The Essentials in Smart Cities
There are many technologies around that can turn a city into a smart city but there are a few very important variables that a smart city must have. Smart cities are already here. Now the big question is as Internet of Things expands, how will these cities utilize the key technologies that make a smart city work.
Smart energy, both in residential and commercial, are more efficient. Using less energy and the energy used is analyzed and data is collected. Also, smart grids are being developed for smart cities as smart meters provide accurate energy demand for consumers, improve outage detection, speed of data capture, field service operations, and many more. Buildings that monitor their energy usage actively can lower their costs to utility companies, lower pollution, and better efficiency for cities.
Smart transportation supports a smart city by providing multi-modal transportation, smart traffic lights, and smart parking. This area is where cities are seeing a very fast return on investment. From traffic monitoring and parking to city buses being connected to provide real time information and intelligent traffic systems that result in a healthier population.
Smart data accounts for the massive amounts of data collected by a smart city. The data must be analyzed quickly in order to make it useful. Open data portals are one option that some cities have chosen in order to publish city data online, so that anyone can assess it and use predictive analytics to assess future patterns.
Smart infrastructure will allow a smart city to be proactive in maintenance and better planning for future demand. Having a smart infrastructure means that a city can move forward with other technologies and use the data collected to make meaningful changes in future city plans.
Smart mobility refers to both the technology and the data which travels across the technology. Building the smart city will never be a project that is “finished.” Data also needs to be unconstrained as it moves between systems, with all due attention to intellectual property, security and privacy concerns.
Smart IoT devices is what ties everything together in a smart city. Fusing sensor information into our daily life and integrating it all with third party social networks will knit the fabric of society closer together, while leaving city leaders to grapple with serious privacy and security challenges. As dependence on sensors grows, so too will the need that they be reliable and that the systems to which they are connected will be able to tolerate the inevitable failures. Overall, IoT will be the foundation for a smart city.
Each of these technologies work together to make a smart city even smarter. So now that you know the essentials to what makes a smart city smart, you can pass that test your technology professor will give to you!
