Worldwide Smart City Projects Reports

Each city has a distinct personality, so no smart project is alike. “Smart cities in various parts of the world need different approaches and solutions as the issues they face are quite unique,” said Faiyaz Shahpurwala, Senior VP of Advanced Services and Emerging Solutions, Cisco Systems. “Urban areas in developing countries are dealing with massive scale, and, therefore, there is a need for sustainable access and availability to community resources, including basic access to education, health care, energy and utilities. Although developed countries face similar problems, they are more focused on green-energy sources, better education and health care, easier and more productive commutes, and citizen services.”

As there is no universal definition for what a smart city looks like, connectivity is the common theme. The basic idea of a smart city is enabling the city administration to get access to information, turn that information into knowledge and to apply that knowledge to real-life implementations of policies and systems, said Maarten Mijwaart, GM of Automatic Vehicle Identification, Nedap. These responses will improve city performance on important themes such as mobility, health care, energy, education and safety.

Smart-city activity is underway in certain parts of Europe, such as Eastern Europe, said Dave Gorshkov, CEO of Digital Grape. South America is buoyant, along with India and Africa.

There are currently 102 smart-city projects worldwide. Regional projects are listed 38 in Europe, 35 in North America, 21 in Asia Pacific, 6 in the Middle East and Africa and 2 in Latin America, according to ABI Research.

APAC
China plays an leading role on the global stage, with rapid growth driving city development. As the largest metropolises on the coast are developed, inland Tier-3 cities are the focus of upcoming government investments, such as ones in Xinjiang and Heilongjiang provinces.

Chinese “Safe City” initiatives now emphasize green benchmarks with a pollution index. “Green inspectors look at pollution reports, such as illegal dumping, and then are dispatched to sites with location data sent to smartphones,” said Weifeng Yang, VP at ZTE NetView, a Chinese network communication solution provider. “Once they arrive, they send a photo and confirm if there has been an incident. They can add if someone was responsible and should be arrested.”

New cities can take the Greenfield approach. “New high-tech cities in China have the opportunity to implement the latest technology that's far more efficient,” said Dave Bartlett, VP of Industry Solutions for Smarter Buildings, IBM. “Today, wireless-sensor technology is much less expensive and easier to deploy in more infrastructure applications. That provides greater flexibility for applying sensor networks to various processes, including security, heat and humidity, corrosion and air quality. This type of data streaming from our physical infrastructure can be analyzed to drive more efficiencies, lower costs and reduce energy requirements.”[NextPage]

EMEA
Most European cities have existed for centuries, with city management most
concerned about efficiency. “Europe has more history in smart cities,” Yang
said. “There is more emphasis on the green city to meet citizen needs, improve services and manage traffic. Efficiency and going green are another effort for enterprises; they wish to waste fewer resources and utilize people better.”

“The ‘Strategic Energy Technology Plan,' adopted by the EU to support the European energy and climate policies, drives the so-called ‘Smart Cities' initiative, which focuses on ‘models and strategies to progress toward low carbon emissions,'” said Maria Ruiz, Strategic Project Manager, Fire Safety and Security Strategy, Siemens Building Technologies.

At least two smart-grid projects are underway, with the U.K. installing 50 million smart readers in 26 million homes over the next five years. In Italy, national energy provider Enel spent $2.6 billion on SIM cards for smart meters. “All public-sector projects are being constrained,” Gorshkov said.
“But there are programs where people are spending to save. Governments
understand the use of more reliable surveillance systems can reduce manpower and have cost-effective solutions for their guarding and security requirements.”

The Middle East has less demand for public transport, as most citizens drive. Security and infrastructure development are higher priorities. “For Cairo, waste management is a huge issue — rubbish and dead animals are poisoning the city's rivers, while the local garbage collection is at the point of collapse,” said Erika Gorge, Communications Manager, Bosch Security Systems.

The Americas
There is strong demand for smart solutions in the Western hemisphere. “Sao Paulo's latest super traffic jam was 293 kilometers long,” Gorge said. “Intelligent transport systems are urgently needed there.”

While demand is high, governments are strapped for cash. “In the U.S., there was some force with a smart-grid grant earlier this year,” said Cosimo Malesci, VP of Sales and Marketing, Fluidmesh Networks. “But as soon as the grant passed, the money ran out.”

Even relatively prosperous nations such as Canada cannot afford completely smart infrastructure. “Vancouver is gradually rolling out water meters, power meters and traffic sensors, but it's not a transformative thing yet,” said Richard Smith, Professor in the School of Communication and Director of the Centre for Policy Research on Science and Technology, Simon Fraser University.

National security is a pressing concern for the U.S., after dealing with terrorist attacks. While the emphasis has been on monitoring, congestion also factors prominently in smart projects.