Data centers: The least flashy, most important element of a functional smart city

The rise of new technologies will help urban stakeholders run a tighter ship, but making the most of these emerging capabilities depends on investing in sophisticated data center infrastructure.

Author

Albert A. Ahdoot

 

With over two-thirds of the global population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, stakeholders in cities around the world are facing pressure to prepare for the demands this urbanization will place on infrastructure. From greater usage of natural resources to increased ridership of public transportation, swelling urban populations will put even the most well-designed cities to the test.

This is where the smart city enters the picture. Powered by emerging technologies like the internet of things (IoT), smart cities aim to leverage data-driven capabilities to meet the challenges urban governments currently face — and the challenges they will face moving forward.

 

 

Whether it involves allocating resources more judiciously, managing infrastructure more strategically, or deploying first response teams more efficiently, smart cities are designed to take advantage of accurate, increasingly available information in ways that benefit nearly all of their residents.

While the idea of a smart city may once have seemed unrealistic, sophisticated networks of IoT devices, mature big data capabilities and advanced predictive analytics have brought it well within reach for many urban areas around the world. IDC expects investment in smart city infrastructure to hit $135 billion by 2021, up from an estimated $80 billion in 2018.

As smart city technologies gain steam and urban stakeholders consider the role they can and should play in their municipalities, it’s important to understand what makes smart city initiatives successful. In addition to proper funding and clear leadership, smart cities will depend on data infrastructures that are robust enough to deliver substantial value for governments, businesses and residents alike.

Data: The heart and soul of a smart city

IoT technology is essential for urban areas looking to invest in smart city initiatives. Thanks to advanced sensors and cutting-edge data integration platforms, a wide range of critical data points can now be made available to key decision-makers as they decide how to best manage urban resources, infrastructure and personnel.

This data is the heart and soul of smart city planning. By collecting actionable information, stakeholders in public and private organizations will be ideally positioned to handle unfolding events with greater confidence and accuracy. However, making the most of smart city technologies is about more than just collecting the right information; it depends on putting this data to good use — and doing so in the most efficient way possible.

For example, Columbus, OH received $40 million in federal funding for smart city initiatives with a transportation focus. City officials have divided this funding into fifteen Smart Columbus projects, one of which is the Integrated Data Exchange (IDE). Rather than focusing exclusively on which pieces of hardware can be interwoven into the fabric of the city, the IDE aims to synthesize data drawn from a variety of smart sensors around the city and make this information available to application developers and smart city researchers.

Source: https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/data-centers-the-least-flashy-most-important-element-of-a-functional-smar/557429/

With over two-thirds of the global population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, stakeholders in cities around the world are facing pressure to prepare for the demands this urbanization will place on infrastructure. From greater usage of natural resources to increased ridership of public transportation, swelling urban populations will put even the most well-designed cities to the test.

This is where the smart city enters the picture. Powered by emerging technologies like the internet of things (IoT), smart cities aim to leverage data-driven capabilities to meet the challenges urban governments currently face — and the challenges they will face moving forward.

 

 

Whether it involves allocating resources more judiciously, managing infrastructure more strategically, or deploying first response teams more efficiently, smart cities are designed to take advantage of accurate, increasingly available information in ways that benefit nearly all of their residents.

While the idea of a smart city may once have seemed unrealistic, sophisticated networks of IoT devices, mature big data capabilities and advanced predictive analytics have brought it well within reach for many urban areas around the world. IDC expects investment in smart city infrastructure to hit $135 billion by 2021, up from an estimated $80 billion in 2018.

As smart city technologies gain steam and urban stakeholders consider the role they can and should play in their municipalities, it’s important to understand what makes smart city initiatives successful. In addition to proper funding and clear leadership, smart cities will depend on data infrastructures that are robust enough to deliver substantial value for governments, businesses and residents alike.

Data: The heart and soul of a smart city

IoT technology is essential for urban areas looking to invest in smart city initiatives. Thanks to advanced sensors and cutting-edge data integration platforms, a wide range of critical data points can now be made available to key decision-makers as they decide how to best manage urban resources, infrastructure and personnel.

This data is the heart and soul of smart city planning. By collecting actionable information, stakeholders in public and private organizations will be ideally positioned to handle unfolding events with greater confidence and accuracy. However, making the most of smart city technologies is about more than just collecting the right information; it depends on putting this data to good use — and doing so in the most efficient way possible.

For example, Columbus, OH received $40 million in federal funding for smart city initiatives with a transportation focus. City officials have divided this funding into fifteen Smart Columbus projects, one of which is the Integrated Data Exchange (IDE). Rather than focusing exclusively on which pieces of hardware can be interwoven into the fabric of the city, the IDE aims to synthesize data drawn from a variety of smart sensors around the city and make this information available to application developers and smart city researchers.