“When will our city be smart?” Is a question that your kids might not need to ask for much longer, as the rise in civic smart technology is rising fast.
The idea of smart cities sounds excellent, checking the air is clean, finding drivers a place to park, diverting traffic from trouble spots or accidents, informing citizens and visitors of the latest attractions, what’s not to like?
The trouble is, a lot of the technology is expensive and each city needs to integrate the whole big data/cloud thing with their, usually ancient, services and servers. Still, progress is being made, with Miami proudly rolling out a range of smart kiosks and Wi-Fi access points to make the Florida city easier to live in and navigate.
Digital signage and more
Using CIVIQ waypoints the city plans to implement what it claims is America’s first fully integrated smart city ecosystem. CIVIQ will provide what it calls a “Citizen Mobility Experience” using people-centric technology for engagement and access to local services.
The scheme will see 300 interactive digital WayPoints arrive over three months, plus public WiFi in transport and hot spots at key areas. The system can provide timely transportation schedules and updates, plus emergency alerts for community safety.
Major companies investing in smart city tech
Presumably over time, the city will upgrade its road infrastructure and technology to feed into its public transport databases, and public health and other issues can start being addressed.
Companies like Panasonic now offer its CityNOW brand, helping bring smart city initiatives with third-party companies around the world. Supporting smart mobility, clean energy, city services, smart buildings, and health and wellness, these integrated services show how, between private and public means, any city could soon be a smarter one.
Do let us know how smart city technology is being used in your towns or cities, and how you would like to see it used?
Photo credit: CIVIQ Smartscapes
Source: CIVIQ press release / Panasonic article on Electric Light & Power magazine
Editorial notice: The feature graphic is a rendered concept image by CIVIQ. Panasonic source article was possibly sponsored and might be not entirely objective.
