Bell partners with City of Orillia in smart city initiative

Orillia, Ontario and Bell are teaming up on an Internet of Things (IoT) initiative as part of the city’s commitment to developing into a ‘smart city.’

Orillia’s city council unanimously approved the pilot project with Bell Smart Solutions. The project will utilize Bell’s Smart City platform to collect, organize and centralize wireless IoT application data. This will aid Orillia in making more informed decisions on matters like municipal operations and infrastructure.

The city is located in the heart of Ontario’s Lake Country on the shores of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, with a population of 31,000.

What the project brings to Orillia

The project, which follows the announcement of Bell fibre coming to Orillia, includes some pretty major elements to be rolled out starting in the fall and next spring.

The first is a comprehensive, centralized view of connected services in the city. This allows for better collaboration between city departments, more efficient operations and improved services for residents and visitors.

Another element is real-time data collection and analysis of Orillia’s snowplow operations through a fleet management application. The city will also develop a web application for residents to monitor plowing progress.

Additionally, the project will help develop a monitoring application that will detect the volume of ground water infiltration in Orillia’s sanitary sewer system. The system will help locate key areas to repair sanitary pipes that will reduce cost for the city. Furthermore, it will reduce unnecessary ground water treatment at wastewater treatment plants.

On top of all this, the project will implement a public Wi-Fi network along the city’s waterfront in Couchiching Beach Park and in the Downtown Business Improvement Area. Along with the Wi-Fi, two multi-function digital kiosks will be installed. The kiosks will provide touchscreen directional wayfinding and promote local businesses and events. These will launch this summer.

Bell deemed Orillia a prime ‘small municipal’ partner. The company has also announced projects in two larger Ontario municipalities, Kingston and St. Catharines.

“The partnership with Bell moves the City of Orillia to the forefront of communities in Canada in the area of Smart City initiatives, and promotes the City as an innovative community in which to do business,” said Mayor Steve Clarke.

The partnership is a one year commitment. Future commitments are subject to approval by the city council.

Source: City of Orillia

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