Smart home appliances are all over the world right now. This fact, in time, starts to change the way we handle situations and how we live. So, every single day is now thought of as a new chance to think and go step further. Creative people who love to push the boundaries go with the idea of transferring smart concepts into another field in the process of time: “If we can manage life in our home like this, then cannot we do the same with the cities we live in?”.
Of course, we can. From this point of view, the term “smart city” has emerged and smart city IoT applications have started to be used in the urban areas of the countries.
What is a Smart City?
When starting with the question “what is a smart city”, it can be considered as a place in which technological developments are applied to monitor and manage all sources, heritages and properties in the area effectively.
The main aim is to provide a more sustainable and habitable world for human beings and other creatures. To enhance the quality of life and produce solutions for urban problems are top priorities.
The History of Smart City
The history of smart city dates back to the late 1960s when the Community Analysis Bureau’s computer-based works on infrastructures in Los Angeles began. Or we can say that all it started with the invention of telegraph and the first message from it in 1844 since communication is an important part of urban services.
In the process of time, there have been innovations and improvements in urban studies as the residents’ needs change. Associated with the assimilation of humans into the technology, now we can talk about integrating technological development into urban requirements. The Internet of things is now taking care of business in building smart cities.
What will living in an IoT Smart City be like?
By growing away with the conventional ways, what will it be like to start to live in an IoT smart city? It can be said that there are advantages and disadvantages as in all the things in the world. Driving your car in improved traffic, parking your car even without touching the wheel, working with smart systems in the city you live in, and so on will make your life enjoyable.
Since the population in the city grows, the most expected innovations in the city through internet of things would be on security problems. When malicious attempts are made, smart city systems will be able to send prompt signals to the security units. A smart city would consume lots of energy.
Considering this, the consumption of energy will be minimized by using energy-efficient gadgets. New developments in the waste management system are also a big part of the deal.
The Application of IoT in Smart City
The application of IoT in smart city is a necessity for the modern world when it is considered properly. Because the world is being polluted more quickly, the population is becoming redundant, the infrastructures are insufficient and too way conventional. To be brief, cities are run in an old fashion way considering the current attacks on the technological field.
While building cities, we need to take natural disasters and other potential threats into consideration. IoT can help us handle all possible problems without the need of manual interference. Besides, it has paramount importance to make sure of the sustainability of IoT smart city.
Smart City Applications We Need
To be considered as one, cities need to have some smart city applications. Let’s start with city lighting. As a part of city safety, it is a must to lighten the streets of the city. The lighting process could increase the cost based on the surface area, and municipalities need to take action to minimize the budget and save energy by using intelligent features.
Transportation is also important for the residents of the city. The ongoing developments on the transportation services enable to reduces the time we spend in the traffic, prevent potential accidents and helps the authority monitor and process the data.
The best healthcare systems supported by the IoT are of prime importance for the residents. Other necessities of a smart city are related to the fields such as waterworks, electric works, waste treatment and telecommunication, etc. Many companies try to do their best to provide services for the municipalities on this. For instance, Siemens. Siemens Smart City applications such as MindSphere, CyAm, Cybersecurity, CCs and so on are the leading ones for the field.
What are the Smart City Ideas?
The improvements in the education system are the leading one when considered smart city ideas. Starting from the computer-assisted learning to learning programming and working with devices, it has been a really long journey to take.
But right now, children start to learn how to work with drones, robots and many others as well as video games. And even in art, we can see the effects of IoT. Digital art objects have already started to meet with their audiences.
The election will be able to be held online when the privacy and security crisis is solved. Plus, people will use websites to handle their work and declare their problems to the government for almost any reason. In short, we are trying to update the standards of life with smart city projects.
Smart City IoT Projects in the Spotlight
There have been many smart city IoT projects in progress all over the world. Smart City Telecom services will be helpful to increase connectivity to the appliances and also their applications designed by the help of IoT. One of their benefits is free Wi-Fi services in public areas. For example, New York Municipality provides this service with the project “LinkNYC” which is funded by the advertisements on the kiosk screens.
It also enables to charge of electronic devices via USB. Similar projects are run in cities all over the world right now. Again in New York, ShotSpotter project is carried out for the detection of gunfire in the city. Another project is BOS:311 which helps the citizens in Boston report any wrongdoings in the city by sending pictures and messages with the help of the app. And to reduce the polluted air, CityTree project is in progress right now in many cities such as Paris, Oslo, and so on.
Smart City Iot Applications
When starting with the question “what is a smart city”, it can be considered as a place in which technological developments are applied to monitor and manage all sources, heritages and properties in the area effectively. The main aim is to provide a more sustainable and habitable world for human beings and other creatures. To enhance the quality of life and produce solutions for urban problems are top priorities.