From the “stone jungle” to the “smart city”

Statistics, as you know, knows everything. In particular, she is well aware of global trends and movements that take place in our civilization. One of these trends is universal and general urbanization. According to forecasts, two out of three born in the next 30 years will live in cities. Naturally, the cities themselves will also grow: the current 500 “millionaires” will add another 200 over the next 20 years. How to effectively manage a metropolis, how to make it as comfortable as possible for living? Naturally, with the help of digital technology. In this post - a story about the "smart city", as it represents Intel.

... plus sensitization of the whole city

One of the main features of the “smart city” is the widespread use of sensors of everything. Here are their main varieties:

• Sensors in the premises - movement, volume;
• Environmental sensors - temperature, wind speed, smoke, the content of various substances in the air;
• Sensors in vehicles - locations and accelerations;
• Sensors at critical facilities - displacement, vibration.

The arrangement of sensors in the city The

very ideology of using sensors will also change. Today, their role is largely passive: readings are stored or, at best, shown in real time. In the city of the future, sensors will become the basis of active control systems - this applies not only to emergency situations, but also to everyday life. For example, a deterioration in the quality of water in a water intake can cause it to turn off automatically if there is a sufficient reserve. We will consider more interesting examples below.


Active RFID tag on a car windshield

A separate topic and the main trouble of modern megacities is automobile transport and traffic jams. The urgency of the problem encourages the use of traffic control systems now. The designers of the "smart city" associate their hopes with active RFID tags. Labeling of each car in the city will allow not only to monitor the movement, but to have data on each moving vehicle. Naturally, the accuracy of forecasts and the set of observed values ​​will increase.


Intel Sensor Controller

The use of such subtle control mechanisms requires a wide variety of sensors. Therefore, they should not only be cheap, but also as standardized as possible. Ideally, all sensors should have a single standard platform - and it has already been created by Intel. The sensor controller is a microcomputer based on the Intel Atom processor, equipped with a Wi-Fi interface, a slot for a Micro SD memory card and ports for connecting sensors via UART, GPIO, I2C and others. The communication format of the controller with the control center is also as standardized as possible, and although the information from the sensors can be different, its appearance is approximately the same, which facilitates the development of a single solution.

All the best for residents

If you imagine a metropolis in the form of a giant, then its head will be exactly where it is needed - in the clouds. A cloud service is the brain of a “smart city”, because an array of data received from sensors is stored and processed there. I think that over time there will also appear a “super-cloud” of the national scale, where the information coming from different cities will be integrated. The strategy proposed by Intel, involves the maximum openness of stored information for various kinds of applications, both municipal (city managers), and personal, making life easier for its residents. And the latter, by the way, are no less important than the former. After all, we are building a city for its inhabitants, right?
The situation seems ideal when a person living in the city, using the client program on a computer, tablet or smartphone, can receive any information from sensors - taking into account, of course, access sharing, anti-terrorism measures and protection against hacking. In principle, a unified system is ready for such work from the very beginning, although, of course, the functionality will increase gradually. And now the promised interesting examples.


The trainer program changes the jogging route, receiving data on local air pollution.


The client on the smartphone shows all publicly available sensors and can read any of them

A single city portal is also required, which, in addition to the elements that already exist now - forums for communication, maps with traffic jams and accidents, pictures from webcams on the streets, in shops and institutions will organically include sensor readings on the map and in text form. I think that the real-time map of smoke or the content of harmful substances in the city will be interesting not only to scientists.
It would be interesting to predict how the global urban information system will affect the life of the metropolis and its inhabitants. Most definitely, accurate data on the environmental situation in a particular area will affect its prestige and the cost of housing there. More accurate traffic data along the route will allow you to more accurately determine its duration, although the subway will still turn out faster :)

What is now?

In order not to look like a dreamer-theorist, I will give in the end examples of implemented technologies of the “smart city” - of those that are already working.


SYNAV system operation diagram. DENATRAN - Department of Transport of Brazil

• In Brazil, back in 2006, a resolution was adopted on the mandatory equipping of all cars in the country with RFID tags. Information from the sensors is collected in a single database SYNAV (System for National Identification Automation for Vehicles).
• The Dublin center has recently been equipped with combined atmospheric sensors - temperature, wind direction, air quality, etc. are measured. While their number is small, the system is being tested on them.
• Dvizhuha takes place in our country. Say, in many cities, a GPS system for monitoring public transport has been introduced. At the stops there are displays showing how long the bus of such and such a route will arrive.

A bulletin board at a stop in Krasnodar

In general, one should not forget that a “smart city” is, first of all, one that accurately and carefully treats itself and its resources. Therefore, the intelligence of our own cities depends, among other things, on us. And not just from sensors.