If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
How Melbourne Is Fast-Tracking Smart Transit Using Big Data
General Manager of IBM Cloud and Smarter Infrastructure
Today's public transportation systems are becoming simply too big, complex, and popular for humans to maintain. Maintaining this infrastructure is a complex task that's only becoming more complicated with the steady increase in population and the rise of megacities. But we are finding that our greatest assets in tackling these challenges are data and smarter infrastructure software. With sensors and mobile technology, we can finally create the smart networks we need to understand these ever-changing systems.
It was a child who nearly died that made me realize just how drastically my profession had to change. Because nearly 8 million children died in 2010 before reaching the age of five, in large part because of imminently treatable illnesses, and because 57 countries globally are facing a human resources health crisis and of those countries, each only has 1.13 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants, compared with 13.22 per 1,000 in the U.S.
Whether in junior high or in college, many students have one thing in common: a smartphone or tablet is in their pocket or backpack. According to eMarketer, by the end of 2013, smartphone users will represent over half of all mobile phone users. And by 2016, nearly three in five Americans will have a smartphone, including students.
I'm outside on a Sunday afternoon writing this column, so ostensibly I should be enjoying the cloudless blue sky and soft breeze as it whispers throug...
When I was growing up in Massachusetts, my Dad loved to work on cars. Every time he headed out to the driveway, I was right there with him. One weekend, when I was 10 or so, he told me we were off to fix a transmission. "I can't do that," I said. He replied without a pause, "People do it every day. You can certainly do it once." That straightforward advice -- and the fact that we did fix the transmission -- stuck with me.
This is the era of the city. It is also the era of the Millennial. With a growing population of bright, diverse, wired and connected young people who really care about where they live, the two are ideal for each other, but our cities must keep up in attracting the prized demographic.
Improving Your Commute, One (Smarter) City At A Time
Associate Partner, Smarter Government, Transportation, and Public Safety, IBM Global Business Services
Whether you live in Northern Virginia like me, New York, Nairobi, or Nice, road congestion and the ensuing traffic jams aren't just inconvenient; they can impede economic growth and impact the environment. Imagine how much more productive people are when they're not stuck in their cars or on the bus several hours per day. The good news is that help is on the way.
If you're a light TV viewer who just wants to watch the major networks, Aereo might be right for you.
NextLesson is a web app where teachers and parents can get access to pre-designed lesson plans or create their own. It wasn't created by a 20-year-old to jump on the next big trend. It was created by a couple of dads using the ideas and techniques of high tech to solve a real problem in education.
Countries vary dramatically in their records of environmental responsibility. Clearly there are economic and political reasons for these stark differences, but is it also possible that human psychology plays a role in creating collective pro-environmental mindsets?
How To Prevent Hunger In Upcoming Decades? Try Precision Agriculture
Chief Scientist, Deep Thunder, IBM Research
How many mouths will the world be feeding by 2050? It is an estimated 9.2 billion, up from 7 billion today. To keep pace with this growing population, global food production will need to increase by 70 percent. That means getting a lot smarter about how we raise crops.
Why Mobile Matters in the 'Era of You'
Vice President of Marketing, IBM Mobile Enterprise for IBM's Software Group
While mobile computing is becoming the darling of marketers, its explosive growth rate is rather daunting, with more customers shopping via mobile devices every day. Forrester Research anticipates mobile commerce will exceed $31 billion by 2016. And by 2020 there will be 10 billion-plus devices in the pockets and palms of consumers.
People say they'd like to influence or actively participate in their local government. In fact, according to a Civic Plus Digital Citizen Engagement survey, nearly half of those polled want to provide input in their municipal government. But turning this interest into action is one of the biggest roadblocks to implementing local community ideas. How can local municipalities tap into the increasing power of social and mobile technologies to create a community of active influencers?
Here's a question I bet no one has ever asked before: What do Mary Poppins and the International Energy Agency have in common? Answer: Both like to dish out their medicine with a spoonful of sugar.
A reliable and resilient electric grid is essential to meeting the rapidly-evolving needs of an increasingly digital society.
Of course, there is no shortage of weighty issues for Obama and Xi to discuss when they meet at the Sunnylands retreat on June 7th and 8th. But both countries would gain from an expansion of cooperative green activities. The US and China are the leading emitters of greenhouse gases, and only a joint effort between the two will provide real solutions to global warming. The costs to the US in weird and extreme weather alone are evident in Oklahoma and the Jersey Shore. And pollution is one of the most pressing problems facing Xi and China's ruling elite. Rapid economic growth has come at the cost of the health and safety of the Chinese people with fouled air, polluted lakes and rivers and poisoned food supplies. Environmental issues are the leading cause of public outcry and demonstrations. The cost to China of environmental damage has been measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
