Reliable and Connected Infrastructure is Key to Successfully Withstanding Extreme Weather Events

By Dan Evans, Director of Smart Cities, Itron

As our nation continues to respond to an active hurricane season, resilient and reliable communities are more crucial now than ever before. These communities are ones that are connected and work together, and these qualities apply not just to the folks living there, but also to the infrastructure and technologies supporting them.

Itron recently came together with NEMA to champion the creation of a Lighting System Sensor Data Model Standard, ANSI/NEMA C137.10, which helps our communities prepare for extreme weather events. The implementation of this standard empowers communities by improving safety, streamlining maintenance, and proactively addressing issues like street flooding and air quality. Interoperability can also be improved, and this allows for faster response times and more efficient monitoring of city services. For example, with hurricanes Helene and Milton, some communities were preparing for a life-threatening storm surge exceeding 15 feet. Flood monitoring sensors supporting C137.10 could be deployed throughout the susceptible communities to provide an early warning system to municipal workers and citizens allowing them to respond and potentially save lives.

The focus of this standard is better communication between different lighting systems and their networks, specifically outdoor lighting that is very often mounted on utility poles. Utilization of C137.10 can enable networked lighting solutions, on existing networks, to access standards-based sensor data. Overall, this provides companies with the flexibility to be able to integrate many diverse communication technologies into their own systems.

ANSI/NEMA C137.10 also plays a key role in the emerging Smart City market that makes data and digital technology function together to make better decisions and improve the quality of life of citizens. Both Itron and NEMA are pleased to provide a path to give communities the technologies they need to create a safer, more resilient future. The standard is an important step forward in our ongoing work to provide cost-effective solutions that support the preparation, response, and recovery from the ever-increasing threat of natural disasters.