D.C.'s New Digital Kiosks an Innovation in the Urban 'Internet of Things'

Zach Edelson reports on the new digital kiosks and sensor network on their way to Washington, D.C.

"At seven feet tall and featuring 55-inch screens, the 30 kiosks coming to downtown D.C. will be much more than glorified digital ad machines…the kiosks will feature timely information relating to nearby restaurants, retail, events, and public transportation," according to Edelson.

The initiative is the work of the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID), with help from kiosk designers Smart City Media and other local stakeholders like the U.S. General Services Administration.

In addition to offering a way for residents to access data, the kiosks will become a key component of a data collection effort. "The kiosks will monitor noise levels, temperature, air quality, humidity, and barometric pressure. This data will be supplemented by an array of sensors placed on the BID’s buildings that will also monitor the surroundings," explains Edelson. The article includes more detail about the other "Internet of Things" and data collecting efforts that will supplement the work done by the kiosks—all of which will result in what Edelson calls a "formidable data set" for the BID.