Benefits and challenges of the IoT in Smart Cities & IOT World Congress 2018

Benefits and challenges of the IoT in Smart Cities & IOT World Congress 2018

Smart Cities are a top priority for governments of all sizes at local, regional and state levels, but also for new flourishing business areas for technology companies and operators. IoT or Internet of Things has so many applications in Smart Cities that it is impossible to make a unique description.

IoT refers to a network based on data obtained from the online interconnection of physical objects. Specifically, through specialized hardware that a connectivity is achieved that also achieves certain behaviors according to the programmed and the term Smart Cities refers to the use of information and communication technologies through the use of IoT technology, to deliver a better sustainable economic development and improve the quality of life, involving its citizens and using natural resources responsibly.

In general terms, IoT provides a technological infrastructure capable of improving urban management qualitatively in different areas, which provide 5 great benefits to Smart Cities:

1. Improve the infrastructure and offer connected solutions such as: environmental monitoring, intelligent lighting and parking.
2. Create more efficient and profitable Municipal Services.
3. Improve public transport, reduce traffic congestion and improve the quality of life.
4. Keep citizens safe and committed to their community.
5. Promote employment opportunities in higher education and technology with open innovation.

Through the collection, aggregation and intelligent use of the data the governments may offer a better quality of life to the residents of these Smart Cities, taking advantage of the data revolution that Big Data supposes, as well as the sensors and low-cost data processing technologies.

Uses of IoT in interactive sensor networks

From the control and decongestion of traffic, the improvement of energy efficiency or the management of urban waste, among endless possibilities, the IoT can make innovative contributions to cities. It is all about configuring a large interconnected ecosystem in which conventional resources and services gain in efficiency thanks to technology. The difference is marked by the use of the data obtained in real time to respond to the needs of citizens. Through the use of real-time captors, data is collected and immediately converted into usable statistics.

In this post, we will see the 3 most popular uses of the IoT in Smart cities: transport, energy and maintenance of urban furniture.

1. Transport: Mobility and quality of life

Transport is one of the uses of the IoT that is making cities a better place to live. In terms of mobility, the challenge is to provide citizens with easy access using (ideally) ecological and economic resources to respond to their daily needs.

The IoT helps integrating different modes of transport, as well as reduce congestion, facilitate parking and, in short, optimize urban space, which could be considered very scarce in almost all big cities.

2. Maintenance of urban furniture

Achieving an efficient maintenance of street furniture is another of the great challenges of cities. A pending subject that ranges from the most common infrastructure, such as street lights or bins and containers to all the services related to all of them.

Among other possibilities, residents can report damage to urban elements through smartphones or, by light signals, notify them that the bins are full.

3. Energy: Intelligent Efficiency

Another use of the IoT can be the fundamental support that supposes in the integration of systems of detection and action connected to the network in order to optimize the energy consumption.

An essential aspect to face the growing urbanization, especially to reduce the environmental impact of cities, is the difficult management of it without resorting to a smart city vision.

For example, the installation of an intelligent public lighting together with civil alerts in case of danger can help both to have a better consumption of energy and at the same time improve the quality of life of its inhabitants, while even save lives.

IOT world congress

Next 16-18 October 2018 takes place the new edition of the IOT world Congress in Barcelona, a unique event dedicated exclusively to joining IoT providers with industry in order to help the latter increase productivity via this disruptive technology.

We’ll have the stand 551 in the Generalitat de Catalunya pavilion (Hall 2) to show how our Smart Mobility solution helps improving the cities & its services. See you there!

If you still don’t have tickets for the IOT, send us an email to info@smart-cigo.com and we’ll send you an invitation to visit us! (limited availability).