The City of Coral Gables in Florida has become the first city in the USA to install a smart city technology solution powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The innovative, AI-powered Ekin Spotter provides public sector agencies and law enforcement providers with next-generation data analysis capabilities. This will improve city planning, traffic and enforcement, public safety, environmental protection, wifi access, and more.
Coral Gables’ new ‘Smart City Pole’ is the first of its kind implemented in the USA. The city’s pilot project includes installation of the Ekin Spotter on the west median of Alhambra Circle and Ponce in downtown Coral Gables. The technology was specifically engineered to meet Coral Gables’ smart city goals, as well as Florida building codes with wind load requirements, the city’s engineering standards (ASCE 7-10) and telecommunications and sensor technology and interoperability requirements.
The Ekin Spotter has been honored with global innovation and design awards, including USA CES 2021 and German IF Design. The patented technology offers an all-in-one avant-gardist design backed by advanced aerospace engineering and science of material principles. The AI-powered technology consolidated into the city’s pilot project includes public free wifi, CCTV, traffic, and safety sensors (vehicles, pedestrian, multimodal, speed, red-light, public safety, situational awareness), environmental sensors (air quality, noise, weather), computer vision and AI IoT edge analytics and alerts.
“We are proud to be a leading city in innovation and technology,” says Peter Iglesias, Coral Gables city manager. “This smart pole with safety cameras, public wifi, traffic and environmental sensors will assist emergency management in creating a safer community for residents, business owners, and visitors. We are always looking for opportunities to be a leader in cutting-edge technologies.”
The Ekin Spotter provides live video and real-time analytics to the Community Intelligence Center (CIC) and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The Spotter has also been integrated to the City’s Urban Analytics artificial intelligence platform, which provides sensor data and actionable information to citizens and city employees on the smart city hub platform www.coralgables.com/smartcity.
“A bonus aspect to this smart pole is its sleek design which was created specifically for Coral Gables to withstand hurricane winds in compliance with Florida codes,” explains Iglesias. “With no external wiring, boxes, or attachments, the city can increase its smart technologies while remaining aesthetically pleasing using durable aluminium.”
Ekin’s smart city solutions use AI and high-resolution video sensors to turn everyday cities into smart cities, including the analysis of traffic patterns and rush hour congestion points to improve traffic flow and prevent accidents. Smart City Environmental Analysis inputs include air quality, temperature, humidity, and carbon monoxide. Video monitoring includes multi-modal traffic analysis, parking management, red light enforcement and speed detection. Its compact design allows for easy placement within the cityscape.
“We are proud to partner with the City of Coral Gables on our first US smart city pilot program featuring the Ekin Spotter,” says Akif Ekin, founder and chairman of Ekin. “Our commitment to flexible design helped ensure that we met the city’s needs, including withstanding hurricane-force winds and fitting within the aesthetics of the city center. Together, we are helping make Coral Gables a safer, more enjoyable place to live – with a focus on environmental impacts, traffic improvements, and public safety. Ekin’s flexible smart city solutions make it easier for officials to understand their cities and create impactful policies that promote safety and well-being for all residents.”
Ekin’s modular design provides local governments with the ability to customize each device and collect and analyze the data needed to make informed policy changes to promote a safer, healthier living environment. The Ekin Spotter is a self-contained unit that requires no additional hardware or infrastructure. Using Ekin’s proprietary Red Eagle (OS), a dynamic software solution with a user-friendly interface, open integrable architectures for integration into existing solutions, municipalities can centrally manage all the data collected by Ekin’s products citywide.
