IBM set to make our planet smarter

The concept envisages the use of IT to make smart grids all over the world, including India, in a bid to create an interconnected planet, writes Leslie D'Monte.

Malta a group of islands in the Mediterranean sea - is known for its dry sunny weather, knights and architectural history. More importantly, however, this Mediterranean archipelago is about to become the worlds first smart grid country.

Maltas electricity and water systems are intertwined. It depends entirely on foreign fuel oil for the production of all of its electricity and for more than half of its water supply, which filters through an energy-intensive desalination process.

The new smart grid, integrating both water and power systems, will be able to identify water leaks and electricity losses in the grid, allowing the utilities to more intelligently plan their investments in the network and reduce inefficiency.

Around 250,000 interactive meters will monitor electricity usage in real time, set variable rates, and reward customers who consume less energy and water. And by addressing the issues of water and power as a system, the Maltese government can provide citizens with better information to make smarter decisions about how and when they use power. It can also help the country to begin the task of replacing carbon-intensive fuel oil with renewable energy for the future.

Malta has contracted global IT giant IBM to install this 70 million (around Rs 560 crore) smart utility grid and replace the 250,000 analogue electricity and water meters with smart meters by 2012.

IBM is intent on using information technology to create many such smart grids all over the world including India in a bid to create a smarter planet.

Indeed! The concept is hotting up. Billions of dollars are expected to start pouring into Smart Grid development from big companies like Cisco, IBM, Intel, Oracle and Google, as well as from governments which are expected to spend billions of dollars for the Smart Grid. IBM, however, insists that its proposition is unique and more broad-based.

The world continues to get smaller and flatter. But we see now that being connected isnt enough. Fortunately, something else is happening that holds new potential: The planet is becoming smarter.

That is, intelligence is being infused into the way the world literally works into systems, processes and infrastructure that enable physical goods to be developed, manufactured, bought and sold, says Jeffery Rhoda, VP, Public Sector, Growth Markets, IBM.

IBM sees the world becoming instrumented. Imagine, if you can, a billion transistors for every human being. We're almost there. Sensors are being embedded everywhere: in cars, appliances, cameras, roads, pipelines even in medicine and livestock, notes Rhoda. He adds that the world is becoming interconnected too.

Soon, there will be two billion people on the Internet systems and objects can now speak to each other, as well. Think of a trillion connected and intelligent things, and the oceans of data they will produce.

Third, all of those instrumented and interconnected things are becoming intelligent. They are being linked to powerful new backend systems that can process all that data, and to advanced analytics capable of turning it into real insight, in real time.

Stockholm, for instance, has used smart traffic systems to cut gridlock by 20 per cent, reduce emissions by 12 per cent and increase public transportation use dramatically.

Smart healthcare systems can lower the cost of therapy by as much as 90 per cent. Smart systems are transforming energy grids, supply chains and water management, as well as helping to confirm the authenticity of pharmaceuticals and the security of currency exchanges.

With innovative digital technology and powerful solutions, IBM is also ensuring that food is traced properly as it passes though an increasingly complex global supply chain.

For instance, when Cyclone Nargis struck in May 2008, the people of Myanmar lost an estimated one third of their rice supply. Investigators in the United States were baffled by a mysterious salmonella outbreak that infected more than 1,300 people and cost tomato growers more than $100 million. These events illustrate the vulnerability of the food supply chain as well as the fragility of food supplies in general.

The IT giant is also focusing on creating smarter infrastructure. As populations grow at a fast clip, they are placing greater demands on city infrastructures that deliver vital services such as transportation, healthcare, education and public safety. However, with recent advances in technology, we can infuse our existing infrastructure with new intelligence, says Rhoda.

Every minute, for instance, during the next 20 years, 30 Indians will leave rural India for urban areas. India will need some 500 new cities. If there were ever a time to focus on the smart growth of our urban areas, that time is now, he adds.

IBM is also working to build smarter railways in some of the most complex transit systems in the world, partnering with Netherlands Railways, the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation and Guangzhou Metro in China to improve the commute of millions of travellers every day.

Mobile condition-based monitoring systems, the company argues, will provide railroads with more intelligence through continuous real-time capture and analysis of critical data, such as the health of rolling stock as well as operational data.

Sensors on cars will trigger messages based on decision modeling and analytics. Autonomic routines will then distribute the information appropriately, dispatching service, ordering parts, scheduling maintenance and performing remote diagnostics.

Eventually, such mobile technologies could reduce the need for fixed infrastructure along the wayside and give railroads the flexibility and responsiveness they need to make decisions to optimise crew schedules, add or remove cars, and integrate passenger and freight transport more seamlessly, with far fewer delays, notes Rhoda.

Smarter railroads can create competitive advantages in the ecosystem of transportation infrastructure for rail companies besides reducing the costs of adding new lines and rolling stock even as they increase customer service in a capacity constrained environment. And by taking on more freight and passenger traffic, smarter railroads can reduce congestion and improve safety on highways which will also reduce carbon emissions.

There is a tremendous mandate for positive change in the world. We have the resources to do this. Let's build a smarter planet, concludes Rhoda.