NEC joins Columbia University-led National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center

• 01 Feb 2024
• TM Team
• 0 Comments

NEC Corporation has concluded a membership agreement with the U.S.-based National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Smart Streetscapes (CS3), a Columbia University-led initiative supporting the development of a rich ecosystem of streetscape applications.

It is estimated that over half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas, which are composed of streetscapes that include neighborhood streets, sidewalks and public spaces. These high-density areas are transforming how people live, work, travel, and manage urban infrastructure, which has given rise to challenges that threaten livability, safety and inclusion. However, the effective collection and analysis of streetscape data promises to make important contributions to the public good.

CS3 was founded as part of a $26 million, five-year grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)* awarded to a team led by Columbia University, together with Florida Atlantic University, Rutgers University, University of Central Florida and Lehman College in order to develop a center for Smart Streetscapes.

CS3 is now supporting the development of a rich ecosystem of streetscape applications that are built upon real-time, hyper-local sensing and can help to resolve the challenges being faced by urban communities.

NEC has a global presence in the smart city space, including the E.U., India and the U.S., and collaborates with over 60 municipalities in Japan while promoting infrastructure-collaborative mobility solutions with private 5G connectivity and C-V2X technologies, as well as portable private 5G solutions that can be built rapidly and temporarily. Moreover, in the area of climate change adaptation, the company promotes the concept of adaptation financing for disaster prevention and mitigation.

NEC has joined CS3’s Industry Advisory Board and will regularly advise the center’s leadership on research proposals and industry engagement, participate in activities with the CS3 community and government stakeholders, and help evaluate external testbed pilot proposals. NEC will also participate as a mentor in CS3’s Startup Accelerator Program, which promotes customer discovery and validation of technologies in direct communication with local communities.

"Cities throughout the world are sharing many of the same challenges, such as the impact from climate change, the coordination of traffic and the maintenance of important infrastructure. We are confident that this cooperation will promote solutions for social issues around the world through the synergistic effects of CS3 activities and NEC's experience and technologies," said Yutaka Ukegawa, Corporate Executive Vice President and President of the Cross-Industry Business Unit, NEC Corporation.

"We are very excited to partner with NEC, a leading technology innovator whose commitment to developing smart cities while prioritizing privacy, security, and fairness aligns with our values. NEC will be vital in shaping CS3’s research strategy, mentoring a globally competitive smart streetscape workforce, and facilitating partnerships with diverse stakeholders to address community-identified urban streetscape challenges," said Andrew W. Smyth, Director and PI, NSF ERC for Smart Streetscapes and Carleton Professor of Civil Engineering & Engineering Mechanics, Columbia University.

NEC and CS3 will continue to address Smart Streetscape challenges through collaboration with diverse organizations, contributing to the future of research and innovation.