How Is A Perfect Smart City Built?
IN DEPTH: Smart cities are a recent innovation. How does a local authority harness the benefits?
Tech-based approaches can help
Of course, before cities can reap the rewards of smart technology, they need to implement the right infrastructure and support systems to ensure it all runs smoothly.
Caroline Gorski, head of IoT at the Digital Catapult, says technology-based approaches can be successful but they need to correspond to specific challenges. As well as this, key decision-makers should also consider the importance of security.
“The benefits of a smart city should be significant, but implementing the infrastructure to achieve these potential benefits is not straight forward,” she says.
“A technology-led approach can help to drive business innovation, but it needs to be centred on use-cases that provide a real opportunity to help combat some of the city’s biggest challenges such as air pollution, traffic congestion and energy management.
“For a successful digital roll-out at city-scale, it is crucial that secure and reliable communication networks are in place, and that they are affordable and accessible to innovators. This access enables businesses to develop the solution-based technologies that will improve our cities productivity, efficiency and enhance our day-to-day lives.
“Digital Catapult’s recently announced Things Connected network, for example, is providing 50 low-power base stations across London with free-of-charge access for registered users to ensure the capital is ready to innovate with the Internet of Things.
“In collaboration with BT, Everynet and Beecham Research among others, the implementation of Things Connected will help drive experimentation in IoT to combat some of the city’s biggest challenges.We are beginning to see globally that LPWAN deployments help to enable digital experimentation and growth. This is a crucial first step to making our cities smart.”
Emerging tech investment
Smart cities are a new phenomenon, and the tech is still evolving. Alex Gledhill, who works in Intel’s communications service provider organisation, says governments and businesses need to invest in the research and development of next-generation network technology. 5G, in particular, will be crucial in smart city projects over the next few years.
“To make smart cities a success, governments and businesses will need to continue to invest in the next generation of networks. Right now, current 4G infrastructure isn’t capable of sustaining emerging technologies like autonomous vehicles, drone deliveries, or pervasive Internet of Things (IoT),” he says.
“When 5G starts being rolled out as soon as 2020, we will begin to see the signs of true digital transformation across entire cities for the first time. 5G networks are anticipated to provide exponentially more capacity, lower latency, ubiquitous connectivity, as well as increased reliability and availability.
“Turning the IoT promise into bottom-line benefits will enrich everyday life by increasing business productivity and improving government efficiency. Investing in networks will provide the supporting infrastructure and Intel has already established key global partnerships with telecom and automotive leaders, and together will deliver integrated 5G prototype solutions to ensure network readiness and successful early rollouts.”
Within the next few years, we can expect to see more smart city projects come to fruition. They offer a plethora of benefits and will no doubt revolutionise the way governments cater to the needs of citizens. While the tech is highly capable, it’s still evolving, and there are a few things governments and councils need to consider to ensure the innovation is used to its full potential.
