Urban Internet of Things

Laura Adler
The Internet of Things is everywhere, with sensors and communication technologies
embedded in all the materials of daily life. Today, the idea of the Internet of Things (IoT) is
also everywhere: it is has become one of the most widely-discussed concepts of the digital
age, driving major changes across industries from marketing to renewable energy. The total
number of IoT connections is predicted to increase four-fold by 2020. As the IoT mentality
gains momentum, cities are finding innovative ways to take advantage of the increasingly
networked physical world.
What is the Internet of Things? IoT brings formerly inert objects into the dynamic world of
information technology. It encompasses a range of technologies, from sensors that monitor
environmental conditions to RFID tags that can allow users to interact with objects. In the
world of IoT, everything produces data that can be gathered and analyzed. Once-passive
objects become dynamic, capable of conducting remote updates and on-the-fly improvements.
Fundamentally, IoT means a shift from reactive to proactive systems; from delayed problem
management to automatic sense-and-respond capabilities.
Driven by the declining cost of sensors and governments focus on improving efficiency and
service, IoT is allowing cities to transition towards real-time data-driven management across
urban systems, including water, energy, waste, and transportation. The most basic IoT tools
have been around for years, including connected streetlights, which switch off when no one is
present to conserve energy, or send automatic notifications when a light has gone out.
Building on these basic lessons, cities are expanding their IoT programs to enhance complex
urban infrastructure.
CITY SYSTEMS
Cities are expected to spend $41 trillion on IoT technologies in the next 20 years. In the
pursuit of smarter, more responsive city services, local governments have partnered with
startups and major technology companies to begin experimenting with IoT across all
dimensions of urban life.

Energy: The smart grid is one of the most well-developed and widely recognized IoT systems.
Smart grids rely on smart meters, which relay information about a buildings energy usage
back to a central management system, in order to efficiently allocate resources. Smart grids
can be used to identify and address outages and promote conservation through demand-based
pricing. Moreover, smart grid technology is essential to the integration of sustainable energy
sources into the mainstream energy grid.
In addition to benefiting cities, new devices are also bringing the benefits of energy-related
IoT to consumers. Citizens can reduce their energy bills with devices like Nest, which can
sense when someone is home and adjust temperatures automatically, and thesmart-me, which
allows users to monitor energy use, turn off unused devices, and manage the temperature in a
home or office from a smartphone.
Environmental conditions: Chicagos Array of Things and Dublins CityWatch are models for
the deployment of citywide sensor networks. Partnering with research institutions and
corporations, these cities are installing sensors on lampposts to monitor environmental
conditions including temperature, noise, and air quality. The government and its partners will
use the data to manage incidents, identify patterns in microclimates, and make predictions
about vehicle and pedestrian congestion. Moreover, these systems feed data into open data
portals, where it is available to the public, allowing citizens to take part in tracking and
responding to local environmental issues.
Water: Many cities face severe problems with water, whether they experience too much or too
little rain. In California, local governments are using IoT to develop innovative ways to plan
and manage irrigation, facilitating extensive water conservation and more effectively
allocating their scarce resources. Other areas struggle to address flooding and wastewater
management during storms. Without proper planning, cities are often forced them to dump
raw sewage into local waterways. With the help of IoT, local authorities are learning to
prepare for storms more effectively. Using tools developed by Opti, American cities can draw
together systems that monitor the weather and those that control rainwater storage to
determine when to hold onto water supplies and when to make room for new rainfall. With

