3 Reasons the Smart City Needs Data Privacy

Introduction

By 2050, it’s expected that 66% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. By 2030, there will be 43 “mega-cities” with populations of more than 10 million each. And once you get massive numbers of people living in close proximity, needing to utilize resources and utilities on a large scale, creating waste and needing speedy communications and transport, you need to get smart about how you provide that.

The development of the “smart city” is a reaction to the increasing need to maximize resources in an urban environment. We are starting to see cities across the world developing smart technology and systems; this includes Barcelona, Jakarta, and a number across the United States. China is set to have over half of the global total number of smart cities.

So what is the definition of a smart city? Most descriptions of smart cities mention the use of technology to deliver services and infrastructure in a smart, data-driven way. All are about creating a sustainable future. Smart cities have the potential to solve serious issues in accommodating a growing population and creating resilient economies; for example, the Smart Cities Council believes that investment in smart infrastructure will result in prosperity for everyone.

Data and the Smart City

These smart cities rely heavily on the use of data. Data is like the blood flowing through the body of the city. It is collected, collated, aggregated and analyzed. The output from that analysis gives insights into the system it describes; this information is then used to optimize that system.

Big data is a major phenomenon — not just of our age, but of the smart city itself. While the so-called Internet of Things (the network of physical devices permitting cars, home appliances and so forth to exchange data) has been instrumental (Read more...)

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