Integrated Project

A smart city uses information and communication technology (ICT) to improve operational efficiency, share information with the public and provide a better quality of government service and citizen welfare.

There are a number of definitions of what makes a city ‘smart,’ for example, IBM defines a smart city as “one that makes optimal use of all the interconnected information available today to better understand and control its operations and optimise the use of limited resources.”

54% of the world’s population live in cities and this is expected to rise to 66% by 2050, adding a further 2.5 billion people to the urban population over the next three decades. With this expected population growth there comes a need to manage environmental, social and economic sustainability of resources.

Smart cities allow citizens and local government authorities to work together to launch initiatives and use smart technologies to manage assets and resources in the growing urban environment.

Smart cities follow four steps to improve the quality of life and enable economic growth through a network of connected IoT devices and other technologies. These steps are as follows:

1. Collection – Smart sensors gather real-time data

2. Analysis – The data is analysed to gain insights into the operation of city services and operations

3. Communication – The results of the data analysis are communicated to decision makers

4. Action – Action is taken to improve operations, manage assets and improve the quality of city life for the residents

Cities across the world are in different stages of smart technology development and implementation. However, there are several who are ahead of the curve, leading the path to creating fully smart cities. These include:

Barcelona, Spain
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Hong Kong, China
Kansas City, Missouri, USA
London, United kingdom

The main goal of a smart city is to optimise city functions and promote economic growth while also improving the quality of life for citizens by using smart technologies and data analysis. The value lies in how this technology is used rather than simply how much technology is available.

Why Smart Cities Are Important

Smart City Definition

How Smart Cities Work

Examples

Smart city