appropriate planning, cities can reduce overflow in combined sewers and minimize the
pollution of waterways.
Citizens are also taking advantage of distributed sensor networks to plan for flooding. The
citizen-led Oxford Flood Network has developed a system of sensors to gather data on water
level from stream and groundwater sources and anticipate flood incidents. The system relies
on sensors that use ultrasonic rangefinders, positioned above local waterways, to measure
changes in the water level and indicate flood risks. The network makes use of TV whitespace
between channelsmade available by the local telecom providerto transmit data, making
information publicly available in real time.
Waste: Although waste management is traditionally a hands-on service, IoT companies are
developing two-way communication tools to reduce labor and increase the efficiency of waste
management systems. Among several companies that are working on innovative approaches
to trash collection and monitoring, Big Belly has emerged as a leader. The companys sensorenabled trash receptacles measure waste levels in public bins and compact trash to reduce
overflow. The bins share the data with local authorities, allowing them to enhance efficiency
by planning collection routes where and when pickup is needed. The same logic is being
extended to the home, with Enevo offering home trash monitoring to facilitate efficient
collection.
Public transit: The IoT mentality has become an integral part of public transit, where many
riders can now follow buses online through GPS or note the minutes until the next train. Some
cities are taking the next steps in wiring their transit systems, like London, which has
deployed an extensive sensor network throughout the Underground to monitor environmental
conditions and detect systems in need of maintenance.
Mass transit IoT is also being adopted by regional train systems. Until recently, railways were
unable to take advantage of sophisticated collision avoidance systems, like those used by
airplanes and ships, because the nature of railroad tracks inevitably steered trains within
inches of one another. The Rail Collision Avoidance System has made this possible by
combining GPS and movement data. RCAS monitors trains in the local network and informs

conductors if a train is approaching on the same track, helping the railways become even
safer.
Parking: One of the most popular IoT applications is the use of sensors to track the
availability of parking spaces. The search for parking in busy urban centers is frustrating for
the driver, intensifies congestion on the roads, and increases pollution from circling cars.
Moreover, cities lack the real-time data that would allow them to implement demand-based
pricing. A number of startups, including Streetline, are trying to enhance the parking process.
These companies use sensors to determine when a car is parked in a given spot. This data can
be sent directly to drivers, helping to guide them more quickly to an available spot, or to
cities, which can use the data to adjust pricing based on demand.
Cars and drivers: Of all the forms of transportation, driving remains the most
dangerous. Government officials are exploring ways to leverage IoT to make the roads safer
by connecting the vehicle and the driver with the surrounding environment. The US
Department of Transportation is testing the uses of vehicle-to-vehicle communication,
enabling cars to sense and respond to possible risks on the road. Cities are also connecting to
drivers within their cars: Walnut Creek, CA has implemented a system that connects with
drivers smartphones, pushing alerts when the light changes from red to green to discourage
distraction while driving.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR IOT
National leaders are beginning to gauge the importance of IoT to economic development,
safety, and sustainability. In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister David Cameron has
promoted the broad implementation of IoT in the public sector by dedicating $122 million
to fund research for the development of IoT applications. TheEuropean Union is also hoping
to extend the use of IoT, funding research directed at developing new IoT systems for the
public good. In the US, the White House supported IoT discoveries through the Smart
America Challenge, which brought together government officials, academia, and private
industry to explore the potential for smarter and more responsive infrastructure.
CHALLENGES

While IoT offers unparalleled opportunities to enhance efficiency, improve public safety, and
support development, it also presents several important challenges that cities will have to
negotiate in order to realize these benefits.
Design and analysis together: Cities already have lots of data in their existing systemsthe
challenge is often that they lack the skills or the technology to use it. In order to make the
Internet of Things valuable, cities must ensure that the data-gathering systems are designed
together with analytics: the data that is collected should be easily understood and to put to use
by the governments that collect it. In addition to enhancing the systems for data collection and
analysis, governments must also focus on recruiting tech-savvy leaders who can envision and
implement cutting-edge systems.
Privacy and security: Cities must take seriously their role in ensuring the privacy and security
of citizen data. Unless citizens trust their governments to ensure privacy, it will become
increasingly difficult for cities to get this data at all. Defense from cyberattacks is also a
growing concern, particularly with regards to critical infrastructurehacking smart meters
can cost millions, but a more malicious intruder could compromise safety for residents. In
order to successfully implement IoT, cities should make privacy and security a top priority.
With smart and forward-looking leadership, IoT has the potential to create a revolution in city
planning and management. By embracing the potential of IoT, governments can improve
service delivery, increase sustainability, and make their cities safer and more livable places
for all residents.
http://datasmart.ash.harvard.edu/news/article/the-urban-internet-of-things-727