Arizona-based Iveda has launched a $1.5m project to deploy smart poles in Kaohsiung to help the Taiwanese city develop a smart infrastructure.

Iveda, a specialist in cloud-based AI video and sensor technologies, has launched the Utilus smart pole project in Kaohsiung, equipping the country’s largest harbour city with critical IoT infrastructure for smart city deployments.

Utilus brings technology such as video surveillance, AI-based video analytics, smart power system, and location-based trackers and smart sensors together in a centralised platform, which is integrated into existing infrastructure for smart city implementations.

Utilus’ smart, multi-purpose poles should help Kaohsiung solve urban problems, from improving parking and traffic management and charging electric vehicles, to detecting and notifying officials about street flooding, all through real-time data and alerts.

Today’s modern cities all have light poles through which power flows; Iveda’s technology enables local governments to tap into the existing power to equip cities with Utilus capabilities. The system acts as a microgrid, providing power to mission critical infrastructure as needed.

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

“As we dive into 2023, we’re seeing more municipalities lean into rapid development of AI, IoT and smart city technologies,” said David Ly, CEO of Iveda. “Automation is the way of the future and Iveda’s Utilus smart poles add to the foundation of physical infrastructure necessary to deploy critical smart city functions. Integrating smart street poles with multiple functional benefits will open doors for safer and sustainable modern development and construction of our cities and communities. As the supplier of Utilus, Iveda is enabling Kaohsiung to be at the forefront of true smart city innovation; they will be a showcase both nationally and globally.”

Utilus consists of a smart power management and wireless mesh communications network with wifi, 4G and 5G small cell capabilities, plus other wireless protocols as required. Additionally, Utilus includes an energy storage battery for continuous operation and backup in the case of multiple power outages.

At the bottom of the pole is Iveda’s smart pole cabinet which includes power meters from investor-owned utilities or current power companies, power distribution panels, fibre distribution box, small modular reactor that will automatically convert AC to DC for sensitive electronics, dense wavelength-division multiplexing, IoT gateway, PoE switch support for TSN, layers two and three LAN, and backup battery. This will provide all-in-one management of power and data.

The city will have the ability to scale as required with the flexibility to add AI cameras, environmental sensors, advertising and messaging displays, and intelligent and autonomous traffic sensors.

At the top of each pole are 5G small cell antennas with IP65 service cabinets.

As cities continue to grapple with the increasing need for cellular network densification in the form of 5G and future 6G small cells, smart poles are an imminent and crucial part of smart city evolution. Utilus use cases span from the reduction of emergency response time and the improvement of city services, to air quality monitoring, and crime and hazard protection for residents. Smart poles can also help cities such as Kaohsiung address growing environmental concerns while providing key monetisation opportunities for local municipalities.

Headquartered in Mesa, Arizona, with a subsidiary in Taiwan, Iveda is publicly traded.