Although most of the innovation and development of the Internet of Things is done by private or business organizations, especially in the consumer electronics arena, the public sector has not lost the enormous potential of the Internet of Things.
This technology is unique because it can be easily used and enjoyed by anyone, regardless of their level of interest and skill. Unbelievably widespread use means anyone can benefit from the Internet of Things.
What is a connected city?
One area in which the government and the private sector come together to gain the benefits of the Internet of Things is the development of so-called connected cities. City planners and government officials have seen the security and efficiency gains that can be achieved through the application of IoT technology, and they are eager to work with corporate and private technology leaders to make it a reality.
Network giant Cisco has published a number of white papers detailing the meaning of urban “interconnected” and organizing summits and events to further explore the concept. The term includes digital and IoT transformations that serve many cities.
Urban planning based on location data:
By leveraging citizens' equipment and online activities, of course, with their permission, city planners and other officials can gain new insights into how citizens live and act. By collecting real and real-time data, the efficiency of the city can be multiplied.
Traffic routes:An interconnected city can be equipped with smart street lights and even smart traffic lights. When traffic jams (such as collisions or construction) occur, bypass signs and traffic lights can be automatically reconfigured to direct traffic to more efficient roads.
Municipal Wi-Fi:The key to all of this is to get as many citizens as possible online. To this end, more and more cities are committed to providing free public Internet access in parks, urban areas and other urban spaces.
Smart parking
Another area where the connected city truly benefits the public is the implementation of smart parking solutions. In big cities like San Francisco, New York, and Chicago, the burden of finding parking spaces often makes people completely unwilling to drive. Regardless of the parking assistance of some high-end cars, the term “smart parking” refers to the intelligent and automatic adjustment of urban parking lots.
Public spaces are equipped with sensors in every parking lot and at each entrance. The purpose of the equipment is to collect information on the number of available parking spaces, the average time of each vehicle in the parking lot, and other relevant data. Using this information and data on nearby events, traffic problems, and other conditions, these locations can automatically adjust prices to meet parking needs. Although the driver may hesitate to float the parking fee every day, this technique usually improves the travel experience.
In San Francisco, the SFpark Public Works project integrates these price adjustments, as well as web and mobile applications, to guide drivers to find the best parking lot to meet their needs. The program has successfully reduced the amount of time the driver is looking for a parking space and the number of violation tickets. Other cities are following suit, and similar projects are being carried out in New York and elsewhere.
Traffic monitoring
For urban drivers, nothing is more frustrating than traffic. Controlling and reducing this modern disaster has been the subject of countless studies and papers, but until now, from a technical point of view, it seems that little progress has been made.
The Internet of Things can change and capture data from any source, even passing vehicles, to change the situation. The emergence of modern traffic monitoring technology was pioneered by IBM and other large organizations. IBM describes a system called IBM Intelligent Transportation, in which sensors and other devices can collect data not only from cameras and motion detectors triggered by vehicles, but also from mobile phones and GPS carried by the vehicle itself. Data is collected from the device.
Using this data, IBM can build real-time images of traffic conditions within urban areas and predict congestion and other issues based on historical trends. City planners and other officials can use this data to easily see the source of congestion and then take steps to address it. Intelligent Transportation is part of the IBM Smarter Planet program, which hopes to use technology to improve our lives, even in the car.
Smart Street Lights
Street lighting used to be based on simple timers. They are effective, but not optimal, and often require on-site maintenance to adjust the time to accommodate an increase or decrease in the day of the year. Although an hour of lights during the day may not sound like a big problem, considering the entire city, this is a big problem.
The performance of the Internet of Things technology in terms of energy efficiency is extremely prominent. After all, one of the earliest applications of the Internet of Things was home lighting control. Therefore, it is not surprising that this concept has been expanded to optimize streetlights around the world. It is well known that smart street lighting uses low-energy LED bulbs and IoT sensors and turns on lights only when needed.
What's interesting about the application of the Internet of Things to infrastructure is that we are all end users. After all, everyone lives somewhere, and these technologies are accepted by people to an amazing degree no matter where they appear. One of the beauty of the Internet of Things is that it is easily accessible. Everyone can benefit from it without any special training or fees. It is really a technology to improve the world.
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