Keynote 1: Smart City solutions for developing countries

Abstract/Description

Cities across the world have embraced big data and analytics to deliver better services to their constituents. Despite big data and analytics being a new concept, governments and industry have readily adopted such technologies and have created thousands of initiatives where the advances in information and computing technologies are being applied to generate innovative solutions. At the same time, the Internet of Things (IoT) is enabling devices and sensors to generate active and passive data, which if effectively archived and subsequently subjected to analytics, can open a new chapter in learning from individual's behaviour and performance of machines to optimize resources and increase productivity.

The applications of smart city solutions are readily found in developed countries. Often, smart city solutions are being applied to address traffic congestion. This includes dynamic traffic control systems where traffic signal timings and access to on- and exit- ramps are dynamically adjusted in response to the traffic demand captured either by dedicated sensors or inferred from signals generated by smartphones and Bluetooth enabled vehicles. Similarly, smart metering has already been applied to utility meters to determine real-time use and deploy dynamic pricing to optimize the use of scarce resources.

In New York City, microwave sensors, video cameras and EZPass readers monitor traffic flows and transmit information wirelessly to the Department of Transportation's Traffic Management Center. Engineers use this information to identify points of congestion and adjust signal timings. The 'Midtown in Motion Project' has improved travel times in a 110 square block section of Manhattan by 10 percent in its first year of operation.

Smart city solutions are equally relevant to developing countries. Given the rapid population growth, megacities of population greater than 5 million are, and in the future more likely to be, found in the developing country contexts. At the same time, resource constraints and cultural reluctance to adopt technological solutions may create additional barriers for the rapid deployment of smart solutions for better urban governance. In Pakistan's context, the sorry state of urban affairs and the inadequate quality of municipal services, such as transportation, waste management, water supply, and safety provide the necessary stimulus to identify and adopt inexpensive smart city solutions.

I will present case studies of smart city solutions from other jurisdictions and their relevance to urban governance and service delivery in Pakistan.

Location

JS Auditorium

Session Theme

Inaugural & Keynote Session I

Session Type

Keynote Speech

Start Date

16-11-2019 9:45 AM

End Date

16-11-2019 10:25 AM

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Nov 16th, 9:45 AM Nov 16th, 10:25 AM

Keynote 1: Smart City solutions for developing countries

JS Auditorium

Cities across the world have embraced big data and analytics to deliver better services to their constituents. Despite big data and analytics being a new concept, governments and industry have readily adopted such technologies and have created thousands of initiatives where the advances in information and computing technologies are being applied to generate innovative solutions. At the same time, the Internet of Things (IoT) is enabling devices and sensors to generate active and passive data, which if effectively archived and subsequently subjected to analytics, can open a new chapter in learning from individual's behaviour and performance of machines to optimize resources and increase productivity.

The applications of smart city solutions are readily found in developed countries. Often, smart city solutions are being applied to address traffic congestion. This includes dynamic traffic control systems where traffic signal timings and access to on- and exit- ramps are dynamically adjusted in response to the traffic demand captured either by dedicated sensors or inferred from signals generated by smartphones and Bluetooth enabled vehicles. Similarly, smart metering has already been applied to utility meters to determine real-time use and deploy dynamic pricing to optimize the use of scarce resources.

In New York City, microwave sensors, video cameras and EZPass readers monitor traffic flows and transmit information wirelessly to the Department of Transportation's Traffic Management Center. Engineers use this information to identify points of congestion and adjust signal timings. The 'Midtown in Motion Project' has improved travel times in a 110 square block section of Manhattan by 10 percent in its first year of operation.

Smart city solutions are equally relevant to developing countries. Given the rapid population growth, megacities of population greater than 5 million are, and in the future more likely to be, found in the developing country contexts. At the same time, resource constraints and cultural reluctance to adopt technological solutions may create additional barriers for the rapid deployment of smart solutions for better urban governance. In Pakistan's context, the sorry state of urban affairs and the inadequate quality of municipal services, such as transportation, waste management, water supply, and safety provide the necessary stimulus to identify and adopt inexpensive smart city solutions.

I will present case studies of smart city solutions from other jurisdictions and their relevance to urban governance and service delivery in Pakistan.