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The challenges and opportunities of Smart City have been discussed earlier this year on Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. Alex Steffen, Planetary Futurist in Residence, is convinced that “we have to build better cities to beat the planetary crisis we face.” And there is no way he is wrong. It is a time to implement Smart solutions and latest technology, towards advanced and personalized environment preparing the cities to host 80% of world’s population.
Urban lab
to every city
Even though the needs of the cities seems to be quite the same, each of them has different attitudes and ambitions. There is no one way turning the city into the smart[nbsp]complex integrated organism, therefore, in order to accomplish the objects of world urban development, Urban labs have to be created locally and by municipally. The labs will have the task of planning and implementing the smart green solutions best suitable for the environment. Among other things, the work of the Urban labs have to lead to substantial savings for the municipality, accelerate the city’s growth, enhance the quality of life, pulling the city even more towards CO2-neutral and support the city’s other initiatives and visions.
New world for
business opportunities
The last European Supply Chain [&] Logistics Summit has taken place in Barcelona for a second time. The Smart City technologies and advantages of locating logistics bases in Barcelona and Catalonia have been created for the companies in the Summit. It has been assured that the city implemented the Internet of Things will enhance efficiency and introduce sustainability into supply chains. The working processes and environment will change together with the city acquiring the Internet of Things. Some countries have already started its transformation. And here are a few examples:
Smart Solutions
from Spain
The new developments on the Internet of Things and the capacity to collect and analyze information from sensors spread across the city is a key driver of smart cities but also a great challenge. How can these potential solutions help solve local problems? The Internet of Things is not only about sensors, but about ‘smartifying’ data. Smart City does not mean only implementation of IoT, but enhancing the life of citizens including the solutions for health improvement.
Barcelona embraces IoE to create a Smart City with Cisco, getting in the leaders in the Smartest City contest. “The city is utilizing the Internet of Everything by connecting its people and things to the city wi-fi. Barcelona is creating new services, rich experience and unprecedented economic opportunities for its people, its businesses, and its partners,” says Anil Menon, president Smart+Connected Communities at Cisco. Smart technologies can solve the traffic complications of the city. Analysing the data, it is estimated that 40 percent of traffic in city centres are caused by cars looking for parking space. Nowadays in Barcelona, inground parking centers communicate with the device in the car to help a vehicle to quickly find the available parking spot. This way, the traffic in the centre is reduced, making the city more livable and enjoyable for the citizens.The Bus stops have interactive screens with information about bus timetables, an area where you are and where you are going, estimates travel time. The wi-fi connection is available in the bus stops, buses and even underground train. This allows citizens to maintain the sense of connectivity as they have at home. A city-wide network of sensors provides city officials with the concrete real-time information, allowing to make fast and data-based solutions to streamline the city, reduce cost, and also improve overall sustainability.
One of the ways Barcelo influences to the health improvement of the state in the Bicing. Bicing is a bicycling sharing program founded in 2007 by Vodafone. The new app for the service turns the cycling into a game rewarding healthy and sustainable behavior with a monthly points system. The app encourages physical exercise and turns on the competitive factor between the users on the second level of the game. Earned points can be exchanged for a bike accessories, credit, journeys on electric bikes and other gifts. Here is a bit more information about the service:
Driving Data
in Copenhagen
The receipt for the digital transformation in the city is uniting the Smart City and Open Data. The municipal (non-sensitive) data produced by the city is available for innovative and specialized forces to maintain and advance digital development, and enhance citizens’ experience. Private[nbsp]actors are able to develop digital welfare technology solutions that support the municipal work.
Copenhagen Connecting is a digital infrastructure in Copenhagen that creates the context for the entire city. The digital solutions offer enormous cost savings, economic gains and opportunities to improve citizens’ quality of life and create growth. The economic potentials by establishing Copenhagen Connecting been qualified by several municipal administrations in cooperation with external consultants and knowledge institutions. Copenhagen acknowledges Big data as a fundamental growth and in many cases the survival condition for enterprises and nations. It is something that everyone will have to deal with – not least the politicians who stand in front of a number of key decisions on how best to prepare for the data-driven economy.
Providing the
transperancy
Besides everything, Internet of Things provides unseen before transparency. Leading Smart city experts in Copenhagen Cleantech Journal identified five barriers that cities can use resources more intelligently and thus become a Smart Cities.
1. Political short-sightedness: Politicians are much too focused on the immediate future.
2. Silo thinking: Each sector, administration, and industry knows too little about what the others are doing, making it difficult to realize the necessary cross-sectoral cooperation.
3. Lack of management: The development process is primarily driven by commercial players – without a coherent and guiding political vision.
4. High complexity: Especially in established cities, the number of stakeholders is overwhelming, and the existing infrastructure often represents an effective defense against change.
5. Organisational inertia: Complex, interdisciplinary solutions require organisational versatility – including more flexible partnership models between the public and private sectors.
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