SmartCity Essentials — Smart Transportation and Healthcare
Would the existing cities with current healthcare and transportation facilities be able to accommodate the rampantly increasing population? Would quality life sustain? Would access to education or work through existing transportation and quality healthcare become a distant dream?
Considering the above factors, the 21st century is becoming to be known as the century of cities. According to the United Nations, already in July 2007, the urban population surpassed the rural population in the world. Moreover, this proportion is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years to the point that by 2050, almost 70% of the world population will be urban and many cities will have over 10 million inhabitants. Hence, to incorporate such population, manage and provide essential facilities is inexorable.
Transportation System Governance/ Smart Mobility:
Smart cities can enhance citizen experience in commuting and transportation through effective governance of operational policies for route optimization, yield/revenue management, and compliance with regulations such as FAA (for airlines). The World Bank has already partnered with a number of cities, NGOs, and private sector partners to develop and implement these low-cost ICT-enabled transport solutions. The effect has begun to take place by:
- Smart transportation: ex. Multi modal fare integration, Geospatial enabled services for periodic traffic forecast, single fare card, smart parking, smart toll and electric vehicles.
- Real time information systems: ex. On trip information through VMS (variable message signs), in vehicle navigation systems, SCOOT (split, cycle and offset optimization technique) and pre trip information using information KIOSKS (computer with a touch screen interface).
- Traffic information management: reduces congestion, enhance mobility, reduce energy consumption and provide safety.
- Remote Sensing & GIS Technology: 3D modeling, LIDAR, terrestrial scanning, remote sensing and photogrammetry.
Healthcare Governance/ Smart Healthcare:
We need to step up in Healthcare as they’ve done in banking and retail,’ AHIMA CEO Lynne Thomas Gordon. “AHIMA has released a framework for healthcare information governance at its annual convention in San Diego, calling for commitment to managing information as a strategic asset. It adapted the framework from nonprofit organization ARMA International’s Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles to address areas such as quality improvement, risk management, compliance, privacy and security with focus on the principles of accountability, transparency, integrity, protection, compliance, availability, retention, and disposition. More can be done to help cities develop these initiatives further.
The healthcare industry should involve all stakeholders such as health regulators, healthcare providers, hospitals, pharmaceutical and medical devices companies. City planning authorities must provide access to the best healthcare facilities through an integrated system which tracks pharmaceutical drug quality and medical device safety incidents. The aim should be to have medical facilities within reach of every citizen through increased bed strength including a mandate of 200 specialty hospitals dedicated to per lakh population. With Smart transportation it would be easy to commute to these smart healthcare facilities.
The Hospital Safety Index and the wind hazard maps (tools produced by PAHO/WHO) can be utilized for best healthcare facilities as they provide health care facilities that are both environmentally greener and safer against disasters and the impact of climate change. Hence, it would be beneficent in following ways:
- Customer satisfaction
- More number of lives would be saved
- Less No. of Accidents and long hours of Traffic/Congestion
- Ease of transportation
- Better Livelihood
Today, we are in a transient state, where we need a change in policy and government services utilizing the merits of the smart technology. Transportation and healthcare are two of the most important pillars of the government’s domestic services and need to be the center of focus for governments to deliver. A strategy for implementation of these policies can be derived from Micheal Barber’s execution of the Delivery Unit of the then Prime Minister of United Kingdom, Tony Blair.
Technology plays an inevitable role in building a smart city, so as technology will keep introducing new techniques and healthcare equipment/facilities, they must be utilized for making a smart city smarter.
References:
http://www.smartcitieschallenge.in/
http://smartcitiescouncil.com/
http://www.slideshare.net/FrostandSullivan/smart-cities-from-concept-to-reality
https://www.telefonica.com/en/web/public-policy/blog/article/-/blogs/why-do-we-need-smart-cities-
http://www.slideshare.net/smarthomes2703/8-essential-elements-to-a-smart-city
