Smart Cities and Big Data

    Throughout the world there is an increase in urban population. According to scientists, by 2050 it will make up 70% of the world's population. With the enlargement of megacities there are numerous problems associated with high population density, urban traffic, and efficient use of resources. In many countries, ambitious projects are underway to develop a modern urban infrastructure based on the use of modern technologies - this concept is called Smart City . “Smart city” should be characterized by highly efficient economy and management, high living standards, mobility, and respect for the environment for long-term sustainable development.



    For a “smart city” it is important to have effective managerial and analytical tools in order to maximize the possible negative trends. To solve the problems of modern cities, new generation IT systems are developed and tested, which use Big Data analytics, complex computer modeling, apply the latest scientific research in the field of sociology and human behavior.

    With the help of information and communication technologies (ICT), it is possible to visualize data and solve various problems of sustainable development and rational organization of the urban environment throughout the entire ecosystem of the city and its environs.

    The number of Smart City projects in the world, proposed or already being implemented, has exceeded 400. However, only a few clearly define the use of ICTs and their role. Most projects focus on energy and traffic management. Only 27 of them are dedicated to ICT development. And this imbalance has become one of the reasons why Smart City projects face serious challenges. Meanwhile, ICTs can play a decisive role in bringing different approaches closer together, becoming a kind of “circulatory system” that connects various infrastructure levels and ensures the exchange of information between them.

    Smart City projects must take into account a wide variety of aspects, from human behavior to resource and infrastructure management. Essentially, this is a network of mechanisms connected with each other, and ICTs make it possible to visualize their interaction, to manage these flows, covering not only urban structures of different levels, but also neighboring settlements and even other cities. From the point of view of ICT, general optimization in various fields, a balance of material (material resources, food, waste, etc.) and intangible flows (energy, information, etc.) are important.



    In the model created using ICT, it is important to take into account the most diverse aspects, such as transport and passenger flows, energy consumption, in various areas - construction, traffic management, energy, industry. ICTs, in particular, cloud technologies, play an important role in optimizing these connections between cities and settlements at different levels. Information technology opens up the possibility of monitoring, data visualization, flow analysis, their optimization and management.

    Smart City Services Platform


    For their implementation of the described concept and analysis of the huge amount of data generated as a result of human activity and the movement of various objects, Fujitsu has developed the basic infrastructure of SPATIOWL . It uses data collected from a large number of sources, accumulates, processes them and gives recommendations on possible actions. This allows us to develop unique proposals on its basis, for example, to solve the problems of urban planning and provide residents with new services, such as real-time traffic information, to manage traffic.

    Data in this case comes from sensors installed on vehicles on the roads. SPATIOWL also receives data from local residents and even from social networks. As the information is constantly updated, the system builds a dynamically changing virtual model of the real world.


    Fujitsu SPATIOWL can find application in many areas.

    The real and virtual worlds are connected by data streams transmitted between mobile or stationary devices and the SPATIOWL system, which extracts information from this data and logically organizes it. Based on data received from the real world, analytics tools generate reports, build trends and forecasts, and make recommendations. All these results are transmitted to users or real-world control systems. Thus, SPATIOWL helps solve specific problems for building an intelligent society and creating new services.

    The SPATIOWL system was originally designed to work with Big Data. Physically, she is in the cloud - in the data center. Huge amounts of data are actually being transferred between the real world and IT systems in the cloud, but the examples are best explained by the essence. One of them is the slippery information service. Many modern cars have ABS and electronic stabilization systems that produce millions of measurement results. This data flows into a powerful Hadoop-based analytics platform. The analysis of such data helps to give advice on driving on a slippery road, to identify particularly dangerous areas. All drivers with devices connected to the SPATIOWL system will receive a warning when approaching such areas.

    As already noted, SPATIOWL can collect data from a wide variety of sources. For example, it can be cars and public transport. The location of objects is known in the SPATIOWL coordinate system. If car routes are planned using the system, then they are known. If, according to information from social networks, SPATIOWL learns, for example, that a flash mob is being organized on some street, then this factor is taken into account in the forecast. In addition, the system collects traffic statistics and also uses it to predict traffic jams. The system can advise the driver to use city transport instead of a car - by tram or metro.


    Based on the accumulated data and current traffic information, the SPATIOWL system is able to predict the situation and make decisions. It can identify potential conditions for traffic jams and warn drivers in advance to prevent traffic jams.

    Essentially, SPATIOWL is a Big Data infrastructure that encompasses both internal corporate and client solutions and cloud services. It includes analytic and infrastructure products, as well as a variety of enhancements to standard tools such as Hadoop.

    Since the creation from scratch of a system that collects and processes huge amounts of data in real time requires significant investments and resources, companies creating their own solutions and services for the smart city can take advantage of existing cloud services and the necessary analytic results. This is a quick and relatively inexpensive way to get valuable business data analysis results. Fujitsu experts can help customers with their Big Data projects, from consulting to integration.

    The SPATIOWL system will help transport and logistics companies in choosing the best routes, individual drivers can use it to receive traffic information, and city authorities can use the information they receive to control traffic. However, SPATIOWL is not limited to traffic management. It can be used as a platform for the implementation of various services in vertical industries - in agriculture, utilities, energy, health care. Indeed, the potential of SPATIOWL and Big Data is huge.

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