Smart cities are changing how we learn, live, work and play. Thanks to the increasing ubiquity of the internet, smartphones and the Internet of Things (IoT), we are living at a time when the way cities are run is changing rapidly. As local, state and federal governments look at how they can leverage technology to ensure their cities are run better, we examine some of the techniques already in use in different parts of the world.
1. City-Wide Digital Platforms
A number of cities are developing elaborate enterprise systems that accumulate, aggregate and evaluate data from a wide range of sources. Various city objects are retrofitted with technological features to enable the collection of data. The data is centrally stored in a single hub where it is analyzed by humans and algorithms.
Based on this data, cities can develop a more incisive perspective of their inhabitants including behavior, needs
2. Intelligent Traffic Management
Traffic management is one of every large city’s biggest headaches. Vehicle congestion wastes millions of man-hours each year. Technology can help cities develop more efficient traffic management and ensure a smoother flow of vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.
Smart traffic management is not just about traffic lights that depend on real-time information. Smart cities deploy artificial intelligence that constantly analyzes large volumes of data in order to anticipate traffic and thus prevent a traffic buildup well in advance.
3. Public Safety Digitization
It’s inevitable that large cities will be faced with various emergencies on a daily basis. The city’s ability to quickly and accurately respond to such emergencies and disasters is crucial. Public safety vehicles such as ambulances can be incorporated into an IoT network that ensures real-time sharing of data.
That way, disasters and emergencies are reviewed, contained and resolved shortly after they occur.
4. Citizen Interaction
City administrations are in place to deliver services to residents. With most adults now owning a smartphone, the deployment of mobile nodejs apps has proved useful in bringing city services within easy reach of citizens.
Some cities have deployed mobile apps for their transportation systems that allow users to plan a journey, pay for public parking or locate the closest bike rental station. Citizens can even report traffic or parking violations.
5. Autonomous Vehicles Data
Following an approach made famous by Google, cities can deploy autonomous vehicles to automatically gather data without relying on human intervention. These cars rely on sophisticated sensors to continuously capture information that is fed to a central database via wireless internet.
Some of the data these vehicles can pick up include compliance to building codes, degree of air pollution, refuse management, unauthorized signage, foot traffic, vehicle traffic, road accidents and looming dangers.
6. Smart City Municipal Codes
All major cities already have a minimum set of requirements that developers, residents and communities must satisfy. These include tree cover, street fronting, building material and fire safety. Over time, cities will require that certain smart city features are incorporated by developers. These include minimum standards for internet bandwidth, security, access and linkage.
7. Atmosphere Control
Some cities are installing motion, lighting and temperature sensors in interchanges and buildings. This allows the city’s lighting to be automatically adjusted in order to maximize energy savings, improve security and enhance safety.
With each passing year, smart city features are becoming part and parcel of running urban areas around the world. Through creativity and persistence, smart cities are proving to be the foundation on which the quality of life of urban dwellers will rest on in the future.
