Transcript 0:00 Talk to me. Information, news, and entertainment on demand. WUSradio.com. 0:11 [upbeat music] Welcome to The Peggy Smedley Show, the voice of IoT in our connected world, with your host, Peggy Smedley. [upbeat music] Hello, listeners, and welcome back to the show. 0:25 Well, I thought I would close out Rebuilding America Month by taking an in-depth look at a critical report. 0:34 And yes, the American of Society of Civil Engineers released its report card for America's infrastructure this month. 0:43 And while it really points to much of the same, but I will get to the grades in just a minute, but let me walk you through how this report card is set up first. 0:53 And I'm not sure how many of you know, but I think it's really a unique approach to take. Uh, now many of you might have referenced or this report card or, or remember I've talked about it on the show before. 1:07 So, uh, but in case you aren't familiar with it, let me kind of walk you through this really quick. Every four years, uh, ASCE provides a comprehensive assessment of the nation's 16 major infrastructure categories. 1:22 So these categories include aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, hazardous waste, inland wa- waterways, levies, ports, public parks and recreation, rails, roads, schools, solid waste, transit, and wastewater. 1:42 I think I've got all of those. Um, and it's broken up into a grading scale, just like the grades you received in school. 1:50 But most of you have even seen me kind of reference this at some point, if you read any of my blogs on connectedworldmag.com. But as... 2:00 And as a reference, an A represents exception and fit for the future, and while an F is failing and unfit, so get an idea there. And in the middle, a, a C represents mediocre and requires attention. 2:18 So this is how the report card is set up, and as I mentioned, it comes out every four years. And I think it's interesting that they chose to release this every four years. 2:27 And what else happens every four years here in the United States? The US president takes a new term, and this report card comes out right after the new president enters office. 2:39 Now, ASCE doesn't necessarily say that is why they do release this at any particular time, but as my-- I put my journalistic hat on, uh, and I notice that the timing of this release is convenient from a political per- perspective, and I thought I'd mention that. 2:58 And we certainly do have a new president that is talking about rebuilding or revitalizing America. 3:07 So hopefully this report card will help spur investment that is needed in infrastructure, not only from the public perspective, from a private perspective, but from all of us citizens to understand, you know. 3:20 So let's get to the good stuff. So let's get to the grades 'cause I think that's the heart of it. This year's overall GPA is a D+, and the cost to improve is four point five nine trillion. 3:35 Yep, I know, I always like to say T with a, trillion with a T. So w- what we see here is that not much has really changed since the last report card. 3:46 And in twenty thirteen, the grade was also a D+ and required three point six trillion. So what does that tell us? 3:55 I mean, at this point, America's infrastructure is in poor con- dition, simply nothing else, and it's mostly below standard. And this is a serious concern, people, and I can't stress that enough. 4:08 I mean, it, to me, it's almost as much as a concern as when we talk about distracted driving because those are the roads we're on. 4:14 I mean, if our roads are failing and the people riding on them are not paying attention, we got, you know, it's, it's the perfect storm again. 4:21 And, and I think a large portion of our infrastructure is deteriorating, and many infrastructure areas are reaching the end of their service life, and we need to rebuild. And this is not an option. 4:34 We need to create infrastructure that is safe and secure for all of us citizens, and I think that's something we need to l- look at. And looking at the report card, I can see some interesting trends emerging. 4:47 And if you haven't had a chance to look at it yourself, I encourage you to take a look at it because it's really worth noting. You know, the highest grade received is rail, and it received a B. 4:58 I mean, that's the highest, which is a pretty strong grade, but this is up from a C+ in twenty thirteen. And I talked just last week on the show about how rail is evolving. 5:09 So that is something we certainly are seeing happening already. You know, the wheels are already in motion to advance railways, so to speak, which is good. 5:19 But that is only a B in the whole report card, and everything else receives a C or below, and that just doesn't cut it in my perspective, you know, as I see it, you know. 5:30 And the lowest grade was a D-, and that's in transit, and another 11 categories received either a D or a D+. And as I see it, and you should all be thinking about, it's not acceptable. We need to rebuild America. 5:47 And I've been saying this here on the show for almost more than a year, and we need to address the failing infrastructure. 