The future of IoT-Informed smart cities

As the global population continues to rise and more people migrate to urban centers in search of better opportunities, city planners and authorities are turning to IoT smart technology to find more efficient solutions to large-scale urbanization problems. From public transportation to waste management, security systems to lighting and heating, ensuring the inhabitants of today's expanding population centers can benefit from city life is a challenging and unforgiving task. This is the case without the aid of smart technology.

The rise of the internet has revolutionized how local authorities manage, improve upon, and maintain public infrastructure. Such smart technology continues to pave the way for the development of informed city management systems and automated essential public services. This article aims to understand the changing role of IoT in the development of “smart cities” and how such systems are used to solve modern problems…

IoT systems and essential infrastructure

The idea of automating and streamlining basic city management processes such as waste disposal services, public transportation, and security systems with the help of smart sensors and analytics is not entirely a new concept. However, modern IoT devices have taken the idea of smart technology to new and exciting extremes.

Waste disposal in smart cities

Perhaps the best example of this is how modern smart cities handle large-scale waste disposal. Current statistics show that 56% of the world's population lives and works in city centers, and the urban population is expected to double by 2050. Authorities need to modernize waste management and disposal services and find ways to prevent city dwellers from drowning in garbage.

Research shows that globally, 2.12 billion tons of waste are produced each year. Naturally, health departments must find a way to effectively collect, process, and dispose of such materials without causing unnecessary stress to the physical infrastructure. There are several ways in which the implementation of IoT devices can measurably improve these processes. A great example of this is the smart garbage bin systems in the city of Nitra, Slovakia.

By utilizing a network of IoT smart sensors installed inside the city's semi-underground garbage bins, authorities can view waste levels in real-time from a central monitoring station. Teams then analyze this information alongside traffic reports and historical data to accordingly improve local services.

Implementing such a system helps authorities plan optimized collection routes, reducing carbon emissions, preventing traffic congestion, and ensuring the city remains hygienic.

Public transportation and pollution

An increasing problem for inhabitants of modern smart cities is aging traffic infrastructure and the accompanying pollution issues. According to data published by the World Health Organization, over 90% of global citizens reside in areas experiencing excessively polluted air. Additionally, the U.S. EPA estimates that 75% of this pollution is generated by automobiles.

Officials must change the way they use IoT systems to effectively combat this problem. Doing so will first help reduce the public's dependence on using personal vehicles to navigate smart cities. IoT sensors can be used to monitor traffic conditions in real-time to improve public transportation scheduling, and they can also be used to analyze vehicle data to refine the operational efficiency of taxis and buses, as in NYC's CV program.

In addition to transportation management, smart IoT devices can help protect the inhabitants of smart cities from ongoing pollution incidents. For example, authorities in Barcelona use IoT air quality sensors to monitor pollution levels and increase the efficiency of public transportation. This program has been reported to have reduced recorded air pollution levels by over 30% in just a few short years.

Security systems

IoT devices are becoming increasingly important in the development and optimization of smart city security systems. By monitoring and analyzing real-time data provided by physical systems such as IoT-enabled security cameras, alarms, and door locks, authorities can reduce crime rates across the city and improve response times to incidents.

By operating IoT security cameras installed in densely populated areas, officials can monitor situations in rea- time. This allows teams to remotely observe evolving incidents and plan more effective solutions. In fact, research published by the McKinsey Global Institute reveals that real-time crime mapping using IoT devices could reduce the number of thefts and assaults in smart cities by up to 40%.

Such systems will be beneficial for both commercial and residential use cases. For example, teams can use IoT cameras to inform wider devices such as alarms and locks and develop automatic lockdowns. In practice, this can prevent dangerous intruders from causing harm in high-risk places, such as schools.

The National Center for Education Statistics states that 97% of schools in US had some type of door lock for school security in 2019-20. Such data also proves how effective IoT automatic response systems can be in protecting vulnerable residents, homes, and businesses.

The future of IoT-Informed smart cities

The future of smart cities and IoT-informed systems will truly begin to transform modern life with advancements in AI. By developing AI analysis tools to understand recorded metrics and also learning from past events to apply this knowledge (through machine learning) to future plans, officials and managers can automate a range of key services to reduce their workload and significantly increase efficiency.

Park management in smart cities

For example, consider smart park management. Officials can integrate IoT security cameras with AI-supported license plate recognition software and data analysis tools. Doing this provides real-time information about available parking spaces. Such a system can significantly reduce traffic congestion and, consequently, pollution, as pilot programs in London have already been successful.

Smart energy grids

Authorities monitor energy usage in smart cities using IoT sensors… This helps to reduce wasted resources and increase operational efficiencies. The use of AI-informed analytics will allow authorities to more accurately predict their future needs. This methodology could make energy management across the city even more beneficial and protect residents from the scarcity of limited resources.

Autonomous cars

To improve public transportation and reduce carbon emissions, autonomous electric vehicles can be integrated with AI data analysis tools. This helps city dwellers travel safely and efficiently in smart cities. AI software programs can use machine learning to improve traffic flows, select fuel-efficient routes, and reduce the frequency of accidents.

Potential improvement through current generation of smart city applications, from time of implementation.

Digital transformation for sustainable urban development

The rise of the internet has played a significant role in the design, development, and ongoing operation of smart cities worldwide. These new technologies provide safer, cleaner, and more intuitive essential services to city dwellers in parallel with a rapidly growing population. The ongoing success of these projects is necessary to provide future generations with a more sustainable way of life.

As smart technology evolves, the role of IoT devices in the development of smart cities will continue to change. Teams can improve existing systems using data analysis and machine learning, which will benefit everyone. As we expect 2.5 billion more people to live and work in smart cities by 2050. People who currently live and work in cities have only seen a small part of the future of this "smart city" transformation and can only imagine what's to come.

But it's also important for city managers to have this vision. Otherwise, even if there is only a 50-kilometer distance between two cities, one a smart city and the other not yet transformed, there will soon be a light-year difference in terms of preparing the technological ground for the future, city design, development, and many other aspects. To prevent such large technological gaps between cities, city administrations need to closely follow smart city technologies, ant city dwellers need to demand the implementation of the technological advancements they dream of from city managers. 

We will grow, change, transform, and create a more harmonious and sustainable future as we dream. That's what's important, because dreaming is getting closer to reality.

Are you harnessing the power of digital transformation to enhance the services of your city, and do you want your city to reach it’s true potential? Share your experiences and insights with us on Twitter and LinkedIn. We are eager to connect and engage in enriching discussions about the future of smart cities.

The 'Smart City' is not an advertising slogan, but a reality. It is a new form of agreement between citizens and their city." - Carlo Ratti, Director of the MIT Senseable City Lab ↩

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2021). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2021 Revision. ↩

Hoornweg, D., Bhada-Tata, P., & Kennedy, C. (2013). Environment: Waste production must peak this century. Nature, 502(7473), 615-617

 World Health Organization (2021). Ambient (outdoor) air pollution. ↩

 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2021). Fast Facts on Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions. ↩

 McKinsey Global Institute (2019). Smart cities: Digital solutions for a more livable future. ↩

"The smart city concept is not just about hard infrastructure – traffic, waste management, energy efficiency – but about the people who inhabit the city, and how they interact with these elements." - Ricky Burdett, Professor of Urban Studies at the London School of Economics