White Paper: Connected Kiosks – The Information Hubs Of Smart And Connected Cities.

March 21, 2019 by Dave Haynes

Atlanta-based specialty display manufacturer LG-MRI has developed and released a free white paper on the use of outdoor display technology for smart cities applications: Connected Kiosks | The information hubs of smart and connected cities.

The paper, a free download, “explores the role that digital kiosks play as cities begin to leverage connectivity and IoT in the built environment.”

Says LG-MRI:

Divided into six sections, this paper addresses these questions and more:

Including commentary by executives from Intel, AT&T, Intersection, and ISM Connect, we’re given a glimpse into the minds of technology leaders as they consider what’s possible with connected kiosks, and the ways in which well-executed products and services contribute to the objective of making cities smarter.

I wrote the paper, on a commission from LG-MRI. What I found interesting in pulling this together was talking to different people about the challenges of getting cities on-board. Most of what’s out there to date has advertising as the foundation, because local and regional governments know taxpayers want filled potholes and up-to-date infrastructure more than they want connected kiosks – no matter how much value they deliver.

City politicians and planners like smart cities tech, but they’re happiest when a media company comes in – as has happened in big cities like NYC and London – and puts in 1,000s of pricey kiosks that offer smart capabilities, but pay for themselves, and also spit out media revenue shares back to that city.

It was also interesting to develop LG MRI’s take on how digital kiosks on streets are not just bright screens in sealed boxes, but edge computing and IOT device hubs. While there are numerous companies in North America and beyond manufacturing outdoor displays and their enclosures – mainly for drive-thrus and digital OOH applications – LG-MRI is broadly regarded as the top guys at it.

They got knocked on the high price point of their product, but MRI’s counter-argument is that once they go in, they are guaranteed for 10 years. A lot of the lower-cost product out there starts degrading in a matter of months.

Have a read. You’ll learn stuff …

Here’s an explainer video from LG-MRI:

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