The concept of smart cities revolves around using existing resources more efficiently to meet growing space demands. Smart cities incorporate the power of technology to provide cities with additional visibility and available services.
According to relevant reports, the smart city industry will usher in huge prosperity in the next 5-7 years, and its market valuation is expected to exceed US$400 billion. In 2020, there are more than 600 smart cities around the world and they will play a key role in accounting for a reasonable share of global GDP. Here are five key technologies any smart city needs for efficient and sustainable living:
1. Intelligent IoT devices
These devices are critical components in smart cities. Smart cities should be equipped with various actuators and sensors that collect relevant data to improve different systems of the city. Data from a variety of devices such as visibility devices, speed sensors, pollution sensors, etc. are indeed what make a smart city operational.
In smart cities, data or information can be obtained directly from deployed sensors. Because this information can be freely exchanged, multiple multifaceted systems in a city can be managed with zero latency and with minimal unintended consequences. As more and more sensors are deployed, the reliance on these sensors increases, and the need for their accuracy and reliability increases, as low quality will seriously affect the systems to which they are connected.
However, deploying countless sensors in smart cities also brings its own set of challenges. As the number of sensors in cities increases from thousands to millions and then to tens of millions, bandwidth availability will be severely challenged unless new technologies are introduced – even as the number of devices increases. Bandwidth usage can be minimized. But having said that, numerous devices also pose a threat from malware or hacking, and given the importance of the need for these devices, authorities need to keep them secure.
2. Intelligent infrastructure
Smart cities should have smart infrastructure that also helps cities better analyze data and conduct proactive maintenance and planning for the future. For example, systems that can monitor lead levels in city water supplies in real time can prevent serious and large-scale health problems. Smart infrastructure also helps implement new technologies moving forward.
Smart infrastructure should respond to user needs in real time. The needs may be large or small, but the infrastructure should be ready to handle them. Additionally, self-aware infrastructure maintains itself, reducing downtime and increasing operational efficiency.
A key requirement for smart infrastructure comes from the need for better data, and better data helps you better understand how your infrastructure behaves under different circumstances. This, in turn, helps authorities improve infrastructure, where the data generated by the infrastructure acts as a feedback loop. This data can help transform a city’s buildings, healthcare, productivity and other systems to increase productivity and reduce carbon footprint while promoting sustainable living systems.
3. Intelligent data
Data is an integral part of smart cities as it is collected through every sensor, regardless of size, and can be used further. Large amounts of data collected are worthless without analysis, which must be analyzed quickly to prove effective. Once the data is analyzed, the results can be used to make some adjustments to the city’s systems to create a more efficient system. Even the smallest amount of data, whether it’s the temperature in your room or how many cars are at a traffic light, can benefit citizens in one way or another. Since smart cities are huge hubs of data sets, smart data is a technology it needs to cater for.
In order to analyze data, certain resources and infrastructure are required, which is why many organizations are looking for new options to analyze data. Open data portals have become a new trend, in which a city’s data (which is highly scrutinized) is published online by the relevant authorities so that any company or individual can access it and evaluate it using their own algorithms Future Trends. This data can then be recommended to the relevant authorities, who can then take action based on the data. Therefore, it is important to have a deep understanding of the data and how to analyze it to extract correlations from it.
4. Smart energy
Energy is a basic need for any smart city. Energy drives all technology and powers human life while we work, shop, eat, play, and even sleep. Energy demand is currently at an all-time high and is expected to grow further. Smart cities should provide smart energy to their buildings, which can be achieved by leveraging the latest technologies to increase energy efficiency.
In an ideal smart city, all buildings should use energy-saving lighting systems, including LED lighting that supports digital communications. LED lights have the ability to save a lot of energy and pay for themselves within a few years, which is the main reason for choosing an LED lighting system. Additionally, LED lights can be easily integrated into current infrastructure. In addition to lighting, smart energy also includes electric vehicles, energy-saving appliances, etc.
In order to create sustainable energy usage, smart cities should rely heavily on renewable energy sources, the most important of which is solar energy. Solar power can become a major source of energy for smart cities as it reduces the use of fossil fuels, thereby lowering pollution levels. Installing solar systems in residential and commercial buildings can have a very positive impact on a city’s carbon footprint and help citizens create a fully renewable energy system.
All energy is transmitted through the grid, which in the case of smart cities is smart. Smart grids can help implement several useful systems, some of which are prepaid energy applications, improved outage detection, advanced metering and disaster recovery. Smart grids enhance the smart energy ecosystem across cities, making the energy sector more competitive and moving towards efficient use of energy.
In summary, smart cities should have a robust data system that can collect and analyze data on residents’ energy consumption. This data can be used to gain new insights and create an improved grid management system that regulates electricity production and usage and creates efficient energy distribution mechanisms. Additionally, residents who monitor their energy usage can reduce costs by taking specific steps that can lower their bills and make their homes more energy efficient. However, because a smart energy system is a digital system, it is vulnerable to hacker attacks, making it important for agencies to invest heavily in security measures to protect the system from attacks.
5. Intelligent transportation
A city’s transportation system is critical to maintaining mobility. The current traffic situation in many parts of the world is characterized by congestion, congestion and inefficiency. However, smart cities go beyond all of this. Smart cities support multi-modal transportation systems, including electric vehicles, smart traffic lights, and even smart parking. By implementing smart parking systems, people’s productivity increases because they don’t have to look around for parking spaces and waste precious time.
Another key area where intelligent transportation systems impact is traffic congestion. With the implementation of smart parking, people know when and where to park, which helps reduce traffic congestion on the roads. Additionally, smart traffic lights come with cameras that monitor traffic flow on the road, which can then be reflected in traffic signals.
Intelligent transportation systems also connect to public transportation, providing citizens with real-time information on when buses and other modes of transportation will arrive. As the transportation system thrives, it collects data on the movement of people, vehicles, and traffic flow through numerous sensors, which helps reduce vehicle flow and helps cities run smoothly and safely.