Arizona-based Iveda has launched the Utilus smart pole that brings together all its smart city technologies including video surveillance, AI video analytics, a smart power system and location-based trackers and smart sensors.

Iveda provides AI video search, IoT, video surveillance and smart city digital technologies.

All modern cities have light poles with power. Iveda taps into the existing power and equips it with Utilus, which consists of a smart power management and wireless mesh communications network with wifi, 4G and 5G small cell capabilities and other wireless protocols as required.

In addition, Utilus includes an energy storage battery for continuous operation and backup should there be a municipal power outage. With IvedaSPS and Pole Gateway, the system acts as a microgrid to provide power to critical infrastructure when needed. It can also be used for electric car charging stations.

Once light poles are equipped with Utilus, they communicate with each other, establishing a network that provides distributed video surveillance with AI video search technology and remote management of local devices such as trackers, water meters, electrical meters, valves, circuit breakers and sensors.

“Our smart city technologies are the culmination of almost two decades of product development and experience in providing cloud-based solutions,” said David Ly, CEO of Iveda. “Utilus adds a new level of security, safety and management tools for smart city initiatives. Whether it is instantly identifying and reporting a car accident or recognising a vehicle with a potential abducted child, seconds matter.”

According to San Francisco-based Grand View Research, the smart city market is valued at $1.1bn, with a compound growth rate of 24 per cent until 2030. The report said the need for sustainable infrastructure due to increasing population and urbanisation had become a prime driver for the growth of the market. Governments worldwide are trying to tackle the problems with the adoption of smart city initiatives across functional segments that include utility management, mobility and safety.

Iveda’s partner in South Africa is on the verge of deploying Utilus for a pilot smart city project at an 18-acre section of a gated community in Johannesburg estimated at over $1.5m for just the pilot.

“Our partner believes a successful pilot would result in deployment of Iveda’s smart city solution throughout Johannesburg as well as other urban areas of South Africa,” said Ly.

Johannesburg is the 16th largest built-up urban area footprint in the world with an estimated 14 million population.

Iveda is headquartered in Mesa, Arizona. Iveda Taiwan is its wholly-owned subsidiary.