Can Smart City Technologies Deliver a Better Quality of Life?
Today, we live in the era of ‘smart’ things — smartphones, smart homes, smartwatches, the list goes on and on. However, what has become increasingly popular in recent times is the concept of building smart cities.
In a nutshell, the idea of a smart city is more than just the clever application of the latest disruptive technological innovations in urban areas. It’s a concept that encompasses the implementation of technology to make cities more sustainable — significantly improving the quality of life for those who live there.
From Singapore’s enforcement of smart cameras to restrict traffic depending on the volume to Moscow’s move to provide free WiFi across entire cities, the impact of smart city technologies is truly incredible.
Realising the true smart city
Building a smart city from the ground up can be an incredibly complex task. After all, there are a plethora of factors to consider, dozens of parties involved, and a hundred different tasks and functions to be performed.
However, the key is to ensure that the smart city technologies implemented make sense. For example, a bike-sharing scheme will only be useful if the city has the right infrastructure to facilitate cycling. Similarly, an air pollution monitoring system becomes redundant if the Air Quality Index of the city is within normal limits.
At the same time, people appreciate technology solutions that solve a problem or deliver a better quality of life, i.e., when it meets the needs of the citizens. For instance, the city of Medellín has been very successful in using smart city technologies and solutions to improve the safety of its people.
Applications of smart city technologies
1. Making cities safer
The rapid increase in global population and concurrent crime rates have placed a lot of pressure on civic resources. With most video surveillance technology hampered by low-quality imagery and blind spots, implementing a smart system has become the need of the hour.
Today, the combination of WiFi connectivity, IoT, and CCTV cameras has made it possible for cities to harness advanced technologies to improve the safety of their citizens. For instance, leading ICT provider, Huawei has created a web of interconnected devices and cloud storage systems that uses enterprise LTE, IoT, and fibre technologies. This software will equip governments with new tools to improve public services such as crime fighting.
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