Smart cities: The next frontier

Ricky Cooper, VP EMEA, Digital Realty

Across the region, cities are racing to make themselves ‘smarter’. By harnessing the power of computing, networks and big data, their aim is to improve living standards for citizens and reduce the impact of urbanisation on the environment.

The concept of a smart city can take many forms. Some focus on transportation strategies while others look at issues such as waste management, housing and community facilities. Yet, while the projects themselves might be diverse, one factor tends to tie them all together: energy, says Ricky Cooper, VP EMEA, Digital Realty.

At its heart, a smart city has to be an energy efficient city. By searching for ways to embrace green energy generation techniques and minimise power consumption, the goal of creating more habitable urban centres will become a reality.

To encourage the trend, the European Union established the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities. This initiative was designed to foster big ideas that could help large cities across the region reach their smart and green energy goals by 2020.

Some cities are setting their own objectives and timelines for creating smart ecosystems. For example in Vienna, the city council is encouraging the creation of community-funded power plants. Solar panels located in generation stations can be ‘purchased’ by residents with an agreed rent then paid back against their power bills. The city has a goal of producing 50% of its energy requirements from renewable sources by 2030.

Meanwhile, Barcelona has captured global attention with its BCN smart city and 22@Barcelona initiatives. The city is investing heavily in everything from transportation systems and public infrastructure to payment systems and health services. Part of the plan involves a push to encourage a shift to electric vehicles in the city. The Council is investing in electric taxis and buses and has established a network of 300 free public charging points for private cars.

At the same time, London is progressing with its Smart London Vision. This comprehensive plan tackles ways in which the city can cope with an estimated increase in its population of one million people during the next decade. Part of this plan involves innovative approaches to the use of energy in the city, such as re-using waste heat from underground shafts and electricity sub stations.

We can expect to see many more such initiatives being adopted by cities throughout Europe and around the world in coming years. As infrastructures grow and projects mature, the promised benefits for citizens will become tangible.

The success of smart city initiatives relies heavily on interconnected systems and data. Through the collection of data on everything from energy generation and usage to transportation patterns, projects can be fine-tuned to ensure they have the maximum positive impact on citizens.

Naturally, the vast amount of data generated by a smart city needs to be securely stored. Disparate sensor networks and control systems must also be able to share the collected data to ensure different elements are working in harmony.

For this reason, purpose-built data centres will become an essential component within the infrastructure of every smart city. Acting as a storehouse for vast quantities of information, they will support the myriad activities that go into taking ‘smart’ from a concept to a reality.

The author of this blog is Ricky Cooper, VP EMEA, Digital Realty

RECENT ARTICLES

Get a US$50 Amazon voucher for sharing your IoT brand knowledge

Posted on: March 28, 2024

We want to know what you know about the IoT space. Just 3 minutes could earn you a US$50 Amazon digital gift card!

Read more

Enhance EV charging performance with cellular connectivity

Posted on: March 28, 2024

Electric vehicles (EVs) are steadily growing their market share at the expense of internal combustion engine vehicles. The growth is fuelled by several factors. Perhaps most importantly, prices for EVs have started to drop as competition in the industry is intensifying. New players and models are emerging, prompting several established EV makers to lower their

Read more
FEATURED IoT STORIES

What is IoT? A Beginner’s Guide

Posted on: April 5, 2023

What is IoT? IoT, or the Internet of Things, refers to the connection of everyday objects, or “things,” to the internet, allowing them to collect, transmit, and share data. This interconnected network of devices transforms previously “dumb” objects, such as toasters or security cameras, into smart devices that can interact with each other and their

Read more

The IoT Adoption Boom – Everything You Need to Know

Posted on: September 28, 2022

In an age when we seem to go through technology boom after technology boom, it’s hard to imagine one sticking out. However, IoT adoption, or the Internet of Things adoption, is leading the charge to dominate the next decade’s discussion around business IT. Below, we’ll discuss the current boom, what’s driving it, where it’s going,

Read more

9 IoT applications that will change everything

Posted on: September 1, 2021

Whether you are a future-minded CEO, tech-driven CEO or IT leader, you’ve come across the term IoT before. It’s often used alongside superlatives regarding how it will revolutionize the way you work, play, and live. But is it just another buzzword, or is it the as-promised technological holy grail? The truth is that Internet of

Read more

Which IoT Platform 2021? IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide

Posted on: August 30, 2021

There are several different parts in a complete IoT solution, all of which must work together to get the result needed, write IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide – Which IoT Platform 2021? authors Robin Duke-Woolley, the CEO and Bill Ingle, a senior analyst, at Beecham Research. Figure 1 shows these parts and, although not all

Read more

CAT-M1 vs NB-IoT – examining the real differences

Posted on: June 21, 2021

As industry players look to provide the next generation of IoT connectivity, two different standards have emerged under release 13 of 3GPP – CAT-M1 and NB-IoT.

Read more

IoT and home automation: What does the future hold?

Posted on: June 10, 2020

Once a dream, home automation using iot is slowly but steadily becoming a part of daily lives around the world. In fact, it is believed that the global market for smart home automation will reach $40 billion by 2020.

Read more

5 challenges still facing the Internet of Things

Posted on: June 3, 2020

The Internet of Things (IoT) has quickly become a huge part of how people live, communicate and do business. All around the world, web-enabled devices are turning our world into a more switched-on place to live.

Read more