The Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized how people do business, which has a massive effect on our world. Cities are changing in many ways because of the growth of IoT technologies and business models, such as making them safer and more innovative.
A recent market research report predicts IoT technology will grow at a very fast CAGR of 25.69%, and global sales will reach more than $1 trillion by 2030. For comparison, IoT was thought to bring in $389 billion worldwide in 2020.
But what are smart cities? Is there any need for them? Are they sustainable to create and run with our carbon footprint getting broader and more profound? This post will answer all those questions, along with some examples.
Before we get to smart cities, it is time to give your home an intelligent haul. Evvr offers a wide range of innovative products such as Evvr Energy Monitoring Smart Plug and Relay, Evvr In-Wall Relay Switch, Evvr Center Lite, Evvr Pad S, Evvr App, and more. So, ensure you reach out to us and become our partner today!
- What Is A Smart City?
- Need for Smart Cities
- Sustainability & Smart Cities
- IoT In Smart City Operations
- Examples of Smart Cities
- Getting Ahead With Smart Cities & IoT
- Evvr Smart Solutions - Building Blocks of Efficient Life
What Is A Smart City?
Information and communication technology (ICT) is employed in smart cities to increase operational effectiveness, disseminate information to the general public, and improve the quality of public services and citizen welfare.
By utilizing innovative technologies and data analysis, a smart city aims to improve citizen quality of life, optimize city operations, and foster economic growth. Instead of just how much technology is accessible, the value is in how it is used.
There are various definitions of what constitutes a "smart city." According to the best one, a smart city optimizes all the related information available today to better understand and govern its operations and maximize the use of limited resources.
But, in short, a smart city uses a framework of information and communication technology to build, deploy and promote development methods to address urban difficulties and create a joined-up technologically-enabled and sustainable infrastructure.
Need for Smart Cities
A smart city ought to offer its citizens a good quality of life while fostering economic development. This entails providing citizens with various connected services while paying less for infrastructure.
Given the anticipated population growth in metropolitan areas, where more effective use of infrastructure and resources will be needed, this assumes growing importance. These enhancements will be possible thanks to smart city services and applications, raising people's quality of life.
Along with generating new revenue sources and operational savings, smart city enhancements add value to the city's current infrastructure, which helps both the government and its residents save money.
Sustainability & Smart Cities
Since smart cities work to increase efficiency in metropolitan areas and citizens' betterment, sustainability is a crucial component. Although cities have numerous environmental benefits, such as reduced ecological footprints, they also have certain drawbacks, such as the consumption of fossil fuels to power them. However, intelligent technologies might mitigate these adverse consequences, for example, by implementing an electric transportation system to cut emissions. While not in use, electric vehicles might also assist in regulating the frequency of the electric grid.
Autonomous vehicles are anticipated to decrease the need for automobile ownership among the population, which should lead to fewer cars in metropolitan areas due to such sustainable transportation options.
Such sustainable solutions could help society and the environment.
IoT In Smart City Operations
IoT can improve living conditions while meeting the needs of the growing urban population. In light of this, there are countless IoT use cases for smart cities since they help with issues like improved traffic management, increased public safety, and a healthier environment. The top 6 IoT use cases for smart cities that are worthwhile to deploy are discussed in this section.
Better Road Traffic Control
The amount of traffic on the roads is growing along with the population. Smart cities, on the other hand, work to ensure that residents arrive at their destinations quickly and safely. Municipalities use smart traffic solutions made possible by IoT technologies to accomplish this goal.
The traffic signals are automatically changed based on the volume of traffic, which eventually avoids gridlock on the roads. IoT solutions can also forecast future traffic conditions in smart cities using historical data, allowing communities to avoid impending bottlenecks.
Hassle-Free Parking
Although the problem of parking in cities appears unavoidable, several cities worldwide are implementing IoT-enabled intelligent parking solutions and giving their residents hassle-free parking experiences. Innovative parking solutions identify and designate the parking spots that are available or occupied with the aid of road surface sensors on parking spots and GPS data from the driver's phone.
