics, to minor sports scores, to what's going on down the street, visit www.waterloochronicle.ca CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY CITY NEWS WATERLOO CHRONICLE CITY NEWS WATERLOO CHRONICLE � e road not taken Local cities diverge on the use of narrowband technology to create city of the future By Bill Jackson For the Chronicle The City of Waterloo is taking a di� erent path in pursuing a "smart city" concept than its neighbour in Kitchener. � e question is which is the right one? Along with the Region of Waterloo, Kitchener will be the only city moving forward with the instal- lation of a narrowband network touted as having the potential to revolutionize service delivery. A majority of Kitchener councillors voted for the city's new Digital Kitchener strategy lat week. Along with a framework to improve commu- nity connectivity, the strategy includes a plan to prototype civic Internet of � ings solutions as part of a multi-year process to "make data more mean- ingful" and "break down barriers." However the narrowband network, referred to as a "digital backbone" to help bring ideas to life, won't be installed in Waterloo, Cambridge or the region's townships, save for regional roadways. � e network, which will at � rst enable Kitchen- er and Waterloo Region to remotely brighten and dim streetlights, will be installed along with the region-led LED streetlight conversion project this year. All regional municipalities have contracted out streetlight conversion under a joint $12.8-mil- lion tender. Among the benefits, the business case for LED conversion shows a return on investment of around seven years -- substantially shorter than the lifespan of the lights themselves -- and makes good sense, according to Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky. � e narrowband network, not so much. Network limitations Taking a question during Waterloo's New Year's Levee, Jaworsky pointed to a University of Waterloo report by Dr. Sherman Shen that led the city to its decision not to adopt a narrowband net- work at this time, mainly because the technology is constrained and better options will likely be avail- able in the foreseeable future. "� ough the lower data rate provided by nar- rowband devices is enough for supporting a smart lighting control system and some low-data-rate IoT applications, it will eventually fail to support future IoT and smart-city applications which require a high data rate," he said in a report. An excerpt from a detailed sta� report to Water- loo city council last June set out that concern. "� e need for the technology is not understood and is premature as advances in adaptive control tech- nologies are continuing rapidly," it noted. The report said that more staff would be needed to operate the technology and chal- lenged the notion that additional hydro c o s t s - s a v i n g s would achieve an adequate return- on-investment. Installing a narrowband network also m i g h t b e incompatible with future t e c h n o l o g , rendering it obsolete. J a w o r s k y conceded there's two different phi- losophies at work -- Kitchener spending money on potential, while Waterloo waits. "There's the potential for the usage and the benefit from it, but there's also the potential for something new coming down the pike very quickly and it could even be a single-tower solution," said Jaworsky, pointing to the one at Columbia and King Streets that vir- tually blankets the entire city. While the communication capa- bility of broadband is stronger, installing such technology at this time is cost prohibitive for local cities. It also has a shorter lifespan. According to the Waterloo report, some expect that when broadband technologies are available at each streetlight, tele- communications service provid- ers such as Bell and Rogers will be able to transmit their services to households via Wi-Fi, rather than underground hardware. Some in the industry also estimate that broadband technologies will be more readily available and more useful to munici- pal applications within two to � ve years. As a city you have to plan for forever, Jawor- sky said. "So for us to invest in technology that might have a lifespan of only a handful of years -- that's really tough. You need to invest in stu� that's going to last … and maybe partner on things that are more technologi- cally oriented so that we as govern- ment aren't b e i n g t h e technological experts." Kitchener con� dent with narrow- band � e thinking is somewhat di� erent at the City of Kitch- ener where a glossy new report promotes possibilities, including an opportunity to test new service delivery ideas. The narrowband network, which is expected to cost the city upwards of $2 million, in addition to the $6 million to replace more than 16,000 streetlights, is said to open the doors to remote meter readings, adaptive parking controls, and weather monitoring. Returning to each pole to install adaptive controls at a later date is estimated to cost between $50 and $150 per streetlight, equating to between $400,000 and $1.2 million for Waterloo's 8,000 lights. "We're making our best bet at this point, making sure that as the lights are going in we're optimizing the person going up the pole and installing it," said Dan Murray, Kitchener's director of technology and innovation services. "� ere's a lot of potential that we can use it for. Even if that potential is unre- alized, the business case is still there." According to Barry Cronkite, Kitchener's trans- portation project manager, it's all about automat- ing the city and its infrastructure to make lives more user friendly. After LED controls, Cronkite expects util- ity metering will be next. He also expects the city to test a number of di� erent projects with sensor technology to see which ones make the most sense. Even though the system might require man- power, efficiencies can be gained. Kitchener- Wilmot Hydro has a maintenance centre people call to report broken lights. "� at whole process is essentially eliminated because we will now see service requests in real time," Cronkite said. Regional transportation manager Bob Hender- son said the technology could in the future be used to count tra� c or even assist with waste disposal. "All this stu� is kind of in concept. It's not actually developed yet, but we know we can do this kind of stu� in the future with this system," he said. In addition to being able to adjust illumination, Kitchener o� cials point out that LED lights will be able to � ash, directing � rst responders to emergen- cies such as a house � res. But Waterloo throws ice on such possibilities. Applications could prove di� cult � e sta� report states that, according to consul- tations with industry experts, attempting to estab- lish advanced metering infrastructure by utilizing a network that is designed for streetlights could be problematic. It also cites liability concerns when it comes to relying on sensors for precipitation monitoring. Minimum maintenance standards legislated by the province are "very prescriptive in that regu- lar representative tours of municipal roads are mandatory and need to be completed by a compe- tent person traveling the road in a vehicle in order to determine the on-road condition," the report said. But Kitchener Finance committee chair Scott Davey said he's excited about closing the digital divide within the community. "This LED smart system, mesh network, its almost like the nervous system of what's going to be an intelligent city," he said. "� e technology is out there. It's just a matter of getting the people -- the decoders and the design- ers to put these things together and bring them forward to mass market. So it's very, very exciting stu� . "Kitchener is about technology. � is is who we are now." "� ere's the potential for the usage and the bene� t from it, but there's also the potential for some- thing new coming down the pike..." Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky