What is a smart city and where this concept has already been implemented

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Smart public transport, solar panels and a unified security system for some cities are no longer a fantasy, but a reality.

How a smart city differs from a normal city

Approaches to the concept of a "smart city" differ, but this is almost always understood as the concept of a settlement, stuffed with IoT technologies. The essence of the Internet of Things is in the interconnection of devices between themselves and the outside world without participation and for the benefit of man. The simplest example is street lighting, which turns on when there is a lack of natural light.

The goal of smart cities is to make the lives of citizens more convenient and safer, as well as to save city money and space. For example, with smart lanterns, city streets are just as safe at night as with normal ones, while spending money on electricity is minimal: the light does not burn in vain until it gets dark.

In the ideal smart city of the future, technology meets residents at every step, forming a single ecosystem and being responsible for all aspects of human life: from movement by public transport to waste recycling.

What makes a city smart

Data center

A single database will help you correlate and use different information when you need it. For example, when you call 112, the rescue service can receive data on the whereabouts of the victim, and the hospital, upon admission, can receive his medical record. And if someone shoots a pistol on the street, the information can automatically come to the police along with the image of the suspect from the camera.

Universal city application

All the data the citizens need can be combined in the application. Through it, a resident of a smart city will be able to call a taxi, pay bills, tell the authorities about a pothole on the road, find out where the traffic jams are and if there are free parking spaces. A similar program is already working, for example, in Chicago.

Unmanned vehicles

Tesla, Uber and Google are already poised to use their technology on the road, and self-driving cars that read road markings will someday replace manual vehicles. But in a smart city, everything can work differently: drones will be combined into one network and when planning a route, they will start from a relative location. It should be safer. Self-driving cars will also be able to receive information about accidents on the road and free parking spaces in advance.

Smart parking

A study by the American Society for Intelligent Transportation found that 30% of traffic jams are caused by a long search for parking spots by motorists. The smart city concept accelerates this process with an app. Special sensors can measure the parking time with an accuracy of a second: the corresponding amount of money can be withdrawn from the card automatically. Parking sensors are used in many cities in the USA and Europe: the first to introduce the system were Paris and Kansas City.

Smart lighting

We have already talked about street lights that turn on when it gets dark. But the smart city concept also offers more interesting scenarios. For example, in the American San Antonio lanterns along the transport arteries shine a little brighter after rain. This allows drivers to see the road better when they are more likely to skid.

Solar panels

Taking care of the environment is an important point in the concept of a smart city, therefore, in almost all projects, attention is paid to alternative methods of generating electricity. Urban and private solar panels are considered a compact solution. For example, in the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town, such panels are installed on every home.

Cameras

In Chicago, high-definition cameras are built into streetlights and used to provide security in crowded areas. And in San Antonio they found another use: convicted citizens do not have to go to court to check in, it is enough to appear in one of the special booths with a camera.

Smart public transport

Driving intervals are not all the bus information you can find in a smart city. IoT technologies are also developed in Russian cities. For example, in Moscow, the stop board shows how many minutes the required car will arrive. You can also track the movement of buses in Yandex. Transport.

Fire detectors

These devices in a smart home do not work like conventional smoke detectors. More precisely, as the example of the American Louisville shows, smart sensors work in tandem with classic ones. They are used in abandoned buildings where there is a risk of fire, which will affect nearby buildings. These devices contain a solar battery, a microphone and a simple communication module. When the microphone picks up the siren of an ordinary sensor, an SMS about the fire is sent to firefighters and neighbors.

Smart urns

The most popular example is Bigbelly urns, which are installed in America. Due to their design, they do not spoil the ambient air, rodents do not crawl in them, but the main thing is that they themselves send notifications to the garbage collection services when they are filled.

Shot locators

ShotSpotter sensors are installed in many American cities. They can identify the number of shooters, their exact location at the time of the shot, and even the type of weapon. All data is sent to the police.

Open information

One of the principles of a smart city is openness. This also applies to the willingness to exchange experience, and the desire to share the information received with the townspeople. For example, on the website of the London City Hall, people have access to transport data, environmental indicators and other statistics, including those obtained using smart sensors.

What a city that can be called smart looks like

We have already said that smart cities mean completely different settlements. For example, Moscow has its own project: it is claimed that it will become technologically smart by 2030. Many relevant innovations have been introduced in major cities in America, Asia and Europe: Singapore, Dubai, Barcelona, Louisville, Chicago. But the ideal smart city in a vacuum, albeit small and recently rebuilt, is Fujisawa, a Japanese policy created by Panasonic.

Its area is 19 hectares. It houses residential buildings centered around the cultural center, squares, playgrounds and shops. Part of the electricity is provided by solar panels.

Street lights are equipped with motion sensors: the light becomes brighter as soon as a pedestrian or a car approaches.

Each house is connected to the city's television system. With its help, residents can not only watch channels, but also rent an electric car or electric bike.

Special attention is paid to safety. With the help of the same television system, residents will be instantly warned of an earthquake, and if the city is disconnected from the outside world, Fujisawa will be able to provide himself with electricity and hot water for three days.

There is a news section on the project website. In Fujisawa, something is constantly happening, for example, on June 15, a health day was held at the local cultural center, and on July 1, a new online service for communication between patients and pharmacists was launched in demo mode.

Panasonic believes that the main thing in Fujisawa is not high technology, but concern for the environment and communication with neighbors. As conceived by the creators, a person without a personal car can simply ask a neighbor for an electric car, and not use a rental.

The city has smart homes designed for the appearance of newborns in a family, a nursery and a kindergarten. At the same time, Fujisawa is preparing for the aging of its residents: for older citizens, apartment buildings with social workers are provided. It is believed that the city will fully manifest itself when three generations pass through it - in a hundred years.