In addition, real-time parking maps are generated by IoT-based smart parking solutions on either mobile or online applications.
Efficient Public Transport
Effective public transportation management is one of the large cities' most significant issues. But in this aspect, IoT also provides a use case for smart cities. The Internet of Things (IoT) sensor connected to public transportation collects and analyses data that enables governments to recognize patterns in how their residents use public transit.
Subsequently, traffic controllers use this data-driven information to improve citizens' travel experiences while achieving a uniform degree of punctuality and security in transportation.
Smart Utility Management
IoT-enabled smart city solutions allow residents total control over their residential utilities while helping them save money. IoT is the driving force behind several utility strategies. They include remote monitoring, usage pattern recognition, smart meters, and invoicing solutions.
Smart meters use a telecom network to transmit data to the public utility, ensuring the accuracy of the readings. Utility companies can correctly bill the quantity of gas, electricity, and water used by each household thanks to this approach.
At a domestic level, this is what Evvr does with its Evvr Energy Monitoring Smart Plug and Relay and Evvr In-Wall Relay Switch. They allow users to control appliances and devices remotely, resulting in energy and cost savings!
Waste Management
Cities' waste collection workers empty the waste bins according to predetermined schedules. This is a conventional waste collection method that is not only ineffective but also causes waste-collecting trucks to waste fuel and use waste containers ineffectively.
To effectively manage the waste collection schedule, IoT offers optimization by monitoring waste levels and giving operational analytics and route optimization.
Enhanced Public Safety
The ultimate objective of municipalities is to ensure the safety of the people. In this context, IoT-based smart city technologies offer analytical capabilities, real-time monitoring, and decision-making tools for boosting public safety. To predict the crime sites, sensors, and CCTV cameras are placed across the city.
Data from these devices is then aggregated. This enables the police and law enforcement agencies to identify the offenders immediately and prevent them from endangering the public.
Examples of Smart Cities
Cities worldwide are at various levels of developing and implementing smart technologies. Some people are ahead of the curve, paving the way for the development of smart towns. Here are some striking examples.
Singapore
With IoT cameras monitoring the cleanliness of public places, crowd density, and the movement of registered vehicles, the city-state of Singapore is regarded as one of the leaders in the race to develop fully smart cities. Singapore also includes real-time monitoring systems for water, waste management, and electricity use. To safeguard the health and well-being of senior adults, there are also monitoring systems and autonomous car testing.
Kansas City
Smart streetlights, interactive stalls, and more than 50 blocks of free Wi-Fi have all been implemented in Kansas City. Residents can also get parking space information, traffic flow measurements, and pedestrian hotspots via the city's data visualization app.
San Diego
Meanwhile, San Diego has deployed 3,200 smart sensors to improve environmental awareness, public safety, parking, and traffic flow. Solar-to-electric charging stations help electric vehicles, and networked cameras keep an eye out for traffic issues and criminal activity.
Dubai
In Dubai, which offers smart buildings, utilities, education, and tourist alternatives in addition to telemedicine and other smart healthcare solutions, traffic monitoring systems are also in place.
Getting Ahead With Smart Cities & IoT
Urban areas can be made more innovative and connected to the rest of the world to improve quality of life, maintain sustainability, and make the most use of available resources.
These solutions rely on a concerted effort by the public sector, the corporate sector, and the citizens themselves. Yet, with the proper infrastructure and support, smart cities may employ technological advancements like the Internet of Things to improve the quality of life for citizens and develop integrated living options for the expanding global urban population.
Evvr Smart Solutions - Building Blocks of Efficient Life
Evvr is one step ahead of the curve in developing and deploying smart home solutions to end users. They can enjoy exceptional control and security through Evvr Center Lite, Evvr Pad S, Evvr App, and more. Our pricing is competitive as we do not cut any corners at all. So, become our partner today and enjoy smart living with your loved ones!
