How Smart Cities are Improving the World

by - 12/05/2019 07:45:00 PM

     Every generation has offered new advancements in technology to improve life for the next ones. Because of this, writers would raid every hot scientific study to create a condensed version of the future. The rise of smart devices clued them into the concept of smart homes. From there, smart home technology would give way to smart communities before moving to inevitable smart cities.
     The smart city is the current proposal for “efficient” urbanization. Since cities are already growing in size, the need to accommodate its citizens will be quite the undertaking. In Britain, for example, local municipal governments have seen a 40% cut in daily civic spending. These changes will not come cheap, so it’s best to understand the benefits these modifications already have in the present. That way, when you’re shopping for houses for sale in Los Angeles, you can decide how much you want to factor the presence of smart technology into your moving decision.
Energy Grids
     In order to run all this smart technology, there needs to be careful energy conservation. Cities already account for 65% of global energy use and 70% of human carbon emissions. The first experiments in smart energy consumption are being achieved in Japan. 
     The Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town connects a thousand homes to a solar-powered smart grid. These implementations have enabled a reduction in the community’s carbon footprint. 
Waste Management
     Any busy city is bound to accumulate more than a few overflowing trash bins. What if there was a device that could measure the amount of waste inside the trashcan? In cities like Boston and Baltimore, they’re doing just that. 
     The “Big Belly” smart receptacles use sensors to gauge waste levels in real-time. Each receptacle is part of a network that can be accessed by municipal computer systems. Alerts are sent out when a “Belly is full, or near to filled, thus allowing local municipalities to better schedule their trash pick-up times. 
Police Drones
     Rampant urbanization could provide a nightmare scenario for police and first responders. This creates many variables where disaster could strike, and there’s not enough help to go around. Big data is already stepping in to help public safety agencies detect problem areas before they even arise. 
     Most U.S. cities have seen an 82% uptick in surveillance drone activity. Data collected from these drones goes toward resource budgeting for law enforcement and emergency services. Police departments in Orlando are also experimenting with facial recognition technology for the city’s public surveillance cameras. Through machine learning-enabled software, public safety departments can prioritize personnel for any given incident.  
Data Tourism 
     Visitors to a new area can have a better grasp of the landscape when they have a clear agenda. Otherwise, it’s all based on free time and opportunity. For smart cities, this means making all attractions and accommodations worth the tourists’ money.
     Any tourist who engages with a smart city’s public transportation, restaurants, or other functions creates a data trail. These trails can be used to build custom guides for tourists to use. Such technology is already being tested at campuses and island communities. Visitors can access their personalized data through kiosks or wearable devices like smartwatches and phones. 

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