City Services Delivered Over Mobile Cloud Infrastructure

Busan Metropolitan City launched a center to host a variety of services for its citizens. Operating like an app store for developers, the Busan Mobile Application Development Center (BMAC), marks the first phase of their deployment of Smart+Connected Community (S+CC) services -- in collaboration with Cisco and a local service provider, Korea Telecom (KT).

The plan is part of the Busan Green u-City (ubiquitous city) blueprint, which is in line with the national agenda to support environmentally sustainable economic growth in the country.

Busan, a bustling city of approximately 3.6 million residents, is located on the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula. The second-largest city in South Korea, Busan occupies about 300 square miles (766 square kilometers), 8 percent of the entire Korean peninsula. Busan also has the country's largest container-handling port (fifth largest in the world) -- thanks to its accessibility from the Pacific Ocean, deep harbor and gentle tides.

Cisco Korea and Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) contributed to this blueprint, which includes the rollout of S+CC services such as urban mobility, distance learning, energy management, and safety and security by 2014.

The aim is to transform the way of life for Busan citizens, improve city management, and generate new economic growth in a sustainable environment.

"Busan is an advanced city and among the first to adopt the u-City concept in Korea. Because of its ICT infrastructure, Busan has decided to move faster toward becoming a green u-City. We are pleased to be able to collaborate with Cisco due to its rich experience in a variety of smart city projects," said Hur Nam Sik, mayor of Busan.

Cisco Smart+Connected Communities in Action

BMAC is phase 1 of Busan's Green u-City blueprint. The center will be based on a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) approach, in collaboration with KT and Cisco, for application developers to test and host city services.

Phase 2 will see the rollout of software-as-a-service (SaaS) managed cloud services, delivered by KT and powered by Cisco, such as billing automation, content management and document management by 2012.

Phase 3, planned for 2014, will see these services widely available to all citizens.

BMAC is built on a platform powered by the Cisco Unified Computing System, the Cisco 4500 backbone and SAN switches.

Busan expects the BMAC to act as a catalyst for app developers to make use of public data provided by Busan Metropolitan Government, which will allow them to develop innovative applications that will appeal to the general public and help improve the quality of life.

By providing a shared services development platform and creating an ecosystem for software developers, Busan expects to see new job opportunities in knowledge industries. Busan also plans to have these developers lead phase 2 of its blueprint, the delivery of S+CC cloud services.