The need to become ‘smart’

ANECDOTAL evidence shows urban populations to be growing, with rural populations on the decline the world over.

Given this, one cannot ignore the critical role cities will play in the future, contributing to social, economic and environmental landscapes.

A report issued by sustainable research entity DNV.GL shows that by 2030, six out of every 10 people will be living in cities, so it is here that the most critical decisions and actions relating to resource consumption and carbon emissions will be taken.

A survey released by Worldometers. info shows South Africa’s urban population already at 63.4%, well ahead of the projected global average.

We need to recognise that our future tomorrow is determined by the decisions we make today.

Rising global temperatures, diminishing natural resources, deepening inequality and rising joblessness are becoming threats we can no longer ignore.

In South Africa, the gap between haves and have-nots has not been adequately addressed and the recent spate of “. . . must fall#” utterances are ominous signs associated with a failing society.

Given these challenges, how do we as a society overcome the status quo?

We need to become smarter. We need to do more with less.

We need to make more prudent use of innovative and integrated technologies that are readily available, but packaged into smart value-added responses that affect society directly.

First-world cities are becoming increasingly “smart”.

The British Standards Institution has defined a smart city as one where there is “effective integration of physical, digital and human systems in the built environment to deliver a sustainable, prosperous and inclusive future for its citizens”.

The word “smart” lends itself to the aggregation of data, with the intent of doing things cheaper, better and faster.

Citizens of smart cities now become the architects, and the beneficiaries of solutions that enhance a city’s overall aesthetics, assets and quality of life of its people.

Smart cities are built on an integrated, open ICT platform that allows the community to access and interrogate “bigdata”.

Such analytics unlocks opportunities, creating new jobs and income streams. Consider these scenarios:

A smart security system would be able to reduce levels of crime by monitoring and predicting when crimes could take place, noting the exact location from which gunshots were fired, and transmitting messages to wannabe criminals that they are being monitored;

Smart peri-urban farming opens up opportunities for marginalised communities by having early warning sensors giving real-time feedback to “supervisors” that will take appropriate remedial actions when necessary, so averting crop failure;

“Intelligent” traffic management systems would engage pro-actively with traffic officers nearby when robots are down, demanding manual intervention;

The commuting public would also be made aware of congestion, accidents, and roadworks via mobile apps;

Educational campuses would make access easier by providing environments that lend themselves to decentralised, online resourcing;

Our roads could be selectively fitted with sensors that perpetually monitor surface conditions and forewarn motorists when these become potentially dangerous;

Hospitals and clinics could advise patients in advance of queuing times, resulting in improved personal planning and reduced frustrations;

Parking spaces across the city could be electronically managed, showing availability prior to entering a zone – which would reduce congestion; and

Waste stream beneficiation could become viable business by optimising collection and logistics costs through smarter, coordinated management. The time has come to smarten up.