Sustainability Scholar’s Program Report

Source: · WILLIAMS ENGINEERING CANADA · | September 1, 2021

Source: Williams Engineering Canada

This summer, Williams Group had partnered with the Sustainability Scholar’s Program to research how Edmonton can become a Smart City by maximizing the potential of IoT in our physical infrastructure. Williams Engineering Canada and its sister company, DB Technologies, collaborated on a project titled “Paving the way for a Smarter Edmonton: Transforming into a Smart City by Connecting Buildings to People.” 

Through this research, the Scholar collected input from key community stakeholders in telecommunication, education, government, real estate development, transportation, and construction to understand the status of smart technologies in the Edmonton area and the barriers to implementation. The report shows a high level of understanding of smart technologies amongst stakeholders. There is an undeniable advantage towards improved operational efficiencies, staff productivity and asset value while simultaneously lowering capital and operating costs. However, data privacy and security topped the list of concerns for stakeholders, followed by a lack of skilled labour and inadequate infrastructure.