The Role of AI Technology in Smart Cities
Growing city populations make urban innovation more vital than ever. Learn how smart cities use AI to improve the quality of life for their citizens.
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
The Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming every aspect of urban life. Here's how IoT can improve public safety, traffic management, and much more.
Many factors contribute to the quality of urban life, including safety, access to public transportation, and cost of living. Given that an estimated 65 percent of the global population will live in cities by 2040 (Rishabh Software, 2023), it has never been more important to innovate city life, ensuring the highest possible quality of life for all residents. Smart city technology is helping to make this a reality, with the Internet of Things (IoT) transforming every sector from waste management to traffic safety. Let’s explore how IoT technology will completely revolutionize the management and experience of urban living for municipalities and their citizens.
What is the IoT?
The Internet of Things is a system of devices equipped with sensors and software that allows them to collect and share data through a communications network such as the internet. These interconnected devices can report vital information to each other in real-time, allowing urban issues to be resolved more quickly and seamlessly than human intervention (Simmons, 2023).
Many smart devices we encounter in our everyday lives utilize IoT technology, including wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers, smart home products like speakers with voice assistants and automatically adjusting thermostats, and connected vehicles with a wireless network. These devices help make daily tasks more efficient and convenient, improving our quality of life, health, and general well-being (King, 2024).
The IoT is also a major asset to smart cities. By employing this technology, smart cities can achieve augmented economic development, increased sustainability, improved resource management, and an elevated quality of life for their citizens (Rishabh Software, 2023).
Applications of IoT Technology in Smart Cities
Many U.S. smart cities have begun implementing IoT technology to improve various sectors of urban life. Here are a few real-life applications of IoT technology used in the U.S. to enhance residents’ quality of life right now:
Data collected from IoT sensors can help reduce traffic wait times during periods of high congestion and improve the safety of drivers and pedestrians on the road. IoT technology can manage traffic with smart traffic lights, improve navigation through real-time traffic data, and monitor weathering and damage to roads, bridges, and other infrastructure (Pandey, 2023; Rishabh Software, 2023; Simmons, 2023).
In New York, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) launched an active traffic management system in partnership with TransCore, an organization dedicated to finding engineering solutions to road safety issues. The “Midtown in Motion” program utilizes radio-frequency identification (RFID) and sensors attached to 12,400 traffic signals to communicate real-time traffic information via the New York City Wireless Network (NYCWiN). This data allows traffic engineers to identify and address factors that lead to traffic backups, resulting in better traffic flow (Simmons, 2023; TransCore, 2023).
IoT-powered cameras can monitor public spaces for possible security threats and have real-time tracking and decision-making tools to analyze data from security cameras and sensors to predict potential crimes and help law enforcement respond effectively in emergencies (Rishabh Software, 2023).
In New York, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) has implemented the Risk-Based Inspection System (RBIS) to predict where fires are likely to occur. The system’s algorithm arranges data from various city agencies into 60 categories based on risk factors. This information is then used to identify high-risk buildings. The RBIS also improves the efficiency of the FDNY’s building inspection process by enabling paper records that were once stored across the city’s 49 fire companies to be digitized and shared with the entire FDNY (Heaton, 2015).
IoT devices can help citizens, businesses, and government offices save money through water management, smart lighting, and energy management. For instance, IoT sensors could be installed in apartment and office buildings to monitor energy consumption and optimize energy usage, resulting in lower energy bills and reduced carbon emissions (Rishabh Software, 2023).
Many city officials and business owners across the U.S. already use IoT-powered lighting systems to conserve energy and reduce costs. Commercial buildings waste a lot of electricity by staying lit all day, even when no one is present. Intelligent lighting systems use LED lights connected through Wi-Fi to turn lights on and off based on sound, motion, or schedules, cutting down on unnecessary energy use. Thus, by controlling the amount of time that lights are on every day, businesses and individuals can save money and help the environment with smart buildings (Pourbeik, 2021).
IoT-powered solutions can help cities keep an eye on environmental conditions remotely. IoT technology can monitor air quality around the city, helping to facilitate urban planning decisions by pinpointing areas with poor air quality and implementing pollution regulations. Additionally, the IoT could assist in water grid maintenance by identifying changes in water quality and potential leakages (Rishabh Software, 2023; Simmons, 2023).
In Houston, Texas, the city partnered with Microsoft to address air quality and water usage concerns with IoT technology. First, the city equipped about 60 percent of its 500,000 water customers with smart water meters; these meters collect data every 15 minutes, allowing citizens to monitor their water usage. Next, the city installed air quality sensors and air filtration technology on bridges along the city’s main overpass; these tools monitor and clean air pollution to stop it from spreading to residential areas in the vicinity of major roadways (Wilkinson, 2019).
Finding an open parking spot in any major city can be a struggle, which is why IoT technology is used to create smart parking solutions. IoT sensors identify when a parking space is occupied; then, this data is sent to a server, which delivers information about available parking spots to drivers through a mobile app or public display board. Reportedly, smart parking has expanded the capacity of roads by 10 percent (Rishabh Software, 2023; Simmons, 2023).
IoT company Eleven-x recently partnered with Arlington County, Virginia, to launch a smart parking program to improve the convenience and efficiency of parking for residents and visitors of Arlington County’s commercial district. Through wireless technology, the smart parking system will monitor available parking spots and provide drivers with real-time information on vacancies, helping save time and diminish traffic congestion (Jacob, 2023).
IoT technology allows residents to manage their utilities through meters that track resource consumption like water and electricity usage. For instance, a homeowner or renter could control their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system through a smartphone app, allowing them to turn utilities off when they’re not home. They could also communicate with technicians or utility providers for timely service in the event of a failure or leakage.
New York created the free MyNYCHA app for residents to access public housing services online. Through the app, residents can submit repair and maintenance requests and view the status of their tickets. They can also receive alerts for upcoming rent payments, shortages, and outages (Rishabh Software, 2023).
Municipalities use IoT-powered solutions to optimize waste collection routes and schedules with real-time monitoring of fuel consumption and waste levels. Garbage cans and recycling bins can be fitted with sensors to track their fill levels; these sensors only notify garbage truck drivers when containers are full, which helps lower costs and environmental effects. East Brunswick, New Jersey, developed a recycling app to improve communication between residents and city officials. Powered by IoT technology, the app helps reduce waste and encourages higher recycling rates (Rishabh Software, 2023).
As the population of cities grows, the issue of improving the quality of urban life becomes increasingly pressing. IoT-powered technology offers a multitude of smart solutions for problems across every sector of urban life, demonstrating the immense value of this technology. IoT-powered solutions help municipalities save money by reducing unnecessary energy expenditures while also adding value to cities by improving infrastructure, safety, and public service systems. There is no end to what the IoT can help cities accomplish, and as this technology continues to develop, the innovation will only multiply.
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Resources:
Guide to IoT and connected devices: Growth, trends, and advertising
How smart cities are putting people first in the urban world
How to use IoT for energy efficiency and sustainability
IoT and Road Safety: How Technology is Making Our Roads Safer
IoT in Smart Cities: Applications and Benefits
New York City Fights Fire with Data
North America to Use IoT For Parking Management
Smart City and Internet of Things (IoT) Technology