In partnership with Current, powered by GE, the City of San Diego, Calif., announced a $30 million investment to deploy a smart city IoT sensor platform.

Transforming its street lighting into a connected digital infrastructure, San Diego will collect real-time sensor data across the city that can be used to develop applications that may benefit the community. The open data platform offers potential opportunities to increase safety, optimize municipal systems, and create real-time environmental awareness.

San Diego skyline. “Fostering innovation and improving infrastructure are important to enhancing the lives of all San Diegans,” San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said. “This new technology will give the City and developers the opportunity to make our neighborhoods safer and smarter.”

Current specializes in creating intelligent environments for commercial buildings and industrial facilities. The business unit says it has been working to extend similar digital capabilities across cities via their lighting infrastructure. The company’s CityIQ sensor nodes will be installed on 3,200 of San Diego’s street light poles as the city upgrades 14,000 light fixtures to Current’s Evolve LED luminaires.

Graham said the initial 3,200 intelligent nodes across the city are just the first step, with potential to expand to another 3,000 sensor points later this year.

In addition to the intelligent sensor installation, approximately 25% of San Diego’s outdoor lights will be upgraded as part of the solution. Current will install 14,000 new LED fixtures across the city, which is expected to save San Diego an estimated $2.4 million per year in energy costs. Each fixture comes equipped with an advanced controls system called LightGrid which allows city managers to dim, brighten, and check maintenance on the lights remotely through a single dashboard.