“We need to find ways to fuse data from different sensors into a common data platform that will enable multiple departments to leverage shared infrastructure to deliver integrated smart city services.
Increasingly, smart city solutions will incorporate multiple device types and communication networks, all seamlessly connected in a unified platform. This dynamic ecosystem will enable sensors to collaborate, so we could have an application deployed and paid for by different departments that would create value in new ways.
For instance, smart parking is a great example of what could be achieved when data is shared across multiple city departments and applications. Today, searching for parking accounts for approximately 30 per cent of traffic on certain city streets. A smart parking solution, when viewed in isolation, can improve quality of life by reducing congestion. But if the department of health also deploys air quality sensors in these areas, they can see the impact of these investments on local air quality, which increases the return on investment by improving public health and accelerating progress towards sustainability goals. If departments continue to work in isolation, however, they will not get the insights and understanding of how these benefits accrue.”
