The Smart Lamppost Asset Marketplace (SLAM): an I4Trust-experiment for secure data sharing

International consortium develops open platform to support cities ánd suppliers to scale up smart city solutions. The SLAM-project has been selected by I4Trust as showcase for effective and trusted data sharing. It will give cities control over IoT-solutions in public space, provide businesses with new opportunities, and create more livable, sustainable and inclusive cities for everyone.

Promises about the opportunities data offers for cities, are countless. Data from IoT-assets in public space can make processes more efficient, improve service delivery and contribute to livable, sustainable, inclusive cities. Many solutions are already available. At the same time these technological opportunities raise justified questions. About data ownership, privacy, ethics and security. To break the deadlock, we need an approach that is open, trusted and transparent.

A consortium of 8 companies have joined forces in the I4Trust-program to solve this and build the Smart Lamppost Asset Marketplace (SLAM). The goal is to develop an integrated, open platform that provides insight in all service processes, enables secure data sharing and offers a catalog with assessed solutions. It builds upon standards from FIWARE, TM Forum and iSHARE and will allow any IoT-supplier ánd government agency to utilize the full potential of smart city solutions. 

Smart lampposts are interesting in many ways and, for years, sketch a promising perspective as a multifunctional device that combines sensors, camera’s, EV-charging and more. There are approximately 3.5 million lampposts in The Netherlands. Using the existing infrastructure, connectivity and electricity more efficiently can create a win-win. Reality is that there are organizational and financial barriers and legitimate concerns about privacy, ethics, ownership, standards and interdependencies.

SLAM provides insight for cities and companies. Cities will know exactly what is implemented, in which lamppost and by whom. Companies get insight what is allowed on which location and which criteria and conditions apply, like Privacy Impact Assessments, registration in a sensor registry, mandatory certifications, compliance with (spatial) legislation and use of open API’s, standards and data models for data sharing. Creating an open, transparent ecosystem helps to engage citizens, allows for new business models and addresses the legitimate concerns from public administrations.

The partners in the SLAM-consortium cover the whole value chain. WeCity is developing the integrated catalog, marketplace and service portal, with help of Sensative and Civity for the FIWARE-based and iSHARE-compliant data sharing infrastructure and HubLogiq for their IoT-knowledge. Sensoterra, Teneo and Mobility Sensing will provide sensors for SLAM to test the data and service management processes. Argaleo will integrate 3D-model of smart lampposts and show relevant data in context. With help from Startup Utrecht the community will be involved to grow the ecosystem. 

With SLAM we are connecting the dots: more relevant data, better data sharing between stakeholders, more compliant, innovative solutions and easy upscaling to other assets in public space. And above all we build an open and trustworthy ecosystem that is beneficial for suppliers ánd government agencies.