5:54 And the report card from the ASCE points to this need, and it also points to three cre- key solutions to this crisis. 6:04 The first is investmentThe second is leadership and planning, and the third is preparing for the future. 6:11 And I want to focus on that third area for the remainder of this podcast here today because in this solution, ASCE suggests America needs new approaches, materials, and technologies to ensure the infrastructure is more resilient. 6:27 And this includes emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles, distributed power generation, and, and other things. But I couldn't agree more. 6:38 You know, this is where the Internet of things enters the equation, and I think, I believe the IoT can be embedded into all of this infrastructure. You know, we talk about sensors. 6:50 The technologies can create smarter and more efficient transit. And perhaps even more importantly, technology can make all of this infrastructure safer. 7:01 For instance, sensors, as I just said, can be embedded into bridges to detect when they're failing. It can send a notification to city officials that something needs to be fixed. 7:11 I talk about our potholes here in Chicago. In the long run, this will save money for the cities. This will save money and time. It can be repaired immediately before it gets out of hand, before we have tragedies. 7:27 But it can also ensure that bridges are safe for pedestrians and drivers. 7:32 You know, and this all dovetails nicely with the theme of next month's show, which is what I just said at the onset of this program, safe driving and transportation. 7:44 So we will see and, and talk more about this, but I think we need to focus on safety. 7:51 We all need to focus on investing in our own infrastructure, and I think sometimes we get so focused on what we need, we don't think the big picture of what we need in, in our country. 8:05 And right now, we need to be thinking about the infrastructure. 8:08 And, and I have to say this: I want to give kudos to the American Society of Civil Engineers because I think this report is so important for the United States to understand the conditions of the infrastructure. 8:24 I can't emphasize enough the, how valuable this report is because it really provides a good benchmark from where we were, where we are today, and what really is needed to move forward in the future. 8:40 And in this case, what is needed is four point five nine trillion dollars. And that might be a bit of a tough pill for all of us to swallow, but that is what this country needs to rebuild America. 8:53 And if everybody wants autonomous vehicles, you want smart cities, you want all these things, you have to start with rebuilding the infrastructure. 9:03 You can't have all these nice luxuries and all this technology without investing in the infrastructure, and it's got to start. And that means we all have to invest in that. And you know what? We don't like gas taxes. 9:15 We don't like all these things. But guess what? Somebody, these road taxes and all this, somebody's got to pay for it, and it's got to be public, private, all kinds of investments. 9:25 Well, we're out of time, but I have to tell you, we need to look at all of these things. And remember, we are broadcast live every Tuesday, twelve PM Central. 9:35 Tweet at me at Peggy underscore Smedley or Connected WMag, and we want to hear what you have to say. What are your thoughts on rebuilding the infrastructure? As always, this is The Peggy Smedley Show, the voice of IoT. 9:47 And remember, with great technology comes great responsibility. Have a great week. [upbeat music] With great technology comes great responsibility. 10:04 Follow Internet of Things tech expert and futurist Peggy Smedley, repeatedly ranked as a top IoT and M2M influencer. 10:12 Go to Peggy underscore Smedley on Twitter for her take on the latest tech news and lively interviews with other industry insiders on her weekly radio show. 10:22 Visit twitter.com and search for Peggy underscore Smedley to follow her today. 10:28 [upbeat music] A podcast or radio show on WS Radio is a great way to create content marketing, turn prospects into customers into raving fans. Contact Wade at wsradio.com or call 866-WS-RADIO. 10:44 [upbeat music] Signal to noise, an electronic term with new relevance on the internet. 10:50 Connected World Media cuts through the noise of data overload and finds you the signal of important information, information that will keep you current and aware of context in the Internet of things. 11:01 Peggy Smedley shares her insights on The Peggy Smedley Show and in Connected World magazine, all online at connectedworld.com. Stay current and competitive at connectedworld.com. 11:13 [upbeat music] I've been bragging about Progressive Medical Center to you guys for years, and I'm so excited to have Dr. Agoli with us because, Dr. 11:20 Agoli, a lot of people walk through your doors, and some of their biggest problems are they're just fatigued, they're tired all the time. And even though they're dieting and exercising, they cannot get the weight off. 11:28 Why is that? 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