The Future Of Smart Cities In America

Today, technology is driving us. We are living in a world that is technology-driven especially digital technology-powered devices that are automatically controlling our lives. AI-IoT-sensors-powered technology is helping us with interactive cars, microwaves, washing machines, smart cars, and many more.

Typically, an IoT (Internet-of-Technology) system consists of three things – compatible smart devices communicating with each other, the internet that gives them the power to connect, and massive data that are generated and collected at every point of the system.

We hear about driverless cars, that ply on roads using IoT technology besides other mandatory digitals like AI,5G, and so on. Smart devices that are connected with each other help to provide significant information across the IoT platform/system. This is leading city planners and stakeholders to plan for smart cities for the future in countries like America.

Methodology

Smart devices leverage IoT networks via the internet to increase data value, increase its breadth and reach, which are collected at the points of an IoT system/network. As these devices are connected to each other, they are capable of giving much better information, improved levels of information across an IoT system. This allows city planners to improve safety parameters, making adjustments in real-time scenarios, just by connecting devices together across a region’s roadway system enabling them to create smart cities in times to come.

Smart cities will bear a stark shift towards IoT devices that are interconnected, and, this shift will strongly impact the economic development, roadway safety norms as well as law enforcement facets to name a few. In this article, we will discuss how IoT technology will facilitate building smart cities and safer cities of the future.

Smart Cities - How they Are Created

City planners across developed countries as of now including America (USA) are coordinating with local governments to find new ways. In America, for instance, they are finding innovative digital solutions, to restore urban environments replacing the traditional infrastructure model. Rather than depending on the traditional models of building cities these groups of city planners, government officials are collaborating for making smart cities, future-proof cities. Integrating IoT(Internet-of-Thing) technology into the current landscape is one of the ways smart cities are being created in America. The stakeholders need to realize the significance of technology, digital technology that can empower their infrastructure and modernize it. They need to be aware of the exact trends going in their neighborhood, surrounding infrastructure development as well as citizens, of the mobility factor. The way population movement goes on becomes a significant factor to plan for the future movement incorporating IoT. To focus on pedestrian safety, reducing accidents while the city population is growing with time, integrating Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology is the need of the hour. The IoT technology that transmits as well as enables to react in real-time, is the perfect way to plan for the future of smart cities in America, and other countries across the globe!

How IoT Helping Bicycle Usage in Smart Cities

IoT (Internet-of-things) technology is capable of improving the efficiency level of bicycle usage across smart cities in America and countries looking to adopt the technology for the same. How IoT can help? By addressing the concern of rising rates of bikes thefts. If city developers, local leaders/government, infrastructure authority members want to make cities a bit more bike-friendly, they need to adopt the IoT technology to the current landscape. They need to remove the legacy system and infuse the modern digital that can assure bike safety, reduce theft rates as well as win the trust of the citizens. For example, Bitlock is a company that leverages IoT to address challenges related to bike usage, safety, or theft. Bitlock is utilizing IoT modifying bike locks, or, using proximity keys that trigger these locks. The company utilized the user’s mobile phone for tracing exactly the place where the bike and its keys were located at any specific time. The entire system works perfectly in an environment consisting of bigger volumes of bike-sharing opportunities lying. So, in densely congested regions where bike riding, sharing is popular, this IoT-based system works perfectly well on a larger note!

So, IoT-powered networking systems can help maintain law and order in cities by preventing bike stealing and thefts. Digital technology can help to trace, track and recover stolen bikes. Bitlock is the right example resonating with integrated systems while reducing instances of bike thefts. This is how IoT can improve bike usages in smart cities in the future in America and other countries.

How IoT Helping Traffic Management

To plan for smart cities in the future in America (or other countries), IoT technology-backed system can help both the sectors – private and public sectors, to improve traffic management and make real-time adjustments in the traffic patterns. The local authorities in America can implement IoT-enabled smart parking systems, and this can be hugely based on the data collected from city roadways. This will lead to the reduction of parking congestion during peak hours of the day. This digital way of managing traffic is a kind of proactive adjustment made to control traffic, optimizing traffic patterns and roadways mapping of the system as a whole!

Some of the ways IoT technology is improving traffic management are adopting the following methods:

1. IoT-Enabled Smart Streetlights

Quite an easy way to implement smart digital tech into roadways management is adopting IoT –powered/connected LED streetlights. This will improve the safety parameter while reducing costs factor in electricity consumption. The IoT (Internet-of-Thing) technology is seamlessly integrated into the existing streetlights making them smart. As a result, the IoT technology will help reduce crime rates as the LED-based streetlights will by default/automatically light up/brighten if people come to the vicinity. In the contrast, when nobody is there, the light will remain dim. This technology has been incorporated in Los Angeles city of the US. The city not only managed to save $7 million in electricity costs but also saved $2.5 million in maintenance costs. This is how America has leveraged the power of IoT technology showing a positive trend for the future, too, for creating smart cities.

2. IoT-Enabled Interactive Crosswalks

IoT-powered real-time crosswalks provide a safe and convenient crossing of roads for put at pedestrians. These crosswalks are properly put at intersections that are safe to cross, IoT-sensor-backed interactive crosswalks determine connections between pedestrians walking and oncoming traffic. For instance, if pedestrians are not available in the roadway area, the interactive crosswalk will detect this in real-time and would disappear. It will reappear once pedestrians show up and help them to cross the road safe and stress-free. These IoT-powered interactive crosswalks are digitally equipped in the manner that their shapes, sizes, can be modified based on traffic needs. According to the sstrength of people on road particularly during peak hours,rush-hours,these crosswalks adjust and expand to accommodate all of them seamlessly.

3. IoT-Enabled Sensors for Smart Parking

IoT-powered smart parking is one of the striking ways IoT is improving traffic management. As you agree, finding a parking spot in a busy area is a very stressful job. Even parallel parking causes congestion in traffic. This is handled by IoT-sensor-powered smart parking technology. Developed countries like America have already adopted this technology and in the adoption spree. Smart Parking Sensors help to improve traffic patterns, like, it identifies parking spots available that can be allotted to those seeking ones. Europe has been a frontrunner in implementing this technology so far.

Conclusion

IoT technology is the future of smart cities. All sorts of city infrastructure developments depend massively on IoT technology. In the US, cities are constantly on the lookout for better roadways and pedestrians' safety, traffic management, etc. They are increasingly adopting the digital system, IoT technology to create the future of smart cities in America.

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