With rapid urbanisation, the load on our cities are increasing day-by-day, and there are challenges in management of resources like land water, waste, air pollution, health and sanitation, traffic congestions, public safety and security, besides the overall city infrastructures including road, rail, bridge, electricity, subways, disaster management, sports facilities, etc. These challenges are forcing many city planners around the world to look for smarter ways to manage them and make cities sustainable and livable.
The idea of a smart city as shown in Figure makes use of computer and communication technology along with IoT to manage and distribute resources efficiently. The smart building shown here uses sensors to detect earthquake tremors and then warn nearby buildings so that they can prepare themselves accordingly. The smart bridge uses wireless sensors to detect any loose bolt, cable or crack. It alerts concerned authorities through SMS. The smart tunnel also uses wireless sensors to detect any leakage or congestion in the tunnel. This information can be sent as wireless signals across the network of sensor nodes to a centralised computer for further analysis.
Every sphere of life in a city like transportation systems, power plants, water supply networks, waste management, law enforcement, information systems, schools, libraries, hospitals and other community services work in unison to optimise the efficiency of city operations and services.
