Blue City Solutions ("Blue"), the global coalition that helps improve people’s lives by testing, sharing, and implementing the best smart city solutions, officially launched at COP21 in Paris.
“Right now, every city in the world is fighting its own battle when it comes to procuring and implementing complex smart city systems. Blue assists cities in defining their technology needs while speeding the adoption of economically, environmentally and socially sustainable solutions,” said Blue City Solutions’ co-founder Michiel Frackers.
"Running a city is difficult enough," said Amsterdam CTO Ger Baron. "Cities and utilities welcome Blue, which supports independent testing and implementing of the best solutions from around the world. We look forward to sharing our best practices with other cities and learning about theirs under the auspices of Blue."
Frackers said: "There is a global need for an open and transparent marketplace where cities and utilities can connect with innovative solution suppliers. Blue will offer that open platform."
Blue aims to test at least 100 solutions per year. It will work with The Global City Teams Challenge – the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) initiative designed to advance the deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in urban environments - to identify the best solutions to be scaled globally.
Blue is a non-profit, international entity that initially operates in Europe, Asia and the Americas with offices in Amsterdam, Singapore and Washington DC. Its funding comes from private sources, government grants and test service fees.