FUTURE PLANNING FOR SMART CITIES AND IOT TECHNOLOGY

What are the main obstacles that society needs to overcome to maximize the potential of smart city IoT technology?

‘The lack of both data and analytical skills means that many businesses today are not fully benefiting from IoT. In this case, democratized analytics has the potential to change the game.’

Smart cities and the Internet of Things (IoT) have long been seen as a precursor to a new era of urban living and development. With a commitment to safer living, lower pollution, more efficient energy use, and improved quality of life for residents, communities have focused on researching the latest technologies and evaluating their capabilities.

But are we ready for life in a smart city powered by IoT? Before realizing these benefits, city planners and policymakers need to think seriously about smart city initiatives comprehensively and start planning for the future today.

Enhancing Infrastructure

Clearly, turning the dream of a “smart city” into reality requires more than simply installing new IoT devices. Upgrading existing infrastructure is fundamental to success. Take self-driving cars as an example. Studies show that one-third of urban driving time is spent searching for parking.

In the UK, a driver spends on average 60 hours per year trying to find a suitable parking spot. However, this problem could be solved with IoT technology. Imagine going to a cinema: your car drops you off at the entrance, then drives itself to a nearby parking space and notifies you via your phone that it has parked safely.

To achieve this, major changes are needed to city centers, parking facilities, road networks, and connectivity systems.

This is a simple example of how a smart city can operate. Yet infrastructure must be significantly enhanced to realize this future. If you look closely, the potential benefits could be transformative for daily life.

Planning for Tomorrow Today

However, improving infrastructure to the required level takes time and investment. For success, any necessary changes to establish a smart city must be planned for development today.

With 85% of the UK population now living in urban areas, improving and modernizing cities has never been more critical. Indeed, plans made five years ago did not account for the rapid emergence of smart buildings or autonomous vehicles.

Smart city plans must not only stay up to date with trends but also remain flexible to accommodate new technologies that could change the landscape as researchers develop them daily, monthly, and yearly.

The Value of Anticipating Future Trends

The key point is that planners must closely follow technological change. In the early days of the Internet, many companies foresaw its potential and acted on it. Google with search engines, Facebook with social networking, and Amazon with e-commerce platforms are prime examples of such innovation.

Leaders do not have to be first, but they cannot afford to be last. To correctly apply IoT and build smart cities, policymakers and infrastructure developers must recognize this early.

Understanding how technology changes people’s habits and business operations is crucial to fully leveraging smart city benefits. Additionally, a long-term perspective on building, ownership, design, and who can use infrastructure must also be re-evaluated.

Adapting to Human Impact

Whenever discussing new technologies, especially ones with strong impacts like smart cities and IoT, it is essential to consider the human perspective and assess how these technologies affect humanity.

Smart and IoT-enabled cities are often reported as highly positive developments, but some people remain skeptical. To gain public trust, government leaders must ensure policies and systems facilitate a smooth transition to this connected world.

Proper safeguards in smart cities and IoT will improve people’s lives and create new employment opportunities.

Overall, it is clear that the future of smart cities backed by IoT is approaching, and cities and their administrators must start planning now.

By looking ahead and thinking about tomorrow today, the necessary policies, infrastructure, and technologies can be designed, developed, and implemented efficiently.

Source: information-age.com

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