SIGNAL ICT Graduate School was pleased to again host Tim Packer, who entertained audiences with his insights on ‘Smart Cities’ in both Dunedin and Christchurch.
Tim, previous SmartCity Solutions Team Lead at NEC NZ Ltd and Founder of BucketLabs (Paving the way for Smart Nation), shared his insights of how data and emerging technologies can make our cities better designed, economically viable, safer, healthier places for us to live, work and play. For example, in Wellington Tim has used technology and the information it captures to address homelessness issues in Cuba Street. His team also developed the small affordable device shown in Tim's hand and on the screen, which reads air pollution data, which can be used to direct dangerous areas, and help decide where certain tree species can be planted to reduce harm by 80%.
It’s a fascinating journey steeped with challenges and opportunities we all face in our communities, and with the right technologies we can develop a better future for ourselves and future generations.
A big thank you to BucketLabs NZ, and our co-sponsors 2Degrees Ltd and University of Canterbury - College of Engineering, for making these events happen during Techweek19.