CITIES OF THE FUTURE
By
September 10, 2018
We know smart home technology is predicted to become more commonplace in New Zealand homes But how is similar technology going to change the way things work outside of the home? This is where smart cities come in.
Just what is a “smart city”?
Smart cities are where digital technologies are used to create better places to live and work, piggybacking off the increased connectivity that the internet of things (IoT) has brought about.
The term ‘internet of things’ has been around a few years now but remains something of an enigma to the average Kiwi. In short, it’s a catch all for things, other than computers, that connect, monitor and analyse information in order to make cities work more efficiently.
All of this connectedness brings with it a whole lot of data that needs to be moved around, analysed and stored so a fast data communication infrastructure is key. The increase in data traffic needs a consistent and reliable network to be properly managed – this is where fibre comes in.
In New Zealand, we’re on the right track. The fibre broadband network we’re building now will reach 75% of the country by 2020 making it easier to build smart cities. And once it’s built, it’ll be much easier to connect things like traffic lights, bus stops, WiFi hotspots and just about anything else.
Smart cities in action
In the real world, this means things like…
- The tracking of traffic congestion on apps like Google Maps which uses real time data from the thousands of mobile phones driving around the city throughout the day
- Using sensors to control street lights so they’re only turned on when needed and are used more efficiently, save money and reduce the need for electricity. Fibre will run past urban street lights across the country, hooking them up to the network will cost little, and digital sensors are inexpensive
- Real time reporting where it matters. Smart cities can install meteorological sensors, flood warning devices, and CCTV cameras wherever they may be useful. A fibre connection means they can report richer information including video.
- Smart bus shelters such as the one we installed on Auckland’s Symonds Street, fuelled by a fibre connection with a screen that provides real time schedule updates and local weather info among other things. The shelter doubles as a WiFi hotspot that uses the fibre connection to get people online
New Zealand’s already turning heads and winning awards for smart city projects underway. If you’d like to know more about what’s happening locally, have a read of this article over on Computer World.
*parts of this post originally appeared here