The word ‘smart’ has now gained prominence from what it had been a few years ago. Any item that is multi-functional and found to be capable of using the resources more productively goes with this epithet. Smart phones and smart televisions are two familiar examples. Accordingly, a smart city is expected to coordinate the multiple functions of an urban enclave, while making use of its resources productively.
A city is a ‘living organism’ which normally grows and expands functionally, geographically as well as demographically. However, when they become functionally complex with a resultant overgrowth in extent, functions and population, an ingenious method of coordination has been brought in applying smarter methods to manage the key components. The current literature on the management of urban areas reflects that there is no universally accepted definition of a smart city. It means different things to different people. The conceptualization of smart cities, therefore, differs from city to city and from country to country, depending on the (i) level of development, (ii) willingness to change and reform, (iii) resource-availability and limitations, as well as (iv) the aspirations of the city dwellers.
Jakarta Smart City – Model to Emulate
The writer considers that the Jakarta Smart City (JSC) established in 2014, is a model that one may study as the original Jakarta City had been inherently plagued with the common ills many an eastern city has been suffering from. The JSC is practically information-based and it works on the premise that it is an urban area that uses different types of electronic data collection sensors to supply information which is used to manage assets and resources of the city efficiently. This includes data collected from citizens, devices and assets that are processed and analyzed to monitor and manage traffic and transportation systems, environmental pollution, power plants, street lighting, water supply networks, waste management, law enforcement, information systems, schools, libraries, hospitals and other community services and amenities.
People visiting the JSC is a daily feature as their involvement determines the success of the project.
This concept integrates information and communication technology, and various physical devices connected to the network (the Internet of Things or IoT) to optimize the efficiency of city operations and services. Further, this technology allows city administrators and officials to interact directly with both community and city infrastructure and to continuously monitor what is happening, and provide instant solutions, wherever possible.
Six Fundamentals on which Jakarta Smart City operates
The central mission of the JSC under the Jakarta Provincial Government is to realize this smart city vision, based on excessively data driven, transparent and collaborative use of technology to ensure better public services for residents in the Indonesian capital. The total JSC concept encapsulates the six fundamentals on which the city operates. Further, this initiative is based on six indicators, namely, (i) Smart Governance, (ii) Smart People, (iii) Smart Living, (iv) Smart Mobility,(v) Smart Economy, and (vi) Smart Environment, with maximum involvement of the community. In fact, the JSC is a people- centered project.
Continuous awareness programmes for city dwellers
JSC works on a policy of reciprocity. The citizens are expected to involve in the affairs of the JSC, provide the necessary information if they are to reap the benefits. Thus city dwellers and smart city operation are interdependent and interwoven. The city dwellers are, therefore. educated, guided and encouraged to participate freely to offer suggestions as well as to bring in any complaints that will result in the city’s continuous improvement. In fact, programme are being conducted on public holidays for different groups of the community as well as for school children. These also include special programmes on fire-fighting and emergency evacuation processes.
Jakarta Smart City Office: Citizens’ single point of contact
Hence, the JSC rests basically on the two pillars of (i) IoT (Internet of Things) and (ii) maximum participation of its people. Citizens can use a platform referred to as BERiDE, interactive mobile app, designed for them to convey their ideas to the authorities for smart city development. They are also provided with a complaint handling application (Qlue) which aims to synergize government and citizens, and turn complaints into actionable insights.
JSC has leveraged on the vast technical expertise of global technology giant (IBM), to design a big data-hub which would integrate information from citizen feedback, social networks and government services like healthcare, transport and water distribution. The data provided will then be analysed using the latest analytical, predictive modeling and analysis tools in order to produce more efficient policies to facilitate smart city development.
Major components
The JSC connects different resources of the city with each other utilizing the advanced Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Internet of Things (IoT). The major components covered are:
Smart Energy–It provides deep insights about overall power consumption by buildings, commercials and residential, and helps design and execute strategies to cut down power consumption. Integration of Technology with Energy helps the JSC optimizing power production, improving grid management, and providing effective distribution of energy production.
Smart Transportation – The JSC monitors traffic on congested areas to divert traffic as well as to help people avoid traffic jams. This facility also helps easy movement of goods, and travel management for people. The ultimate outcome is reducing pollution and accidents, and promoting a healthier life.
Smart Data–The JSC collects the massive data related to various amenities used by the population. It allows to analyze the data quickly, and has useful customer insights. Installing the data on a portal and publishing it at an online platform helps predictive analysis to define future patterns.
Device Connectivity - Sensors embedded into IoT devices collect the useful data that can be analyzed to gain relevant insights. With the support of IoT, complex city systems can exchange and manage the information quickly in real-time.
Central Colombo with Beira Lake, with the World Trade Centre Twin Towers in the distance
Smart Mobility - In order to build a smart city, seamless movement of data amongst numerous administrative and municipal systems is highly encouraged and boosted, subject to the proviso that agencies are alert on the privacy issues relating to data.
Smart Infrastructure - Smart infrastructure offers big data analytics that helps in better planning and proactive maintenance for future.
Smart Parking - Smart parking enables the city to earn a higher profit by utilizing the same parking space frequently. The spaces can be utilized up to their fullest capacity.
Smart Waste Management - Implementation of smart waste management solution enables the city to reduce costs by installing sensors inside the bins. It helps in monitoring the level of trash in each bin, and emptying them when they are full.
Smart Lighting - Intelligent lighting control can contain dimming lights on streets without traffic and pedestrians. Smart lighting systems are equipped with central management software that tracks usage and leads to maintenance efficiency.
