Essential Technologies for a Smart City – Part 1

Smart cities in India are no more a thing of the future; they are being built all across the nation as you read this. The fact holds true not just for our country but worldwide. Projected to be a $400 billion market by 2020 covering 600 cities worldwide, these cities are expected to generate 60% of the world’s GDP by 2025. So what are the technologies behind the ‘smart city’? Let’s take a look.

Smart Energy: Residential and commercial units in a smart city are more efficient, using less energy, and the energy used is analyzed and data collected. Smart grids, smart streetlights (energy-saving LEDs), smart meters, solar power systems, electric vehicles are some of the facets of smart energy for a smart city.

Smart Transportation: Multi-modal transportation, smart traffic lights and smart parking are some of the features that support a smart-city. People spend less time looking for parking spots and circling city blocks by making parking smarter. Similarly, smart traffic lights have cameras that monitor traffic flow so that it’s reflected in the traffic signals. After all, A smart city greatly reduces vehicle traffic and allows people and goods to be moved easily through various means.

Smart Data: In order to make the massive amount of data collected by a smart city useful, it must be analyzed quickly. In order to publish city data online, open data portals are one option that some cities have chosen so that anyone can access it and use predictive analytics to assess future patterns.

These technologies work together to build a smart city. As more people move into urban areas and the world population grows, the need for smarter cities will increase to make the best use of available resources.