Unmasking the nuances of urban technology evolution in smart cities

The world is on the brink of a significant shift, moving from the information economy to the intelligent economy, where value is extracted from data. This transformation is particularly evident in the burgeoning field of smart cities.

Smart city initiatives, varying between countries and sectors, aim to tackle urban challenges such as energy crises, traffic congestion, and democratic processes through innovative solutions like smart metering, driverless cars, and social media.

Application development platforms have emerged as a key enabler, allowing organizations to build on the work of others, accelerating progress and fostering collaboration. With the application platform-as-a-service (aPaaS) model, teams can create unlimited applications, driving the growth of smart cities.

These platforms, including 'low code' and 'no code' solutions, are breaking down barriers, reducing risks, shortening timeframes, and lowering costs, making it possible for even non-technical individuals, often referred to as 'citizen developers', to create bespoke software without coding knowledge.

The commercial value of smart city solutions and services is projected to reach $408 billion per annum by 2020, according to a UK government-commissioned study. However, local authorities, the most likely organizations to offer these solutions, may face resource constraints due to austerity measures.

The predicted growth of the Internet of Things and big data solutions can lead to more information gathering and actionable insights. Real-world applications include Google mapping real-time congestion and the City of London tracking crime hotspots using big data.

Technologies such as superfast broadband, 4G networks, mobile devices, telematics, and machine-to-machine solutions are already helping organizations exploit these opportunities.

The British government views a smart city as a process, not a static concept, aiming for more liveable and resilient cities. Analyst firm Frost and Sullivan estimates the combined market potential for energy, transportation, healthcare, building, infrastructure, and governance at $1.5 trillion globally.

However, creating applications for specific purposes remains a challenge for local government IT executives due to unacceptable risk, long timeframes, and high costs. It is unlikely that an overarching body will manage everything achievable with smart city solutions. Instead, numerous small projects, rather than one monolithic program, will likely drive the growth of smart cities.

Organizations such as the Bundesverband Smart City e.V. (BVSC), startups like DKSR, and city utilities like Mainzer Stadtwerken are likely to implement these smaller projects, contributing to the development of smart cities. These organizations often collaborate with local governments and communities to enhance digital infrastructure and sustainability initiatives.

Peter Robbins, from Mercato Solutions, emphasizes the need for applications that automate integration, processing, analytics, and management of smart city processes and data. He also encourages public and private executives to realize they can create applications to seize opportunities or have citizens create them.

The technology to deliver smart city solutions exists now, but organizations need the ability to experiment and innovate to realize the potential benefits sooner. New digital technologies offer numerous opportunities for city improvements, and the time for action is now.