The University of Adelaide and NEC Australia have teamed up to help Adelaide become a ‘smart city'.

The two organisations have entered a memorandum of understanding to help accelerate smart, dynamic and sustainable cities

“Urbanisation, population pressures and resource scarcity are driving the need to develop solutions for more efficient and safe technology-enabled Smart Cities,” NEC says in a statement.

The University of Adelaide, a Smart Cities research centre, will bring together a multidisciplinary group of researchers with industry and government partners to develop expertise in research relating to Smart Cities.

Smart Cities will be enabled by digital technologies and will create sustainable infrastructure and ecosystems that benefit communities and enterprises, the university says.

Mike Barber, executive director at NEC Australia, says NEC Australia and the University of Adelaide intend to collaborate on research projects of mutual interest in the field.

“We look forward to working closely with the University of Adelaide to find innovative answers to the challenges that demand a Smart Cities approach to urban living,” Barber explains.

“The combination of the University of Adelaide's research excellence and NEC's global and local expertise in technologies that are essential for Smart Cities will open up new opportunities in the field,” he says.

NEC technologies helping realise the Smart Cities vision include wireless sensor networks, authentication, real-time monitoring and control systems, and cloud computing, Barber adds.

“NEC Australia's approach to delivering innovation combines its nationwide design, development and support capabilities with international R-D and collaboration with government, universities and businesses on projects that add social value,” he says.

Barber says NEC innovations are already enabling smart city capabilities in Australia.

“For example, NEC Australia is delivering the Western Australia Department of Water's new water information management system to improve its capacity to sustainably manage water resources across the state,” he says.

Barber says public safety technologies are another key enabler of Smart Cities. NEC's biometric identification technologies are being used on smartphones at South Australian Police and Northern Territory Police to fight crime and enable immediate identification.

“Biometrics in combination with access control and video monitoring systems will ensure Smart Cities are able to rapidly respond to safety incidents when required,” Barber explains.

“The partnership with Adelaide demonstrates NEC Australia's commitment to orchestrating a brighter world through the innovative application of computing power, networks and software,” he says.