Smart Elimination of Environmental Pollution –JSC is very much concerned about the different kinds of environmental pollution that affect the health of the people. The different kinds of pollutions, inter alia, the JSC is concerned with are: (i) Air Pollution (ii) Land Pollution (iii) Light Pollution (iv) Noise Pollution (v) Thermal Pollution (vi) Visual Pollution, and (vii) Water Pollution.
Colombo’s Future and the Colombo Port City
The prominence given to the Colombo Port City (CPC) in the country’s development strategy and the gradual upcoming of the basic infrastructures therein have earned numerous epithets to the project. It has already been referred to as a world-class city in South Asia, that will surpass such cities as Hong Kong and Dubai in its functional ability. The main intention of providing this preamble is to emphasize the fact that the present city of Colombo will also gain prominence much beyond its current status as it will invariably be the ‘heartland’ for the new CPC. It is envisaged that Colombo will need to accommodate more and more functions, and the necessary backup population to feed and service the ever increasing demands of the CPC. Colombo will also gain focal attraction to induce a daily migrant population. Based on the statistics of 2018, the metropolitan Colombo already has a population of more than 5.6 million residents.
Further justification for Making Colombo a Smart-Conscious City
A further justification for prioritizing to make Colombo a smart-conscious city is the unplanned development that has taken place thus far, making the city both environmentally unfriendly and unhealthy. While a planned city corresponds roughly to a top-down approach, an unplanned city often displays a bottom-up approach. In this category development is mostly based on spontaneous and instant urgencies, and decision-making being more often on personal inclinations.
Such cities ultimately become unhealthy and unhygienic for settlement. It is, therefore, high time that Colombo is rid of such short-sighted approaches.
Colombo Port City (CPC) on completion
The general consensus among city planners worldwide is that the basic criterion for determining a smart city is having a population of over 10 million. Jakarta’s population is around this cutoff point. However, it does not mean that Colombo with a population of nearly 6 million people doesn’t justify developing it to a smart city.
Nexus between Colombo and the Port City
It is said that cities are different and so are solutions. It is envisaged that the Colombo Port City once in full gear would change the profile of the current Colombo – city drastically. With enhanced urbanization and the expanding migrant population to provide the much needed human resource base for the CPC, the Colombo city demands a complete overhaul especially in the areas of transport and facilities cum amenities. It would, therefore, seems prudent to prioritize re-engineering the city-management process, as repercussions from delayed actions will be highly repercussive. Transforming a population to adjust to the smart-city requirements, as well as training and developing the city-dwellers to become responsible ‘live-sensors’ that provide vital information is an arduous task. This transformation includes alerting citizens and government officials to a new culture of interactivity with the city-centre.
Smart Cities Need Smart Governments
It goes without saying that operating smart cities becomes a myth unless they are backed by smart governments. Establishing a smart city is a meticulously planned out operation backed by a continuous process of information updating, monitoring and analyzing as well as utilizing the statistical end-products for adoption and execution. In fact, it is a highly skilled operation that demands men of the highest caliber in the specialties around which the total operation is revolved. Decisions depend on long-term strategizing as every decision is critical to the ultimate productivity of the composite machinery. In this backdrop it is paramount that the operation of a smart city should be strictly and purely apolitical.
Will they, won’t they? Which cities in India get to be the first in line?
The list of 20 smart cities out of the >98 shortlisted for the Smart Cities Mission is >was released on January 29. These 20 cities will be the first to receive funds, thus kickstarting the process of developing them into smart cities.
The list of 20 smart cities out of the >98 shortlisted for the Smart Cities Mission is >was released on January 29. These 20 cities will be the first to receive funds, thus kickstarting the process of developing them into smart cities.
Union Minister for Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu had earlier said that the Ministry had no role in the selection of the cities and an expert committee set up by the Ministry had looked into it.
The next two years will see the inclusion of 40 and 38 cities, respectively.
Of the 98 cities and towns that five years down will graduate into smart cities, 24 are capital cities, another 24 are business and industrial centres, 18 are culture and tourism influenced areas, five are port cities and three are education and health care hubs.
But what are smart cities, exactly?
A ‘smart city’ is an urban region that is highly advanced in terms of overall infrastructure, sustainable real estate, communications and market viability. It is a city where information technology is the principal infrastructure and the basis for providing essential services to residents. There are many technological platforms involved, including but not limited to automated sensor networks and data centres.
According to the documents released on the Smart Cities website, the core infrastructure in a smart city would include:
The list of 20 smart cities out of the >98 shortlisted for the Smart Cities Mission is >was released on January 29. These 20 cities will be the first to receive funds, thus kickstarting the process of developing them into smart cities.
Union Minister for Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu had earlier said that the Ministry had no role in the selection of the cities and an expert committee set up by the Ministry had looked into it.
The next two years will see the inclusion of 40 and 38 cities, respectively.
Of the 98 cities and towns that five years down will graduate into smart cities, 24 are capital cities, another 24 are business and industrial centres, 18 are culture and tourism influenced areas, five are port cities and three are education and health care hubs.
But what are smart cities, exactly?
A ‘smart city’ is an urban region that is highly advanced in terms of overall infrastructure, sustainable real estate, communications and market viability. It is a city where information technology is the principal infrastructure and the basis for providing essential services to residents. There are many technological platforms involved, including but not limited to automated sensor networks and data centres.
According to the documents released on the Smart Cities website, the core infrastructure in a smart city would include:
