The pandemic's induced pause on daily life as we know it has
provided an opportunity to reflect on how the city functioned
before and carefully consider how that might be done differently in
the future.
There were steps in that direction before the onset of Covid-19,
but the crisis has accelerated and accentuated many of the changes
that were taking hold. Among them, undoubtedly, is understanding
how people interact with cities, and then using that data to
optimise services and infrastructure.
This is sometimes better known as 'smart cities' - in its
simplest form this involves collecting data from sensors and
connected devices that can tell you how a city functions. Various
smart cities initiatives are already underway in Scotland, many of
which are in Glasgow.
Perhaps the best-known is Glasgow City Council's addition of
sensors to selected bins across the city. The devices monitor which
bins in Glasgow need emptied most and least often, allowing the
local authority to direct resources more efficiently. The use of
predictive analytics would also enable the operators to estimate
when they are likely to fill up and then empty them at the
appropriate time.
Another area being explored is the smarter use of street
lighting, a significant consumer of energy at a global level.
Technology is being developed to allow councils greater control
over the thousands of streetlights in their respective areas,
allowing them to turn off lights in areas where there is little
footfall or increase lighting in areas where it is required.
These lampposts are also being fitted with sensors for other
purposes too - for instance, counters that provide a reading of the
number of vehicles moving around the city and where there are areas
of congestion. This could help inform traffic easing measures and
even improve the data available to improve environmental conditions
in city centres.
Public transport is another area undergoing significant
transformation, with the integration of services to help people
move between and within cities. While we aren't quite where
Transport for London is, we are more advanced than many other parts
of the UK. Dundee, in particular, has invested heavily in the use
of bicycle hire for the final mile of journeys - often the most
difficult.
These are just a few of the ways in which smart cities are
taking shape. With several initiatives already underway, Glasgow
has already taken significant steps forward on this journey and,
with a central operations centre, the city has the ability to
review data and understand how it is working at any given
point.
Nevertheless, it should be clear that a smart city is about
delivering for the people living within it as much as it is
efficiencies for the local authority. As such, technology that
collects and analyses data is important, but so too are the
thoughts and opinions of residents. A smarter city, therefore, has
to be shaped by the feedback of its citizens. To that end,
Glaswegians should use the channels open to them, whether for an
ongoing or new project.
Citizen involvement can be taken a step further through the use
of open data. Glasgow City Council has made 311 datasets available
to those who want to influence the creation of new services, the
enhancement of existing ones, and how the city functions. For those
with the inclination, they can use this to build their own
applications which contribute to the city and its services.
Glasgow is a burgeoning city, with both residents and visitors.
People will inevitably ebb and flow through the city, placing a
variety of needs on its services and infrastructure. While
technology gives us the opportunity to better understand and manage
those requirements, people will help us better shape the city.
CENSIS is Scotland's innovation centre for sensing, imaging,
and internet of things technologies.
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