Safety in cities depends on multiple services working with singular purpose on common objectives. However, there is no overall view of risk, no single responsible authority, and no unified funding that spans across public and private sector services and levels of government. This failure compromises a city’s ability to tackle fundamental safety issues and results in disconnects between expectations and how individual organizations operate and are measured.
Olympus™ helps cities overcome these challenges to become safer and more resilient. We provide connectivity between systems, collaboration between teams, and greater intelligence in operations, which leads to sustainable solutions and more accountable services.
A smart city is a municipality that uses information and communication technologies to increase operational efficiency, share information with the public and improve both the quality of government services and citizen welfare.
Emerging trends such as automation, machine learning and the internet of things (IoT) are driving smart city adoption.
Theoretically, any area of city management can be incorporated into a smart city initiative. A classic example is the PoE Smart Pole that uses PoE technology to deliver the best in automation and features with a minimal power overhead. Features include but are not limited to PTMP data transmission, wireless access point, cctv, environmental sensors street lights and more. all this based on the power of PoE and for under two amps for a fully loaded smart pole.
Also in the transportation arena, smart traffic management is used to monitor and analyze traffic flows to optimize streetlights to prevent roadways from becoming too congested based on time of day or rush-hour schedules. Smart public transit is another facet of smart cities, used to ensure public transportation meets user demand. Smart transit companies are able to coordinate services and fulfill riders’ needs in real time, improving efficiency and rider satisfaction. Ride-sharing and bike-sharing are also common services in a smart city.
Smart city initiatives also aim to monitor and address environmental concerns such as climate change and air pollution. Sanitation can also be improved with smart technology, be it using internet-connected trash cans and enabled fleet management systems for waste collection and removal, or using sensors to measure water parameters and guarantee the quality of drinking water at the front end of the system, with proper wastewater removal and drainage at the back end.
Smart city technology is increasingly being used to improve public safety, from monitoring areas of high crime to improving emergency preparedness with sensors. For example, smart sensors can be critical components of an early warning system before droughts, floods, landslides or hurricanes.
Smart buildings are also often part of a smart city project. Legacy infrastructure can be retrofitted and new buildings constructed with sensors to not only provide real-time space management and ensure public safety, but also to monitor the structural health of buildings. Attaching sensors to buildings and other structures can detect wear and tear and notify officials when repairs are needed. Citizens can help in this matter, notifying officials through a smart city app when repairs are needed in buildings and public infrastructure, such as potholes. Sensors can also be used to detect leaks in water mains and other pipe systems, helping reduce costs and improve efficiency of public workers.
Smart city technologies also bring efficiencies to urban manufacturing and urban farming, including job creation, energy efficiency, space management and fresher goods for consumers.
Sustainability is another major facet of smart cities. Urbanization is expected to increase even more in the coming years — today, 80% of the U.S. population lives in metropolitan areas versus 60% just 50 years ago. Globally these numbers are even more staggering. Smart technology by Olympus™ will help cities sustain growth and improve efficiency for the inhabitants and government efficiency in urban areas in the years to come.
Want to know more? Contact us now to learn how the Olympus™ Smart City Automation System can help you.