Smart cities are closer to being real than you think
Urban populations are growing rapidly and 60 per cent of the world population is predicted to be living in cities by 2030. Philips Lighting in a media release said it was helping to pave the way for massive urban growth by developing a people-centric blueprint for lighting and Internet of Things (IoT) services in the smart city of the future. Connected LED lighting has the potential to enhance quality of life, transform everyday experiences and services, and ensure sustainability in our ever expanding global cities. By 2030 it is expected that there will be close to 70 billion light points.
Public lighting in the future in a city's lighting infrastructure will also offer enormous potential to be part of a citywide network capable of acquiring data and delivering information and services to and from millions of devices, from garbage bins to autonomous vehicles. In this way it could help enable smart city services to improve the lives of its citizens and city managers alike, according to Harshavardhan Chitale, CEO, Philips Lighting in a company media release which also details out smart cities and the way they look.
Here are four scenarios from Philips which demonstrate how future lighting technology can deliver more sustainable, better-connected and more enjoyable cities:
1. Connected Streets
Connected LED street lights provide highly energy efficient, quality light, but they are also sensor nodes on an information highway. In 2030 connected street lights could stream data between millions of devices. Connected lighting infrastructure collects and distributes data and improves city services such as light, traffic, air quality, public safety, parking and other location based services, leveraging state-of-the-art communication technologies. Autonomous vehicles navigate roads safely, using and communicating with sensors in street lights that scan the road and pavements, and provide a frame of reference by transmitting situational information to augment the vehicles' on-board sensors.
Philips Lighting's Citytouch solutions are currently used in more than 250 cities in 31 countries and some key installations are in London (UK), Surakarta (Indonesia), Los Angeles (USA), Greater Toronto (Canada) and Buenos Aires (Argentina).
Philips Lighting announced one of the world's largest connected street lighting systems in Jakarta with Philips CityTouch monitoring and managing nearly 90,000 street lights.
In addition to providing a sense of security for citizens, some of the street light poles house small cell technology which generates new revenue streams for the city by providing wireless data services, so that wherever you are you get a signal. The lighting infrastructure also supports future applications such as monitoring noise levels at street level to safeguard the health of citizens,” the release said.
2. Interactive Public Spaces
Scarcity of space will compel cities to extend public spaces underground, with a seamless transition made possible by lighting that mimics natural daylight and makes people feel comfortable. The digital lighting system can send positional data to help drones navigate and deliver items.
3. Sustainable City Farming
Beneath the city and in unused spaces, urban farms that use little water and no pesticides, can grow plants and vegetables sustainably - reducing the distance between the farm and your fork, increasing food security, ensuring provenance and protecting precious natural resources.
Since 2013, Philips Lighting has collaborated with GrowUp Urban Farms that is a vertical urban farm established in an unused warehouse in East London's industrial area. This is the first commercial aquaponic urban farm in the UK and produces 20,000 km of fresh salads per annum with the help of Philips GreenPower LED lighting.
4. More Personalised Living
In the home of 2030, lighting will be able to synchronize with everything from your door bell to your television and music and will be fully adjustable to individual preferences. It will preempt your needs and complement your wellbeing, energise you, relax you and keep you safe.
In November 2016, Philips Lighting and Xiaomi joined forces to design and develop connected LED lighting products for Xiaomi's smart home ecosystem in China.