What does a smart city have? Let’s take a look

Nowadays, with the continuous improvement of science and technology and intelligence, a large number of smart devices have emerged and gradually entered our lives, bringing unprecedented convenience to our lives. Not only that, these technologies will also make our cities smarter.

The concept of smart city originated from the field of media. It refers to the use of various information technologies or innovative concepts to connect and integrate the city’s systems and services in order to improve the efficiency of resource utilization, optimize urban management and services, and improve the quality of life of citizens.

As global cities move from "digitalization" to "smartness", intelligence, as a driving factor, has given new life to the organic construction of cities. In terms of policy, the central and local governments at all levels attach great importance to the construction of urban intelligence, and actively formulate and introduce relevant policies and measures to promote the development and iteration of cities. In terms of economy, cities have gradually become the main driving force for economic development. Economic development has entered a new normal, and the transformation of new and old kinetic energy and sustainable development have become urgent needs for urban industrial upgrading and iteration. In terms of technology, the maturity and application of technology lay the foundation for the development of smart cities. The construction needs of smart cities drive the continuous innovation of technology. In terms of cities and society, Chinese cities have gradually become the core space for people's lives. The rapid growth of urban population brought about by rapid urbanization has also posed new challenges to urban development. From the perspective of urban management and operation, various development elements in cities can be divided into five major systems, including comprehensive management system, economic system, people's livelihood system, ecosystem and basic system.

The development of smart cities is inseparable from the application of technology. The latest technological trends such as artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, and autonomous driving have made technology and human life more closely connected, helping humans create a more intelligent and automated living space, mainly focusing on the following aspects:

transportation

Traffic is the most significant factor affecting the lives of residents in cities. Many well-known cities in the world are also suffering from traffic congestion. Smart technology provides us with many new solutions. For example, public transportation routes can be adjusted in real time according to demand, and smart traffic lights can greatly improve the efficiency of urban traffic. In Hangzhou, China, the "city brain" based on artificial intelligence has helped reduce urban traffic congestion by 15%.

Life

For example, Telefonica has been investing heavily in smart city-related technologies in its own country, installing sensors on trash cans that can report the load status of the trash cans in real time. This can help sanitation workers work more efficiently and find out in time which trash cans are full and need to be cleaned and which do not need to be cleaned.

energy

In addition to investing in clean energy, smart cities also use technology to help closely monitor energy usage and reduce energy consumption. For example, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, has provided smart meters to urban households, and the city of Schenectady, New York, has upgraded street lights to LED technology, which can adjust the brightness of the lights based on real-time data.

Safety

Due to the widespread popularity of Wi-Fi connections, Internet of Things technology and surveillance probes, the lives of urban residents will be safer, and once an accident or police incident occurs, the response efficiency of public departments can be effectively improved.

resident

The application of smart city technology allows residents to not only live in it, but also participate more in urban management. The most common example is that various apps can make it easier for residents to report local life problems. Another example is a low-cost environmental testing kit that allows urban residents to collect environmental data in their living areas. After aggregating the data on a unified online platform, crowdsourced data can be created to provide more effective management data for environmental protection departments.

The development of technology has enabled everyone, whether living in small families or in big cities, to feel the changes brought about by intelligence more and more clearly, but this change is far from complete.