Smart cities have changed the way governments, businesses and even citizens go about their daily responsibilities. Modern city planning and urban development are being driven by technology, particularly telematics, powered by artificial intelligence (AI). With real-time data and visibility provided by platforms such as Opticom™ 360, cities are more connected than ever before, turning billions of data points into actionable decisions and enabling cities to operate smarter.
What is a smart city?
Smart cities consist of a framework of connected devices and sensors throughout an urban area to help improve government operations, including emergency response, traffic management, utilities and other community services.
Using the Internet of Things (IOT), smart cities deploy various connected devices, including cameras and smart sensors, to collect data on virtually every aspect of city life. That data is then analyzed and used to create more efficient systems and infrastructure.
Now, in-vehicle telematics systems installed in government vehicles – such as busses, emergency response vehicles, and more – are helping close the data gaps and make smart cities, well, smarter.
How AI-powered telematics make smart cities smarter
Health and safety:
As urban population growth continues, smarter cities across the globe are diving deeper, using data and analytics to identify – and ultimately, drive – downstream improvements in public health.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health in densely populated urban environments is front and center. Smart cities need accurate data to address pain points in transportation and other infrastructure issues to promote public health. Telematics makes fighting air pollution, reducing noise levels, and promoting healthy living more manageable.
Cities can use their learnings to make public transit more accessible, reduce costs and promote car-free areas.
Traffic management:
As urbanization grows, so too does traffic congestion. Not only does excess traffic cause pollution, but it’s also a significant factor in determining quality of life. By collecting millions of data points from individual vehicles – buses, city vehicles, emergency response vehicles, et cetera – cities can better understand traffic patterns.
Rather than using old, outdated technology, cities can address traffic issues quickly, which cuts down on congestion, reduces costs and improves emergency response time.
Emergency response times:
With Opticom™ 360, cities get traffic signal emergency vehicle preemption (EVP), which can clear intersections for responding emergency vehicles and help ensure they arrive on-scene safely and quickly.
Using data points from other vehicles connected with telematics devices can help dispatchers determine the best route and inform drivers of possible delays with enough time to find alternate routes.
Opticom 360 revolutionizes the public sector space by bringing together a smart city version of traffic signal priority control and end-to-end fleet management functionalities, all under a single, connected cloud platform.
Smart city planning:
Technology has always been a critical component in the evolution of the city. Telematics helps a.) facilitate the movement of goods and services within a city and b.) identify which resources can be leveraged to prioritize development.
By understanding vehicular movement in and around the city limits, planners can build urban centers that encourage commerce while still promoting pedestrian priorities and encouraging alternate transportation, such as cycling and walking.
Cities can use vehicle data to determine which roads are used most and create plans to process industrial and commercial traffic more efficiently.
Greater visibility:
Finally, telematics provides cities with ultimate visibility. Integrated AI-powered dashcams capture incidents in real-time. That information is used to understand which areas of the city are more prone to accidents.
When paired with other closed-circuit camera systems, dash cams can help piece together a fuller, more accurate depiction of events, which can help in criminal investigations and city planning.
Conclusion
Ultimately, visibility is crucial for smart cities. Having access to data – and being able to analyze and understand its implications in real-time – has revolutionized city planning and infrastructure.
Smart cities have improved the quality of life for millions of urbanites, and telematics is just starting to scratch the surface of what’s possible.
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