Information from a library, hospital, or public transport exposed? More sustainability, improved mobility, efficiency, and safety? Where can you find all of the above in one place? The answer is a smart city. Its purpose is to improve the quality of life by making the town more efficient and reducing the distance between the citizens and the government. This article will read more about the smart city and what it means for our privacy.
Smart: Improved technologies
Technology is moving forward, devices are becoming smarter, so it is inevitable that in the future, we will use electronic devices much more than we do now. To keep the city up and to run, the existing technologies need to be upgraded. Otherwise, they cannot meet the specifications and demands of the current system. But what do we want? Investigation shows that we wish for smart transportation, where machines and devices communicate with each other. We want intelligent buildings where the windows can open automatically, where there is always a connection with the Internet. That is our future.
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Photo by Giulio Di Sturco. Aerotropolis. Gardens by the Bay, a nature park spanning 101 hectares of reclaimed land. More than 15,000 people are employed at Singapore’s Changi airport, and more than 60% of the airport’s revenues come from non-aeronautical activities. What will our cities look like in the future? In South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong, Giulio Di Sturco explores the universe of Aerotropolis, gigantic new cities growing around airports. A world where vegetation is trapped in immense glass canopies, populated by control screens, commercial centers, and surveillance cameras
Smart Technology: Are We Being Watched?
Cameras are hanging everywhere to guarantee our safety. But do we feel safe by it? We could get the feeling that we are being watched; authorities register every step we take. Besides cameras, all data is collected. This way, leaders know, for example, the number of visitors at a particular event, or they possess information about citizens for commercial purposes. They may sell this information to third parties.
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Safe And Efficient: Privacy In A Smart City
Like mentioned before, cameras are everywhere, and data is collected. What does that mean for our privacy? Who is the gatekeeper to our data? And what if the information is hacked? The more internet data there is, the more fragile we become. Fortunately, with the arrival of the GDPR in May 2018, the subject rules are becoming more strict. The citizen must be informed in understandable language, especially when it comes to data traffic in a smart city.
Smart Cities: Costs Savings Or Costs Loss?
All these new technologies cost money. To upgrade the existing technologies, we (governments, state, or country) need to invest vast amounts of money. However, due to these smart cities, there could be economic benefits from the transition towards a smart city, for example, when it comes to real estate. Buildings have to deal with endless energy, such as heating and cooling installations, lighting, electrical wiring, communication, lifts, electrical appliances, etcetera. A computer-controlled system regulates, monitors, and controls all of this. But this can be done by automated systems. Automated systems can be used for this purpose, and therefore energy consumption can be reduced. For example, the light is turned off at a fixed time, or when nobody is present in the room, ventilation can be regulated on the number of people in the room. This can improve air quality and will lead to user satisfaction. So yes, it will cost money, but in the end, it will save a lot as well.
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Smart Cities: Reducing Damages In Case Of A Disaster
Smart cities use sensors that are suitable for detecting abnormalities in a town or during an event. In this way, the sensors can inform the authorities if a measurement differs from the city's limited safety features. This helps the town effectively track everything, and if there is a discrepancy, the authorities can act quickly and put an end to the situation so that it does not escalate.
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Sustainability In A Smart City
Smart cities pay extra attention to sustainability, which is reflected in the fact that they focus on renewable energy sources.
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If everyone uses a solar-powered system, carbon emissions will be reduced. We can recycle garbage and use thrown away materials again. Or we may use free rainwater to flush our toilets. We can also apply durability to traffic by using smart transport. For example, to see where there are congestion and possibly change to a better route. We could also use intelligent traffic lights. All of this will contribute to a better quality of life. That is the ultimate purpose of a smart city: the best possible living circumstances for everybody, to provide a way of life that is the best combination of technology and comfort.
Before you go!
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