The following report is from Smart Cities World:
The City of Houston has rolled out the first in a series of digital interactive, wayfinding kiosks called “interactive kiosk experience” (IKE).
The deployment marks the launch of a city-wide initiative to build smart city infrastructure that helps to enhance the pedestrian experience for residents and visitors, while adding ‘vibrancy’ to Houston’s urban landscape.
Interactive Digital Kiosks
The City released a request for proposal (RFP) for interactive digital kiosks in March of 2020 and selected IKE Smart City as the vendor in March of 2021, which was later approved by city council in May.
Post approval, IKE Smart City worked collaboratively with the City of Houston, Houston First, neighbourhood groups, and adjacent property owners on location selection, kiosk branding, and on-screen content.
Installation will occur in phases of 25 kiosks throughout several neighbourhoods including Downtown, Uptown, Midtown, Montrose, Museum District, Texas Medical Center, Greater Third Ward, EaDo, Upper Kirby, and more. Further, at least 10 percent of all IKE kiosks will be located in underserved neighbourhoods, as defined by the City, including Gulfton, Sunnyside and others.
The City of Houston has so much to offer, and the IKE digital kiosks will be an exciting new amenity to help guide people in various directions to enjoy events, restaurants, and much more.
These kiosks are one of the many ways Houston is moving forward with creating more walkable spaces that make for a safer and more pleasant experience.
Said Sylvester Turner, mayor of Houston.
According to IKE Smart City, the kiosks put innovative technology in commercial, pedestrian-oriented areas to offer advanced wayfinding capabilities through smart city technology. Each kiosk serves as a free wifi hotspot up to 75’ and is geo-located, displaying informational listings based on what’s in the immediate proximity to the kiosk.
The kiosks have dual-sided digital touchscreens and are fully ADA-compliant, complete with a suite of interactive applications that drive discovery of area businesses and other local points of interest, promote diverse mobility solutions, and improve equity with 24/7 access to resources.
IKE is multilingual and includes detailed content listings of local area restaurants, shops, businesses, cultural institutions, events, jobs, and civic resources. Additionally, the kiosks provide access to social services information such as homeless shelters, addiction recovery programs, and food support.
IKE’s wayfinding features are designed to turn information into action. Using real-time, aggregated public transit data, IKE provides users access to easy-to-use multimodal trip-planning features to navigate from point A to point B via public transit, bike share, scooters, ride-hailing, and walking. Such capabilities reinforce the City’s commitment to sustainable, equitable, and accessible transportation services and resources.
IKE also serves as a widespread communication platform. It allots space for community messaging that is relevant to the City and local communities while also disseminating critical public safety information in a highly visible way. Through a real-time feed from the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), the kiosks immediately display emergency messaging such as severe weather warnings, Amber Alerts, active shooter events, fire warnings, and other information provided by 1,000 authorities certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The kiosk project was led by the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development with support from the Office of Innovation.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
[12] I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. [13] The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Proverbs 8:12-13
Technocracy News & Trends, who also reported on this, wrote in a brief synopsis:
Marketed on the basis of being free and convenient, the IKE kiosks collect data on every person who comes near them, including ID’ing your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices. Cameras record your face, examine your choices and selections. Their payback is “surveillance capitalism” where you are subsumed into the Technocrat control grid.
I absolutely agree. As I always say, when these new “beneficial” technologies show up, it is presented as solving some health problem, or make things convenient; but in reality it is a trap and yet another vice to enslave us. It is another covert way to spy on all our doings in public.
What we are seeing again are more signs of these coming smart cities where everything is tracked, to usher in social credit and no freedom of action or thought.
U.S.A’s Own Social Credit Score System Is Coming Soon
China’s New Surveillance System That Track Emotions And Linked With ‘Social Credit’
The Ridiculous Network Surveillance Companies And Schools Are Enforcing
Climate Shill Al Gore Says ‘Mass Surveillance’ Is Needed To Stop Climate Change
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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