Experts to Discuss Standardization Priorities for Smart and Sustainable Cities

November 21 ANSI Workshop Brings Together Thought Leaders to Chart Path Forward

NEW YORK, Oct. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On November 21, leading experts from industry, government, and academia will join representatives of the standardization community for a workshop discussion of priorities in the area of smart and sustainable cities. This one-of-a-kind event will be hosted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC. Featured speakers will include:

• Ron Baker, distinguished engineer and chief architect for smarter cities & operations, IBM, who will talk about the development of the IBM intelligent operations center and how cities are using it to achieve smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable operations;
• Leah Guzowski, energy policy specialist, Argonne National Laboratory, who will speak about computational modeling in urban design for the Chicago lakeside development project called LakeSim;
• Dr. Albert Hövel, head of technical department, the German Institute for Standardization (DIN), who will cover European and German work on smart cities;
• Dr. John Kulik, Siemens Corporation, corporate technology, who will moderate a discussion of initiatives to establish smart and sustainable cities;
• James E. Matthews III, director, technical standards and standards policy, Corning, who will discuss the formation of an International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) systems evaluation group on smart cities;
• Professor Patricia McCarney, director of the Global Cities Indicators Facility, University of Toronto, who will speak about the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 268 on sustainable development in communities, and its development of a standard for urban indicators;
• James T. Pauley, senior vice president, external affairs and government relations, Schneider Electric, and chairman of ANSI's Board of Directors, who will preside over a panel on innovation and a general discussion of the issues;
• Anthony Pellegrini, director and head of infrastructure and urban development practice, Centennial Group, who will provide a perspective on the challenges facing developing countries, where much of the urbanization trend is taking place;
• Manyphay Souvannarath, senior systems analyst, GE Energy, who will consider the application of model based systems engineering as an approach to the smart cities challenge;
• Hilari Varnadore, executive director, STAR Communities, who will describe a sustainability rating system built by and for local governments and the communities they serve;
• Alex Tarpinian, manager, open source and standards policy, IBM, who will report on the outcome of upcoming discussions in ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, regarding a proposal from China to form a study group on smart cities;
• Franz Zichy, electronic engineer, U.S. State Department, who will cover the activities of an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) focus group on smart sustainable cities.

In addition to expert presentations, the workshop will include interactive discussions, including breakout sessions, to hone in on the key areas where standards and conformance solutions can help cities to become cleaner, greener, more sustainable, and more resilient.

"The market for smart cities technology is growing rapidly," said ANSI president and CEO S. Joe Bhatia, who will also speak at the workshop. "Many initiatives are underway where the private- and public-sectors are working collaboratively toward more efficient and more sustainable communities. ANSI is holding this workshop to raise awareness of these activities, and, more importantly, to define priority areas for standardization and to ensure that these activities proceed in a coordinated fashion with engagement from all affected stakeholders."

Advance registration for the workshop is required and includes all materials, continental breakfast, networking breaks, lunch, and an evening reception. Register today!

For additional details regarding the agenda, as well as sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities, visit www.ansi.org/events.

About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

SOURCE American National Standards Institute