6 IoT Innovations Making Cities Smarter
From sensors that measure water leaks to smart parking meters and self-driving buses, internet of things (IoT) technologies are a major contributor to the rise of smart cities. Here is a look at 6 innovative uses of IoT in municipalities around the world.
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Increasing urbanization is putting unprecedented pressure on city officials to constantly balance the challenge of resource constraints against environmental sustainability concerns. As a result, governments are turning to the internet of things (IoT) technologies to help make the world's metropolises run more efficiently.
IoT, which makes it possible for virtually everything to be internet-connected and accessible remotely for data collection and control, is a contributing factor pushing the concept of smart cities.
Research firm Gartner defines a smart city as "an urbanized area where multiple sectors cooperate to achieve sustainable outcomes through the analysis of contextual, real-time information shared among sector-specific information and operational technology systems."
Once a smart city network is implemented, it becomes relatively easy to collect all kinds of data, but the secret to success is in intelligently analyzing the data in order to make accurate and automated decisions.\
[See 11 Ways IT Professionals Can Make Sense of IoT Data.]
Smart homes and smart commercial buildings grew to represent 45% of total connected things in use in 2015, due to investment and service opportunity, according to a report from Gartner. The research firm estimates that the figure will rise to 81% by 2020.
California and the UK are already implementing radio receivers or sensors that are embedded on a section of highway to diagnose traffic conditions in real time.
Another successful use of IoT in the city is smart parking. The city of Los Angeles, for example, has been implementing new parking meters, parking space vehicle sensors, real-time parking guidance, and a full parking management system to influence demand during peak times.
Here is a look at how IoT is making cities from all over the world smarter.
LinkNYC is a first-of-its-kind communications network that will replace over 7,500 pay phones across the five boroughs with new structures called Links. Each Link will provide superfast, free public WiFi, phone calls, device charging and a tablet for internet browsing, access to city services, maps, and directions.
Created as one component of the Los Angeles Congestion Reduction Demonstration with $15 million in grants from the US Department of Transportation and $3.5 million in city funds, LA Express Park uses IPS Group's M5 smart parking meters. The devices are wirelessly integrated into the company's data management system for remote monitoring, configuration, and data analytics.
San Diego, Calif., and Jacksonville, Fla., are piloting new GE LED street lighting installations containing sensors, controls, wireless transmitters, and microprocessors to connect, collect, and analyze data being generated. The aim is to help the cities run better while providing new services and conveniences for residents and visitors. The cities and developers have access to GE's Predix IoT software development platform to build applications based on the data the sensors generate.
In 2015, Kansas City, Mo., officials announced a plan to invest more than $15 million to turn the central city into a smart city. Partnering with Cisco Systems and Sprint, the initiative brings together an ecosystem to develop applications including smart lighting, digital kiosks, a development data portal, and smart water innovation development.
With the need for water in the city on the rise for decades, Copenhagen installed smart meters to measure water consumption, and more importantly, detect and eliminate leaking pipes. Thanks to leak-detection sensors, Copenhagen's water loss is down to 7% from about 40%, while water-saving campaigns and a growing awareness of the need for conservation have also helped reduce consumption.
The Mercedes-Benz Future Bus with CityPilot, a self-driving vehicle designed for cities deploying bus rapid transit (BRT) programs, recently made its first test run on one of Europe's longest BRT route in the Netherlands. The route links Amsterdam's Schiphol airport with the town of Haarlem -- a nearly 20 km (about 12.4 miles) journey with numerous bends and passes through tunnels and across junctions with traffic lights.
The Mercedes-Benz Future Bus with CityPilot, a self-driving vehicle designed for cities deploying bus rapid transit (BRT) programs, recently made its first test run on one of Europe's longest BRT route in the Netherlands. The route links Amsterdam's Schiphol airport with the town of Haarlem -- a nearly 20 km (about 12.4 miles) journey with numerous bends and passes through tunnels and across junctions with traffic lights.
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