Panasonic, TransitScreen Form Smart City Alliance

Panasonic and TransitScreen have formed a strategic alliance that gives the North American wing of the Japanese tech company access to transport data to use in some of its smart city applications, marketed under a platform called CityNOW.

The agreement, says a press release, will provide city residents and visitors with real-time transit and transportation information to enable more informed commuting and travel decisions.

“At Panasonic we’re committed to building a connected world that will improve quality of life for people across the globe,” says Tom Gebhardt, Panasonic Corporation of North America Chairman and CEO. “Partnering with TransitScreen allows Panasonic to augment its CityNOW solutions in transportation and mobility with rich transportation data, supporting all types of mobility customers. TransitScreen’s IoT technologies will create a smoother, more seamless experience for residents and visitors alike in key cities by providing people with the transit and local event information they need right when they need it.”

TransitScreen has built up a business and a variety of smart city partnerships offering real-time, multi-screen displays detailing transit arrival times, local points of interest, and live events at transit agencies, smart bus shelters, airports, street kiosks, stadiums and arenas, municipal buildings, and university stadiums.

“Panasonic is one of the iconic brands of the digital era. Combining their nearly hundred year history with our team’s creativity and design capabilities will create remarkable opportunities for innovation,” says Matt Caywood, TransitScreen co-founder and CEO. “With Panasonic as our hardware, solutions, and integration partner, we will have the chance to bring our human-centric technologies to a national scale.”

The first project would build data into Panasonic’s CityNOW efforts at the Peña Station Next mixed use commercial-residential development going up near Denver’s airport, and along the new LRT line that runs out there. Panasonic’s Enterprise Solutions Division has a big HQ facility out there now.