City of Davao and IBM Collaborate to Build a Smarter City

ARMONK, N.Y. and DAVAO, Philippines, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) and the Davao City Government today announced an agreement to help the city scale-up its existing Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) by integrating city operations into a single system, infused with advanced technologies, to further enhance public safety operations in the city.

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Davao City, considered the nerve center of the Southern Philippines in the Mindanao region, has undergone a tremendous transformation over the last decade. The collaboration with IBM will contribute to the City's vision to emerge as the premier socio-economic and tourism center in Mindanao and across East ASEAN as well as the Asia-Pacific region.

Using IBM's Intelligent Operations Center (IOC), the PSSCC will have a centralized dashboard view that will allow the city to monitor events and operations in real time. This comprehensive view will enable officials to better predict and plan for potential issues.

To enable Davao's smarter city transformation, the IOC will integrate multiple city agencies in the PSSCC to improve interdepartmental collaboration and enhance the management of Davao's four pillars of public safety: crime prevention and suppression; emergency response; threat prevention and response; and traffic management.

"We believe that building a safer city will bring us one step closer to our ultimate goal of becoming a major growth pole in the international market," said Mayor Sara Duterte, Davao City. "By integrating information collected from multiple agencies that are dedicated to protecting the welfare of citizens, we are setting the foundation for a more efficient and safer environment that will foster economic growth."

To address the unique needs of Davao, the IOC solution is integrated with advanced technologies such as video analytics software, multi-channel unified communication and Global Positioning System (GPS) location tracking. It will provide Davao's PSSCC with capabilities including:

• A single operational platform which will enable coordination between Davao City agencies involved in responding to public safety incidences. The platform will enable PSSCC to monitor and respond to a wide range of safety related incidences from a central location.
• Real time situational awareness through Geographic Information System (GIS), video feeds and GPS-enabled patrolling vehicles. Using IBM Business Partner Unified Edge's Radio Connect for Sametime technology, the PSSCC team will be able to coordinate the city's multiple communications channels including radios, phones, videos and instant messaging to ensure seamless collaboration with first responders and speed incident response time. 
• Standard operating procedures defined for different public safety incidences that will improve the overall operational efficiency.
• Video analytics capabilities that will enhance the ability to track traffic and monitor events at important public venues like city hall, the airport and malls.
• An "early warning system" that monitors Key Risk Indicators (KRI) and allows the city to take action in a collaborative manner.
• A simplified dashboard view for executives to help measure the performance of public safety operations with Key Performance Indicators (KPI).

"IBM supports Davao's vision to create a smart and safe city by applying advanced technologies to existing infrastructure to improve city management and efficiency. Forward thinking cities like Davao are paving the way for the development of similar smarter cities projects around the globe," said Mariels Almeda Winhoffer, President and Country General Manager, IBM Philippines. "This solution will enable Davao to more effectively address a wide spectrum of public safety and security related incidences pertaining to healthcare, fire outbreaks, accidents, flooding, crime tracking and the security of important locations – making Davao a model city in terms of livability and safety."

IBM has a 75-year long history in the Philippines as an active member of the local community. Since opening its first Manila office in 1937, IBM has expanded its business and presence beyond Manila in line with the country's continued rapid economic transformation and IBM's geographic expansion strategies.

IBM's IOC solutions draw on experience gained from over 2,000 Smarter Cities projects with cities around the world, and assets from IBM's hardware, software, services and research divisions. With flexibility and scalability, the IOC can be extended to support a wide range of city services such as water management and intelligent transportation among others.

For more information on IBM Smarter Cities, visit www.ibm.com/press/smartercities.

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Choppy Mamigo
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Meredith Hannon
IBM Media Relations, Smarter Cities
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512-740-3285

SOURCE IBM