FINAL WORD data-led tools to create an ecosystem that minimizes energy consumption , improves efficiency , and controls maintenance expenses . Urban leaders are turning to data-driven smart city models to promote a more liveable environment for residents .
Cities are considered smart when they integrate information and communication technology into administrative functions to enhance efficiency , interaction with stakeholders while improving viability and wellbeing for citizens .
Lisa Wee , Global Head of Sustainability , AVEVA
Advanced industrial software can now collate , visualise and analyse data from a wide range of civic services onto a single unified digital backbone . With a holistic view , teams can spot trends and predict operational challenges , while improving situational awareness and crisis responses – all from a single portal .
Together with other strategic measures such as community engagement , policy frameworks , infrastructure investment , and awareness programs , digital technology can help create more sustainable and liveable urban areas .
By just one measure , currently available , digital solutions could drive up to 20 % of the energy consumption reductions needed to hit the International Energy Agency ’ s 2050 net-zero trajectories in the energy , materials and mobility industries , according to analysis by Accenture and the World Economic Forum .
But with growth comes complexity and resource challenges . They release 70 % of global greenhouse gas emissions , largely from carbon-intensive construction and transportation . Moreover , urban dwellers are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change . Rising sea levels , hurricanes , droughts and other extreme weather events will continue to affect hundreds of millions of city residents .
Last year , the UN warned that climate change has now overtaken disease as the foremost urban health threat , and could lead to consequences such as extreme poverty , a collapse of governance and financial resources , and reduced credibility of the global multilateral system .
How civic authorities respond will be critical to limiting global warming to 1.5 ° C above pre-industrial levels , in line with the Paris Agreement .
As populations grow and the focus on sustainability increases , many civic authorities are using intelligent ,
With advanced digital systems , utilities can collate and analyse operational data in real time . In the process , they become more efficient and innovative , and customer service improves . It ’ s something Barcelona in Spain , has firsthand knowledge of .
A centrally coordinated control platform functions like a central nervous system , transmitting and receiving information from a network of sensors across the city . Using tablets and smartphones , planners can monitor and optimise urban operations in real time . Park irrigation , for example , can be remotely turned off as weather conditions change . Resource management is now much more efficient , and liveability has improved – while Barcelona maintains its status as a sustainable smart city .
Energy usage remains a challenge for cities , but it can be optimised across urban facilities with realtime monitoring and the use of data analytics infused with AI . Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation , PCMC in the Indian state of Maharashtra , aims to become India ’ s most liveable city by 2030 and serve as a lighthouse for the country ’ s $ 13-billion Smart Cities mission .
www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO MIDDLE EAST 83