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How the Internet of Things and Smart Cities can help meet the SDGs

Thursday, 16 November 2017 08:00 GMT

* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

As cities grow, they also need to ensure infrastructure can keep up with and withstand the pressures of a growing population

Our urban areas are expanding at an unprecedented rate. Many of our cities are already overcrowded, leading to transport and traffic congestion, as well as growing strain on resources like as water, energy, and safe housing. By 2050, more than six billion people will be city dwellers, and making sure that their urban citizens live in a safe and sustainable environment- one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)- will be one of the key challenges facing Governments.

If we are to meet the SDGs in cities, we will need completely new concepts for urban mobility and the sustainable use of resources, making much more efficient use of what we already have and reducing waste of all kinds. In other words, we will need to encourage the evolution of a regular city into a Smart City.

The “Internet of Things” (IoT), is a critical enabler. The concept is simple. If everyday objects gather information using sensors and communicate this information live with other devices and people, then we can do all sorts of things much more efficiently, quickly and accurately. A sensor in a fridge can improve efficiency in the food supply chain and contribute to taking delivery trucks off the road, helping congestion; a sensor in an elevator could detect the onset of potential maintenance issues and request repair before it even breaks, improving the quality of life of everyone in the building.

Potential for energy savings

Cities consume 75 per cent of the energy we produce, with buildings alone accounting for 40 per cent. This means the potential for energy efficiency in cities is huge, and with market experts estimating that by 2019, cities could cut approximately 11 billion dollars in energy costs. Energy efficient heating, hot water and cooling systems, and energy storage technology are all real technologies being enabled by the IoT to make our cities more efficient and sustainable.

In Voralberg, in western Austria, Bosch and a number of partners are already in the process of developing a “Virtual Power Plant”, a network of smaller energy generators that are connected digitally to work together efficiently. As part of the “Smart City Rheintal” project, the virtual plant aims to coordinate energy balance and to offer new energy services based on the existing infrastructure. The goal is to attain CO2-free energy autonomy as early as 2050.

Enabling growth through mobility

As cities grow, they also need to ensure infrastructure can keep up with and withstand the pressures of a growing population. The IoT is playing a crucial part in keeping cities moving, with innovations such as environmental monitoring systems and connected parking technologies.

Take, for example, the scarcity of parking in urban areas. Studies show that one-third of urban driving is taken up solely with finding a parking space, and in the UK, drivers spend over 60 hours annually trying to find a parking space. With community-based parking, on-board sensors detect available spots and measure the size of the space between parked cars, allowing cars to detect spots when driving along the street. The data gathered is then transmitted to a digital street map, and high-performance algorithms assess the plausibility of the data and make forecasts on the parking spot situation and the size of the parking space.

Building safer cities

The safety and security of citizens is also paramount as urban populations grow, and the IOT can contribute here, too. Some of the technologies already being used in this space include fire protection technologies, access control systems, and video surveillance solutions. There is also the increasing prevalence of apps for people on the move.

Smart cities of the future

From monitoring car parks and streets to ease congestion, to tracking the level of rubbish in a bin to ensure they’re emptied when necessary, smart cities and connected technologies can be used for a better, more efficient way of life.

In San Francisco, Bosch is working as technology partner to FivePoint, who took the ruins of a former navy shipbuilding site and football stadium to create The San Francisco Shipyard and Candlestick Point, two new, attractive neighbourhoods.

In the next five to ten years, we see Smart Cities evolving steadily, especially after the introduction of the 5G network, which will make ubiquitous connectivity a reality. There is increasing awareness of the benefits that Smart Cities can bring, including their ability to help meet sustainability development goals, and this will only increase as people begin to see the benefits that smart technologies can bring to their lives.

Once the right infrastructure and connectivity exists, the scope for Smart Cities to change the way we live - and fulfil our sustainable development goals - is immense.


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