Sustaining Smart Cities
How would you describe your city? Does it make good decisions? Is it beautiful? Do you feel safe? Smart City initiatives, which cities have invested over $1B in 2020, aim at improving your answer to those questions.
“A smart city uses digital technology to connect, protect, and enhance the lives of citizens. IoT sensors, video cameras, social media, and other inputs act as a nervous system, providing the city operator and citizens with constant feedback so they can make informed decisions.”
There has been significant effort in determining which Smart City initiatives deliver the most value to cities and its residents. As such, five uses of Internet of Things technologies (to enable the Smart City) have been proven to be very beneficial:
Smart City IoT solutions we’re excited for:
1. Gunshot Detection Technology
Some cities, like Orlando, are turning to gunshot detection systems (AGDS) to identify when a gun has been fired and the exact location of the shot(s). Acoustic sensors deployed at strategic locales (for example, downtown areas, airports, public spaces, convention centers, etc.) detect a gunshot and send the location information to a local emergency authority so that police arrive on the scene faster knowing exactly where to go. Smart City technology is not only for cities as gunfire-detection systems are also being implemented in some U.S. offices and factories as well.
2. Smart Air Quality Sensors
Air quality on a continuous basis is a necessity to combat pollution. Chicago (the 18th most polluted city in the U.S.) is using IoT sensors to collect a air quality data, such as levels of carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and more, as part of its broader Array of Things (AoT) initiative. Government officials plan to use this data to make the city healthier and more livable.
3. Smart Street Lighting
Many cities are upgrading their street lighting in more ways than one—they’re both switching to LEDs and implementing connected lighting solutions. This smart city IoT use case has multiple benefits, from increasing energy efficiency to reducing energy and maintenance costs. (Chicago hopes to save $10 million per year in energy costs with its street lighting initiative.)
Smart lights can automatically adjust their brightness based on periods of inactivity; they can also transmit maintenance information for quicker response times. The city of Miami has more connected street lights than any other city in the world; it saves 44% on energy annually compared to the amount paid previously for traditional streetlights.
4. Smart Waste Management Systems
With more waste comes a greater requirement for municipalities to make their collection processes efficient. Rather than using fixed schedule, waste management workers are leveraging sensors placed in waste receptacles to measure fill levels. These sensors notify them when it is time to replace or empty bins.
Where will it go?
The Smart City and IoT technologies above are used to collect data that is leveraged to improve the quality of life for residents and citizens. While true, these technologies are real tangible products that must be deployed in quantities of hundreds, if not thousands, inside the city and seen by the population.
Are there unintended consequences of Smart City solutions?
Is there a risk that Smart City solutions also hurt the city’s aesthetic value? While making your city safe and more efficient, are you also making it beautiful? While making your city smart and your decisions streamlined, are you also signing up for an strenuous maintenance plan to change out batteries in remote sensors every 2.5-5 years? Are those frequent battery changes environmentally friendly, or do they offset any progress made through Air Quality tracking initiatives?
Could Capacitech’s high-power, flexible energy storage technology be a solution?
Capacitech is committed to building a better future and believes in the good that IoT technologies can do. Our wire-like, flexible energy storage solution is designed to have a long operating life (so it will not need to be replaced) and to miniaturize electronics addressing concerns of aesthetics and maintenance. The city of the future needs energy storage capabilities built into the infrastructure of the individual product, the system, and the city they are deployed in.
Learn more about Capacitech’s Cable-Based Capacitor here and how we’re challenging the IoT industry here.