PAVING THE WAY OF THE FUTURE
AS people become more educated and tech-savvy, the growing fear of competition and being left behind is also heightened.
“Smart cities are born out of a mixture of paranoia and opportunities,” says Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister-in- charge of the Smart Nation Programme Office in Singapore.
He points out that within the next 10 to 20 years, 30%-40% of jobs in Singapore are at risk, further increasing the need for technology-led development.
The creation of smart cities is highly beneficial, with two key fundamental motivations.
Firstly, the building of smart infrastructure like smart electricity grids and solar panels can greatly reduce costs and usage in the face of a shortage of resources. This can prevent the consumption of resources in an inefficient and irresponsible manner.
Secondly, placing emphasis on ‘being smart’ helps to boost a city’s liveability as a whole, with traditional fields like the environment, transportation, governance and education enhanced by smart technology. The business environment also becomes more conducive as processes become more streamlined.
The world is experiencing a fourth industrial revolution, according to the World Economic Forum, due to the rapid development of technologies and digital abundance. Incorporating new digital infrastructure with mature infrastructure allows stakeholders and owners to derive more from what they already have while remaining cost-effective.
Note that in Mumbai, the amount of water wasted due to poor infrastructure was reduced by 50% after installing smart metering technology.
A survey by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) across 20 Asia Pacific cities reveals that the top priority for a smart city is a clean and green environment with better air quality and more proactive waste recycling practices (46%), higher standard of education (41%), social security and safety (39%), easier access to government services (36%) and more job opportunities (35%).
If all the cities in the world took an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test, how would your city fare?
Based on the EIU survey results, more than half of the survey participants (56%) consider their cities to be “smart” while over 78% expect their cities to be considered smart within the next five years.
The ability of these cities to meet such expectations depend largely on their rate and effectiveness in adopting smart city initiatives to value-add or rectify their current infrastructure.
A common denominator of the needs of metropolises is greater connectivity. A sound broadband infrastructure is a launch pad for IoT and cloud computing, making it an indispensable part of any smart city.
Hitachi offers a platform for cities to engage solutions that address their unique challenges. The company recognises the importance of a secure and accessible digital environment to businesses and communication.
An example for this is the Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN), which was upgraded to the Hitachi Unified Compute Platform to increase systems capacity and flexibility. This reduces their physical server presence and cuts electricity costs by 40%. It also has an integrated cyber and physical monitoring system which creates a multi-level defence that protects and facilitates the smooth delivery of services.
Another area that Hitachi can step in and help these cities get smarter is in energy management, particularly in the Philippines where survey takers in major cities like Manila (66%) and Davao City (63%) seek to reduce energy inefficiencies.
One of the energy management solutions that Hitachi provides is energy storage solutions which are designed to stabilise electricity grids in cities to reduce fluctuations in frequency. The 1-MW Container-Type Energy Storage System is equipped with frequency regulation and includes lithium-ion batteries that deliver a high level of output over a short period, making it an ideal solution to help these cities maintain a stable and high-quality supply of power.
As a provider of recognised integrated railway systems and solutions, Hitachi can also incorporate its excellent mass transit system such as straddle type monorail with the existing transportation networks of major cities in the Asean region, creating a more dynamic flow for traffic.
These systems use an efficient design that have a smaller environmental footprint, making it a highly viable option for cities looking to implement smart and eco-friendly transportation systems.
Moving forward, there is an increasing need for more interconnectedness, interaction and improvement in the domains that we live and work in today. With the advent of big data and the IoT, the potential for the actualisation of optimal consumption and conservation is more attainable now than ever before, paving the way for smart cities of the future.