Introducing examples of smart cities from around the world.

Introducing examples of smart cities from around the world.

In overseas countries, smart cities are becoming more and more popular. What kind of efforts are being made overseas? I would like to introduce an article that was helpful to Softbank.

10 smart city overseas cases [latest version in 2020]
Technology Smart City DX (Digital Transformation)

(Posted on March 27, 2020)

In recent years, "smart cities" have been attracting attention, and cities around the world are moving toward realization. With the rapid urbanization, it is urgent to improve the efficiency of energy use in urban areas, and smart cities are expected as a solution. This article introduces 10 cases that are being promoted overseas.

What is a smart city?
Definition of smart city
What is a smart city? "Using various types of data acquired through IoT, etc., to efficiently utilize the assets and resources of a city, and for the citizens living there to receive better services (including administrative services). Can be defined as "a city that can do". Cities where the following efforts are being made are called smart cities.

Government agencies, public institutions and companies collect data through IoT, etc.
AI and specialized agencies analyze the data
The data can be used when providing services to governments, public institutions, and companies so that citizens can have a more comfortable life.

American smart city case
New York

New York is a smart city advanced region that was commended as the best smart city at the "Smart City Expo World Congress" in 2016.
In New York, we will introduce "NYC Open Data," an open data project aimed at utilizing data by citizens, "LinkNYC," which installs information terminal equipment in cities, and "Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project," which is a large-scale development project.

NYC Open Data
In New York, the Local Law 11 of 2012 has been enacted to encourage the use of data by citizens, and the publicly available "NYC Open Data" provides over 1,600 datasets. The movement of data utilization extends to the government, and in order to promote the disclosure and utilization of data across the organization, the data analysis room (MODA: Mayor's) consisting of CAO (Chief Analytics Officer) and several data analysts at the city hall Office of Data Analytics) is installed.

LinkNYC
"Link NYC" is a project to turn existing payphones into Wi-Fi hotspots. It will replace the aging and less-used public telephones with information terminals called Links, and at the same time make it a hotspot that provides free Wi-Fi.
Link is a tower type with a height of about 3 meters, and in addition to being able to use Wi-Fi, you can check local information and transportation through a large touch screen, charge a mobile phone, make free domestic calls, etc. The function of is installed. No public funds are used because Link's operating costs are covered by the advertising revenue shown on the display.
Currently, about 1,200 units are installed in the city, and it is planned to expand to about 10,000 locations. In the future, it is expected that the data of various sensors, cameras, users, etc. mounted on Link will be analyzed and used to solve local problems.

Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project
The Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project, which has been a major development since the Rockefeller Center, will also introduce smart city features. In this project, each building and facility will be connected by a network, and it will be possible to collect data from sensors installed in various places and analyze regional trends in real time. The analysis of this data is expected to realize the following functions.

Improving traffic congestion and transportation services by predicting pedestrian flow
Monitoring indoor and outdoor atmospheric conditions
Monitor the health status and behavioral level of local residents through a mobile app
Evaluation of proper recycling of garbage
Monitoring of combined heat and power system (cogeneration) and microgrid usage
Columbus

Columbus, Ohio won the "Smart City Challenge" contest to select cities with the most advanced mobility initiatives in the United States, and with the funds, started the 2017 "Smart Columbus" project. "Smart Columbus" is expected to be deployed horizontally in various cities in the United States as a model case for smart cities in small and medium-sized cities, and we are aiming to introduce the following four systems.

CCTN (Columbus Connected Transportation Network): A network in which each means of transportation, various services, and users are linked and connected by data.
IDE (Integrated Data Exchange): An open platform for integrating various data to solve various problems
EHS (Enhance Human Services): A service that allows all residents and travelers, including the elderly, the poor, and people with disabilities, to easily travel using various means of transportation.
EV Infrastructure (Electric Vehicle Infrastructure): Enhancement of public and private charging infrastructure and expansion of sharing services for the spread of EV
Real-time data of "Smart Columbus" is collected on a web-based platform called "Smart Columbus Operating System", and the open data is widely used from each project to food-related and medical-related.

Chicago

In Chicago, the first initiative in the United States, the smart city project "Array of Things (AoT)" utilizing IoT is underway.
Launched in Chicago in 2015, the Array of Things, in collaboration with scientists, universities, local governments and citizens, collects real-time data on urban environment, infrastructure and urban activity for research and public use. This is an attempt to utilize networked sensors.
In this project, sensor devices incorporating programmable sensors will be installed in the city to collect real-time data on the urban environment such as weather, atmosphere and noise. There are the following types of sensors installed in the city.

Environment sensor group (temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, vibration, sound pressure, magnetism)
Atmospheric sensor group (nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide)
Light / infrared sensor group (light intensity, infrared, camera)
The data released in real time by "Array of Things" is expected to be useful for solving various problems such as air pollution, heat island phenomenon, noise, and traffic congestion.

San Francisco

In San Francisco, California, data visualization and openness are being promoted as an attempt to connect urban data to smart cities. The city provides an open data service called "DataSF" that provides administrative information data free of charge for the purpose of improving public services.
"DataSF" has 471 datasets released (as of March 2020), and the fields of datasets are city administration management, geographic information, transportation, infrastructure, housing, culture, economy, energy and environment, It covers all fields, from security, health and society.
By transmitting open data from the portal site, analysis and research, performance visualization, activity evaluation, development of Web or smartphone applications will progress, and a data-driven ecosystem will develop. It is expected that the open data transmission of "DataSF" will create a virtuous cycle of improving the quality of life of citizens, improving the efficiency of service provision, making correct decisions, and creating new businesses.
As examples of analysis of publicly available administrative open data, examples of the city's administrative activities such as infant nutrition programs, cultural property protection, and land price evaluation are introduced. In addition, applications that utilize open data include 3D maps of buildings in the city, housing policies and data, and land information.

