Dar Magazine I10 Page 11

The process
Collecting + Coordinating + Anticipating

The ICT infrastructure layer must be considered during the
planning stage for maximum impact and efficiency. During
this stage, city information systems are linked to each other,
spanning across energy, water, waste management, transport,
and telecommunications, from city-scale to individual homes.
The following steps can be followed for the purpose.

Step 1.

Collect and analyze data in real time at every level of

the city operating systems, from the most public to the very
private: data coming from transportation activities (buses, trains),
infrastructure utilities (water pipes, gas lines), community services
(hospitals, clinics), and living units.

Step 2.

Coordinate resources and manage responses by sharing

information across agencies, events and processes in real time
through statistics and computer programming. Department
sharing of information is a paradigm shift in urban management
as it informs decision making e.g. data on transportation can
affect economic development, and data on public safety can be
relevant to housing policy.

Step 3.

Anticipate problems by depicting patterns and trends in

structured or unstructured data.

This process aims at:
· Giving the right information to the right people in the right time
· Informing decision-making processes
· Anticipating results
· Responding to challenges while optimizing resources
· Measuring impacts efficiently.

Smart Cities' key technology streams

Networking technology

Networking technology consists of bringing higher broadband
capacity with FTTH, 4G LTE, IP multimedia systems, and future
networking technologies.

Aim:

It enables mass interaction at a reasonable cost for a high

quality service.

Application:

Networking technology makes possible remote

diagnosis in healthcare, web streaming of events and other
functions from a distance. In such environments, less people will
have to travel in and out the city; thus, the level of congestion and
wasted time and resources is reduced.

Cloud computing

Cloud computing consists of using a network of remote servers
rather than a local server to store, manage and process data.

Aim:

Cloud computing accelerates technology diffusion, learning

processes and solutions awareness at city administrations and
their IT departments.

Application:

One application for cloud computing is the

telepresence system that enables one to control house lighting,
air conditioning, heating systems, and curtains remotely.

Embedded sensors

Embedded sensors refer to the practice of deploying devices into
the city's physical space to detect and respond to inputs from the
physical environment (light, heat, motion, pressure, and so on).

Aim:

The interconnection of mobile devices and sensors allows

for a better collection and analysis of data, and hence a better
management and forecast of urban and natural flows.

Application:

Embedded sensors can be used to regulate water usage

according to environmental conditions detected by weather sensors.

These types of spatial intelligence connect the virtual and physical
realms via massive amounts of electronic devices distributed
in houses, vehicles, streets, buildings, and many other public
environments. These technology devices are self-regulating,
allowing automation of traditional processes and infrastructure
with little human intervention. They open a new paradigm of
spatial intelligence in cities, leading to system-wide efficiencies,
better informed decisions and economic savings.

While this technology blurs the limit between the private dynamics
of an individual and the public dynamics of a whole society, it is
an enabler.

Smart urbanism

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