05 Mar 2020

Are we embracing the true potential of smart cities?

There is a fine balance between reducing congestion in inner cities and towns and delivering effective transportation systems to support local businesses and city dwellers.

Smart cities are gaining traction, with worldwide spending on connected city initiatives predicted to reach $124 billion this year; an 18.9 percent increase from 2019. The smart city vision involves driverless cars, Artificial Intelligence (AI), smart street lighting and smart parking.

It promises to solve a fundamental challenge for towns and cities – how to reduce costs and generate economic growth and resilience, while increasing sustainability and improving public services and quality of life.

Many cities around the world collect extensive amounts of on-street data, using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors placed throughout the urban realm to monitor traffic, waste, noise and air pollution. This data can then be used to generate insights which improve the lives of residents. The problem, however, lies in the application of this data.

Driving efficiency

The focus of a smart city should be about people; working out how people live, work and play and identifying the pain points. Successfully analysing data is critical to driving insight that delivers improved outcomes for cities and residents.