t cht lk
“
THE COMBINED
EFFECT OF CLIMATE
CHANGE AND SOCIETY’S
IMPACT ON THE EARTH IS
INTENSIFYING STRUGGLES
OVER NATURAL RESOURCES
WHILE ALSO THREATENING
OUR INFRASTRUCTURE,
FOOD SYSTEMS AND
QUALITY OF LIFE.
Internet of Things to improve traffic flow, while in South Korea,
the entire smart city of Songdo is built around the Internet of
Things. Songdo’s networks are designed to ensure its buildings,
transportation system and infrastructure are as efficient as possible.
2. CLEANER AIR AND WATER
In Barcelona, a citywide Wi-Fi and information network linked to
sensors, software and a data analytics platform has enabled the
city to provide smart water technology, automated street lighting,
remote-controlled irrigation for parks and fountains, ‘on-demand’
waste pickups, digital bus routes and smart parking meters. These
IoT-enabled urban services have dramatically reduced traffic jams
and pollution, as well as water, light and energy usage.
Many other cities are also putting the Internet of Things to work.
Chicago is testing a city-wide network of sensors called the ‘Array
of Things’. The sensors serve as a sort of fitness tracker for the city,
collecting data on air quality, climate, traffic and other metrics.
The information is sent to an open data portal where user groups
can consume it for a range of applications. Las Vegas is using the
98
INTELLIGENTCIO
The Internet of Things can help cities improve public health. Dirty
air and water led to a staggering nine million deaths in 2015
alone, according to a recent study. Cities suffering from chronic
pollution, such as Delhi and Beijing, are beginning to deploy sensor
networks designed to alert residents when levels are dangerously
high. In London, where up to 9,000 deaths per year are attributed
to air pollution, Drayson Technologies has been testing sensors
that are distributed to bicycle couriers and a fleet of fuel-cell cars.
The sensors, which transmit data to smartphones via Bluetooth,
allow Drayson to create real-time maps showing air pollution levels
around the city.
In Oakland, California, an environmental sensing startup called
Aclima has partnered with Google, EDF and researchers from the
University of Texas at Austin to create a highly detailed block-
by-block map of air pollution, using a fleet of Google Street View
vehicles carrying specialised sensors. By expanding this model
across cities, networks of sensors could help policy makers identify
and reduce pockets of pollution.
www.intelligentcio.com