Smart IoT For Smart Cities

- Krishna Mukherjee

Barcelona used the smart city concept for deploying ICT in a bid to pursue social and urban growth. By leveraging on modern technologies, Manchester aimed to indulge in promoting community engagement, capacity building, etc. Helsinki, in its smart city initiative, banked upon mobile and wireless technologies and applications.

All these global scenarios connote that technology is the backbone for any smart city foundation. In addition, different definitions of smart cities also highlight the fact that technology is the key catalyst in making a city or country smarter.

A school of thought defines smart city “as a high tech intensive and advanced city that connects people, information and city elements using new technologies in order to create a sustainable, greener city, competitive and innovative commerce, and an increased life quality.”

According to Gartner: “A smart city is based on intelligent exchanges of information that flow between its many different sub-systems. This flow of information is analyzed and translated into citizen and commercial services. The city will act on this information flow to make its wider ecosystem more resource efficient and sustainable. The information exchange is based on a smart governance operating framework designed to make cities sustainable.”

A smart city builds on the digital platform and folds in smart applications and infrastructure among others in order to improve the quality of life. The core features of a smart city revolves around providing adequate water and electricity supply, efficient transportation, solid waste management, affordable housing, smooth IT connectivity, good governance, among others.