City to get smart with wifi seating

“Smart street furniture” with high-speed wifi will be among new high-tech amenities soon rolling out across Geelong, the Federal Government has announced.
Streets lights that brighten to deter criminals and sensors indicating available parking spaces were some of the other upgrades to “switch on” Geelong as part of the city’s Smart Technology Project, the government said.
Cities and Digital Transformation assistant minister Angus Taylor announced federal funding for the project on Wednesday, linking it to Geelong’s transformation from a “traditional manufacturing” city.
Geelong’s council would “partner” Canberra and private operators to deliver the upgrades, Mr Taylor said.
The Federal Government had contributed $415,000 from a Smart Cities and Suburbs Program to build on $518,000 so far from City Hall and its “private partners”, he said.
“Smart street furniture will literally switch on the city, meaning residents and visitors can easily plug into a range of technologies (such as) charging your electric car, digital signage to assist the all-important tourism sector, street lights with sensors that react to anti-social behaviour,” Mr Taylor said.
“The Smart Cities and Suburbs Program wants to support clever ideas that fix local problems like street crime and lack of connectivity and that can be replicated in other places, particularly in the outer suburbs of our cities and the regions.
“We’re actively looking at projects to support the Geelong region transitioning from traditional manufacturing to a more diverse digital economy.”
Federal Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson said the Smart Technology Project would “help drive innovation in Geelong”.
“One of the important capabilities of this technology is that it allows collection of real-time data on what’s going on around the city, which will give local planners a great head-start,” Ms Henderson said.
“The Geelong region has a proud history of innovation, creativity, and smart technology, as recognised by Geelong’s recent induction into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.”