By Zack Devin
The Internet of Things, usually referred to as IoT, has been engineered in such a manner that it helps to add the ability to transfer and share information across networks without any need for human intervention.
Amongst the IoT devices, mention may be made of home appliances, vehicles, electric meters, speaker systems, security systems, and so on. All these devices are properly equipped with sensors and software which aid in the transfer of information which is processed for making a logical decision, thus incorporating smartness to the gadget.
For serving the innovative demands of the smart cities, the government is taking the help of IoT innovations which will be able to improve Smart living to a great extent. Amongst the present IoT applications, mention may be made of smart parking, city surveillance, waste management, smart lighting, and traffic monitoring.
The world urbanization goes on developing at an alarming rate and one can expect the total population to become double by 2040. As a result, there is an increasing demand for sustainable, intelligent environments which will help to minimize environmental impact while offering a high-quality life to the citizens.
A smart city helps to bring together government, society, and technology for enabling a smart economy, smart environment, smart mobility, smart governance, smart people, as well as a smart living.
In the following paragraphs, we have mentioned the top 4 ways in which IoT helps to revolutionize smart city construction projects at present.
1. Smart traffic management
It is a fact that traffic problems are increasing drastically because of rapid urbanization. Traffic congestion has turned out to be a huge problem and is deteriorating while there is an increment in the number of automobiles.
IoT will help to easily handle traffic congestion with the help of smart traffic signals out there. Here, we can mention the usage of road flare which has many uses such as creating a safety zone on the highway, cautioning others in case your car becomes disabled, providing you with light in dimly lit situations, and so on.
IoT will also help individuals to acknowledge and share information from their mobile devices, road sensors, and vehicles for monitoring traffic incidents in real-time. It will be possible for the drivers to receive notification regarding incidents when routes will be blocked and they will be able to direct their vehicles to another route.
2. Smart waste management
It is possible to improve waste management within a city and it will become even smarter in case one makes use of smart garbage cans in the area. These will be having sensors which will be able to figure out the levels of waste within the garbage bin.
The technology behind all these containers will be built in such a manner that it will be able to send info to the waste management system which will automatically guide the tracks into the garbage containers as soon as they become full. Following this, these are going to be converted into real-time information which can be evaluated afterward.
3. Smart lighting
A considerable amount of energy is consumed by lighting in every city at present. Despite the fact that electricity and light are thought to be amongst the most important factors, it is also used to make the city more attractive.
Inspections will be performed manually in a conventional lighting system while there will be fixed lighting levels throughout the hours of operation. This implies that in case a lighting system is going to run with IoT, failures will be reported to the system instantaneously.
Apart from this, lights which are supported by IoT will be able to dim automatically depending on the time of the day. This will help to conserve energy to a great extent.
4. Smart parking
It can be quite difficult to find a parking space nowadays particularly during peak hours. This can prove to be quite frustrating for the commuter, and it also results in pollution since commuters will be trying to find a spot for parking their vehicles.
A parking system which is IoT-enabled implies that it comes with sensors which will be able to sense whether the area is unavailable or not. This would also be able to connect with the city’s navigation system which will help the drivers to figure out whether there is an empty parking spot out there.
In case a driver is able to comprehend the exact location where to park his vehicle, it will be possible for him to save time as well as fuel and it will also help to minimize CO2 emissions.
