Thousands of streetlight sensors are collecting a trove of data—from traffic counts to humidity levels—and advocacy groups say the city needs to be more transparent about how the data is being used and who has access to it.
"A watchdog group is reportedly suing the City of San Diego over its Smart Streetlights Program, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune and others," reports Katie Pyzyk. The streetlights are part of a program to replace high-energy lights with more efficient LED lights.
The 4,200 intelligent sensors on the streetlights are collecting data that the city says will help with parking, traffic, and public safety. But the group, San Diegans for Open Government, says the data should be made publicly available. Advocacy groups are also concerned about the sensors being used for surveillance purposes.
"And this fall, the controversy widened as reports emerged that the city gave General Electric (GE), the streetlight camera provider, unrestricted rights to the collected data. Some council members said they wanted to stop installing additional smart streetlights until they receive information about how GE might use and sell the collected data," adds Pyzyk.
FULL STORY: San Diego faces lawsuit over streetlight data collection
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
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Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research