Rooney said that across the world there is a disproportionate focus on delivery and less on planning. This must be tackled to allow better use of resources, especially that of human care. Rooney said that simple tools can be used to allow certain aspects of delivery to be made easier for care givers. He gave the example of simple web-based tools that can search and aggregate publically available information to support patient specific data. Thus a care giver in the community can easily find navigation details, as well as availability of public support services so that they can formulate complete plans for support of the aged, children and the vulnerable, without wasting time on directions, out of date information or third hand reports.
Optimisation
Rooney said plan optimisation was critical, to allow the evaluation of options for various parameters to facilitate efficient micro-planning, leading to delivery optimisation.
All of this is possible with current technologies, open data, open search and confidential data systems.
Optimal care planning has never been achieved before, said Rooney.
Perhaps one of the more radical notions being researched by IBM is the use of the power capabilities and sensor systems of parked cars.
Parked car platform
According to research, the distribution and density of parked cars in urban environments could provide an ideal platform for some very useful services. For example, within an operating restriction that would allow say only 10% of battery capacity to be used, the sensor suite on a modern car could be connected by wireless technologies to central controls. This could allow cars in a particular area to be activated for certain duties. For example, if a medical patient went AWOL, while wearing a passive RFID tag, cars in the surrounds could be activated to monitor for the tag. When detections are made, the cars could report using GPS to triangulate the signals and help to guide emergency services to the patient. This could just as easily be applied in the case of a missing child.
Another example given was detecting gas leaks. Again, a passive sensor could activate GPS on detection to report the findings centrally where triangulation could give clearer information as to specific location and intensity which could indicate the source, guiding emergency services.
Professor Robert Shorten said that to encourage participation in such services, people could be given concessions for parking, reduced fuel charges or reduced congestion charges.
Data from cars could also be used to track movements and patterns that could be used to better manage traffic flows, as well as helping in the provision of parking and designing urban landscapes.
The implications of these various projects are clear: through the application of existing technologies, combined with analytics and information that can be easily shared, valuable services can be created that can improve the lives citizens, make services more efficient and increase the impact of existing resources. While some of the projects may sound initially academic, their clever application can make a real impact.
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