IoT Applications for Smart Cities
They are doing their best to digitise information, create modern infrastructure, and build the best in class facilities for their citizens. Automation is the bedrock of the smart city framework. Surveillance, monitoring & timely feedback is critical for smart city systems to work. IoT is enabling the ecosystem and infrastructure development for this with tools that automate data collection, provide timely inputs & action triggers for improving governance. Here is a list of some IoT applications for smart cities:
1. Water Level Monitoring:
The water supply is one of the most crucial aspects for governments. With smart sensors, the water levels can be monitored in realtime. These sensors can send triggers and alerts to key decision makers for low or high water levels. The leakages and water distribution can also be centralised through the use of IoT sensors and ICT systems. All areas, which have abundant water supply can be marked on the map, similarly the maps can highlight areas where water leakage or shortage is there. A complete overview of water supply with its GPS co-ordinates can be presented to water authorities with IoT systems.
2. Health Cards:
Hospitals & healthcare systems are important indicators of governance. The smart city requires an up to date healthcare system that can track measurable progress with respect to citizens’ health. A smart card based system can be used by the individuals that may be used in all government & authorised hospitals. This card will have the historical details of the treatments etc for individuals. The centralised health care system will enable the government to look at the hospitals & its services to citizens. The smart card enable system can facilitate easy data collection and the cloud based system can provide actionable insights to Health care authorities for improved administration.
3. Waste & Garbage Management:
The waste and garbage management activities can be improved with smart sensors & IoT Systems. The garbage bins can make use of smart sensors to indicate when it needs to be emptied. This reduces the number of times that vehicles are required to collect garbage from the bins and also avoids a situation of waste overflow. The municipal corporations can use smart bins and IoT systems for garbage collection.
4. Transport Systems:
The transportation system for the citizens can be improved with IoT enabled systems. The fleets can be managed & tracked using GPS tracking devices. Governments can do complete administration of fleets, their scheduling, realtime positioning, maintenance, downtime management with IoT systems. The citizens can also avail transportation services with a card based system for tickets etc.
5. Smart traffic management:
Traffic is one of the major pain points for citizens. With IoT sensors, the traffic can be regulated better. The sensors are connected to traffic signals and send information to centralised server. The incoming vehicles are tracked using these sensors. When the number of vehicles reaches a threshold, signals are sent to the drivers to divert. These signals are displayed with electronic display boards. The realtime traffic alerts and GIS mapping of the roads can improve the traffic jams and congestion during peak hours.
6. Infrastructure Assets Management:
The smart city requires optimised utilisation of infrastructure assets. The plants, machinery & various equipments are tagged and monitored with centralised asset management system. The ongoing project inventory for various development works can be tracked using the centralised system. The status of infrastructure assets, their utilisation, maintenance and complete lifecycle management can be done with the centralised IoT system.
7. Surveillance Systems:
IP cameras & surveillance systems can help the government to control crime rates in a city. The IP cameras can be used for surveillance and keeping track of key infrastructure. These cameras can be connected to centralised systems with back-ups for historical data. A mobile surveillance system can be set-up with IoT video solutions protecting people, places and assets.
8. Pollution control with sensors:
Urbanization has led to unprecedented increase in pollution levels. The rising pollution levels are creating health issues for citizens. With IoT enabled sensors, pollution can be measured realtime. The pollution sensors send information to a centralised server. The government can take actions based on the pollution levels, for e.g they can plant trees in a certain location. The greenery & pollution levels can also be depicted online with google maps for administrators.
9. Smart Energy management:
One of the key challenges for governments is to reduce energy consumption and install an efficient distribution system in place. The smart grid solutions, electronic meters, and smart lighting systems are some of the mechanisms that are used by governments to manage energy efficiently. The power distribution maps can indicate the realtime energy consumption levels, leakages and maintenance schedules. The IoT enabled solutions can optimise the energy management for cities.
10. e-Services:
This can be managed through biometric authentication or smart cards. Citizens can avail all the government services through this card. The government can aggregate information about through these cards for proactive planning & management. All government services can be integrated through the e-services portal. The citizens can avail these facilities for paying their water, electricity bills, property tax, hospital check-ups etc. The integrated data also helps in policy making & administration.