Harnessing the potential of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) will require cities to integrate new innovation and technology-related concepts, to allow more effective, improved, higher-quality public services and greater Infrastructure robustness.
What does 4IR bring into Smart Cities?
Firstly, partnerships are absolutely essential for cities to transform themselves into Smart Cities. Industry 4.0 technologies allow a technological transformation but can change the life of living in cities.
New technologies can improve the functioning of existing Infrastructure and significantly alter future approaches to urban planning and design. The ability to focus on energy efficiency and reliability is totally reliant on 4IR. As we develop Smart Cities we need to develop a more sustainable plan. McKinsey estimates that the world’s top 100 cities will account for 35% of global GDP growth between now and 2025 as the global population continues to migrate to urban living, with 68% estimated to be residing in cities by 2050.
To cope with migration pressure the cities of the future need to become smart.
Smart in their use of technology, in understanding integrated interventions in planning investments, the uptake of new technologies, the leveraging of Industry 4.0 technology solutions and the reliance on data. The whole area of Artificial Intelligence will need to enhance urban transportation, support smart grids, renewable energy, waste and water management.
Looking for more efficient ways to allocate energy and the use of smart grids will be crucial to cope with the surges in growth of population and the demands this will place on already over-burdened infrastructures.
The ability to apply AI algorithms and have data awareness will be critical to improving the efficiency of water pipes, sewage, location of utilities and their effective “predictive” monitoring. Equally, it will need to be applied to the flow of transport and people, in planning controls, routes and peak loads to reduce CO2 emissions caused today by congestion and excessive fuel consumption.
Industry 4.0 will also enable more effective applications and reduce dependences on overburdening infrastructure through its focus on efficiency and effectiveness in its production. The growing understanding of pollution can be evaluated by having sensors on machines and in grid networks. Insights determine infrastructure requirements for logistics and the interconnected network needs and demands.
