BUILD SMARTLY; BUILD SUSTAINABLY
While building cities according to the new age tech is becoming more and more imperative today, it’s also essential to create eco-friendly spaces. Deepak NG, Founder, Dassault Systèmes shares his views with us
How are cities of future evolving with technological innovation in architecture, engineering and construction space – can you give some examples from India and other countries?
The notion of smart cities is always perceived as what the future will look like, but it is not the sole purpose for the inception of smart cities. Rather requirement of sufficient water resources, universal access to clean energy, adequate transportation facilities and sense of security are some of the major reasons behind the emergence of smart cities in India. With rapid increase in urbanisation, it is expected that by 2050, 66% of the world’s population will move into urban areas, thus posing a serious challenge for city planners to make available the basic amenities and resources to the population.
Smart Cities coupled with the latest technology innovations have been heralded as the key to tackle the challenges posed by rapid urbanisation. Smart cities create a place where everything is connected and technology operates behind the scenes to ensure that all the elements of daily life run smoothly. Smart technologies such as a municipal network of optical fibre, free Wi-Fi, routed street lighting and sensors to monitor air quality would help smart cities evolve more and serve the society as a whole. Technology innovations in the engineering and construction space provide an extra mile for the successful establishment of a smart city. 3D modelling, data analytics and simulation have helped the smart city project managers in collaboration and management of the complex projects. One of the major contribution of technology to the cities of the future is the relevance of the bundles of data that needs to be analysed for customisation and more viability of smart cities.
We at Dassault Systèmes use our 3Dexperience City solution based on our 3Dexperience platform to build a virtual bridge and provide a dynamic data model that provides a cohesive approach in designing of a smart city. Basis our innovative technology solutions and the 3Dexperience platform, we have worked with couple of state governments in India to develop smart cities. We have worked closely in the development of Jaipur smart city and Amravati in Andhra Pradesh. Talking globally, we have worked in the development of Singapore Smart city. Through our simulation and 3Dexperience City solutions, we were successful in building a smart, sustainable, resilient and prosperous Singapore.
How can the modern IT technology help to evolve smart cities by keeping the democratic rights of citizens intact?
Smart Cities are among the top discussed topics across industries. The process of integrating data and converting it into a mix solution has helped to resolve the issues of the masses in urban locations to a large extent. Technology is the key behind several aspects of human life be it at a work or their place to stay. Smart cities revolve around technological advancements and revolutions. The more advanced technology is; the more chances of achieving an integrated and well-connected city.
One of the key elements which help in the development of smart cities is the citizens’ data. With the use of modern technologies, the citizens’ data is being analysed in order to derive the consumer behaviour, so that the best could be offered to them and at the same time it is a prerequisite of a data manager to safeguard the data of the citizens against any malware attack or fraud. Modern technologies such as AI also have entered the smart city
scenario and have turned out to be the key for successful implementation of smart city projects. Among the many areas where the technologies prove beneficial, traffic management is one of the crucial ones.
AI can implement smart traffic solutions to ensure that residents of a smart city get from one point to another in the city safely and more quickly and efficiently as possible. At Dassault Systèmes, we believe that there is an urgent need for smart cities to harness innovation to make cities more livable and sustainable by becoming intelligent. Modern IT infrastructure helps in accelerating Digital Transformation and provides a powerful aid for decision making and urban planning, enabling a holistic approach to predict and meet social, economic and environmental outcomes.
How can a sustainable world be developed using modern IT technology in a smart city context?
Smart cities are about providing better living conditions to the citizens while making it more sustainable, resilient and livable and have been one of the most discussed issues while planning about increasing urbanisation. Smart cities are majorly designed upon modern, innovative and efficient technology and intelligent infrastructures, smart energy grids, effective waste management, and sustainable traffic management. Connected digital tools allow engineers and city planners to see and explore the futures that are being created and its effects on inhabitants and the planet as a whole.
Cities, if developed strategically could contribute extensively to the economic growth of a nation, however, if urban planning is unchecked and unplanned, it could lead to massive energy and water consumption and wastage, and growing carbon emissions. Dassault Systèmes strongly believes that sustainability is the only way forward. We need to plan cities to provide a growth that is smart as well as sustainable. Moreover, it is essential to take a holistic approach while designing a city. The 3Dexperience City by Dassault Systèmes allows you to create a 3Dexperience City or a City twin, which help in reflecting changes in the city and the way forward in the virtual world. It takes a holistic approach to ensure and ease regulatory compliance, maximum sustainability and resilience. It is not only useful for efficient and sustainable usage of natural resources but also generates new business and revenue opportunities and aids economic growth.
What will be the costs involved in developing these smart cities in India and what is the sharing of this cost? Besides, what’s the timeline that you see is required in completing the smart cites project?
Cost to develop virtual city depends on the type of simulation one want to conduct and what features and functionalities we configure based on the Government need. This will vary from city to city and state to state. While majority of the investment is required to capture right data, there are many levels to capture data depending on the quality required and the simulation to be performed. It is a continuous process, the initial set up and configuration may take close to one year again depending on what one would like to achieve. Once the setup is ready the 3Dexperience platform can be leveraged by urban planners, district in charge, policy makers and many others who can use throughout the lifecycle of each project.
AI CAN IMPLEMENT SMART TRAFFIC SOLUTIONS TO ENSURE THAT RESIDENTS OF A SMART CITY GET FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER IN THE CITY SAFELY AND MORE QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE