The world’s population is growing every year, with more and more people flocking to urban areas. Smart cities aren’t just for sci-fi movies anymore; they’re rapidly becoming our real future. To get there, big data is going to play a huge role, according to Adam Kaplan of Edgybees and ITProPortal.
Smart cities include elements such as…
- Intelligent traffic management (improved engineering, autonomous vehicles)
- Better public safety (fewer missing persons, improved emergency response times, more accurate policing)
- Future-proof infrastructure (plan for needs, address potential hazards in advance)
- Sustainability and effective spending (cutting waste, address specific trends and focal points)
With greater tracking, more effective big data analytics, and effective implementation, smart cities could be a new world for future generations.
Effective implementation is key, though. As urbanist Michael Batty writes in Inventing Future Cities, “The kinds of automation that currently characterize the smart city are only intelligent or smart insofar as we, ourselves, use them intelligently. It is we who must potentially be smart rather than the devices we use.”
It’s paramount that we have IoT and Big Data experts behind the wheel. By following Batty’s advice and taking into account the intricacies of change, such as privacy concerns, funding, and inter-organization cooperation, smart cities may be only a few years away.
“Big data lies at the heart of smart city innovation. Drawing on data from connected devices, public agencies, private citizens, and more, cities will be able to optimise their operations and effectively manage change as more and more people call them home.” (Kaplan, ITProPortal)
What do you think about the future of smart cities? Leave a comment below.