Multinational Group Working on the 'Cloud of Things' Project

It seems like companies from all walks of life are trying to find ways and reasons to use the cloud. A group of European and Japanese companies, research groups, Universities and cities are now working together to build a “Cloud of Things.” This new project, which has been titled “ClouT”, is looking to better use the Internet of things and cloud computing in order to put together smart cities.

ClouT is actually being led by a French research team from CEA-Leti. The goal of the project is to develop infrastructure, services, tools and applications for cities and towns alike that want to take the next step when it comes to technology. The group is working to make sure that users in these smart cities are going to be able to manage, create and deploy user-centric applications that take advantage of the latest advances in the Internet of things and cloud computing.

Among the number of applications that the team is trying to come up with are those that affect transportation and increased citizen participation. Mobile devices that can photograph and record situations that might be of interest to city administrators, safety management and city-event monitoring can all be made that much better when using the cloud. ClouT is currently being looked at for nine different industrial partners as well as four cities.

Santander, Spain; Genoa, Italy; Fjuisawa, Japan and Mitka, Japan are taking part in this particular project. The European and Japanese teams are working together specifically because this project needs to have a wide range of participants in order to see whether or not the “Cloud of Things” is really going to work when it comes to smart cities.

The project is expected to last for at least three years and cost upwards of 4 million euros. This is another reason why the cities are helping to carry the burden. The framework that is being built is expected to be worth quite a bit more than the current cost.