[2] Canada's smart city case
Toronto

In Toronto, Canada, a project named "Sidewalk Toronto" is underway.
Toronto is the fourth largest city in North America, with an urban population of 2.9 million expected to grow by 32%, a metro area of ​​6.7 million people expected to grow by 42%, and 51% of the population abroad over the next 25 years. Born in Toronto and using 140 languages, it is said to be the most diverse city in the world.
"Sidewalk Toronto" collects various data such as behavior data of residents, and aims to create a better life for residents and the environment based on those data.
Sidewalk Labs, which is owned by Google's holding company Alphabet, is participating in the project, and it aims to create a city that utilizes big data by grasping the movements of people and things in every place with sensors, but collected it. There is a debate over data utilization and privacy issues.

[3] Case of smart city in England
Manchester

Manchester, England is strongly promoting smart cities, with the goal of being among the top 20 smart cities in the world by 2025.
In the area (243 hectares) where world-class research institutes, universities, medical institutions, etc. are concentrated, named Manchester Corridor, "Medical / Health", "Transportation / Transportation", "Transportation / Transportation", "City Verve" project from 2015 to 2017 Demonstration experiments were conducted specializing in the four areas of "energy / environment" and "culture / community".

Medical / health

Improve the health of patients with respiratory illness with a biometric sensor network
Exercise is recommended by grasping and recording the status of exercise and activities by individuals and groups and providing them to users (community wellness).
Transportation / Transportation

Installation of "Talkative bus stops" that tells the driver that the passenger is waiting by combining sensors, electronic signboards, apps, etc.
The main road of Manchester Corridor is converted to a bicycle / bus exclusive road. Promote inexpensive bicycle sharing by attaching IoT wireless tags to bicycles
Energy / environment

Install IoT tags on street lights and various equipment on the road to grasp the air quality at different places and altitudes (air quality monitoring)
Introducing smart street lights as a complementary service to conventional street lights
Culture / community

Set up Wi-Fi hotspots with access to information on public and commercial services and cultural events
Bristol

In the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom, a joint venture established by the city and a university is the main body, and efforts are being made regarding open data and its utilization while involving private companies.
"Bristol is Open" aims to promote the business of each cooperating organization by building a network environment in the city and opening various collected information.
A sensor is attached to the smartphone or GPS device of the desired participant, a test bed (test platform in the actual environment) is prepared to collect all information (energy, air quality, traffic information, etc.) in urban life, and the collected data is , Transportation area such as congestion mitigation, waste management, air pollution control, entertainment, energy supply and management, etc.

[4] Danish smart city case
Copenhagen
"10 selections of overseas smart cities, Copenhagen, Denmark"

Copenhagen, Denmark, has received international acclaim, including receiving the "World Smart City Awards" (2014) for its smart city initiatives.
Denmark, an IT nation, has set a high goal of realizing a "defossil fuel society" by 2050, and Copenhagen has set a core goal of its smart city strategy to achieve "carbon neutrality" by 2025. The vision is to become the world's first capital to do so (2025 Copenhagen Climate Change Adaptation Plan).
Under these circumstances, we are working on the following projects, including smart cities, with four priority areas: energy consumption, energy production, mobility, and efficiency improvement in city authorities.

Copenhagen Connecting
"Copenhagen Connecting" is a project to analyze and utilize data collected through sensors and Wi-Fi in the city, and to develop various technologies and solutions related to smart cities.
Improve the efficiency of the entire city while focusing on areas such as "health," "mobility," "energy and climate," "citizens," and "education" by utilizing data, improving infrastructure, and collaborating with various regional organizations. Is the purpose.

CITS (Copenhagen Intelligent Traffic Solutions)
"CITS" (Copenhagen Intelligent Transportation Solution) is a project aimed at improving traffic congestion, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and improving the safety of citizens.
By analyzing the data collected from various sensors, it is possible to predict and improve traffic congestion, utilize it for traffic regulation, reduce exhaust gas, and ensure the safety of citizens.
Even city officials with little IT knowledge can easily predict traffic from the dashboard.

DOLL Living Lab
"DOLL Living Lab" uses a corner of an office or residential area as a demonstration experiment site, lays out an information network on a mesh, installs the latest lighting solutions of domestic lighting-related companies, and measures the local temperature and pollutant distribution. Equipped with a sensor to measure information such as road temperature and air pollutant concentration. Through this network, we will work on the development of cutting-edge lighting solutions that function wisely indoors and outdoors.
In addition, LiFi (Light Fidelity), a high-speed wireless communication technology that uses LEDs, has been introduced, and its use as a foundation for smart cities is also being considered.

[5] A case study of a smart city in the Netherlands
Amsterdam
"10 selections of overseas smart cities, Amsterdam, the Netherlands"

Amsterdam, the Netherlands, has set a goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 40% from 1990 levels by 2025, in collaboration with local residents, central and local governments, companies, education and research institutes. In addition, the Amsterdam Smart City Program (ASC) was launched in 2009, focusing on areas of sustainable living, sustainable mobility, sustainable public spaces and sustainable workplaces.
The Amsterdam Smart City Program combines smart grids with all the latest technologies to enable the efficient use of the capital's information, capital and urban infrastructure to create a sustainable, quality ecological life and new life. Aiming to achieve high economic growth at the same time. In addition to the environment and energy business, the aim is to expand the area of ​​smart cities to public services, health care, agriculture, etc., and at the same time, to solve social issues by utilizing big data. The Amsterdam Smart City Program has developed a number of projects utilizing technologies such as smart grids on the five themes of life, work, mobility, public facilities, and open data, with a focus on reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. There is.

Smarter living energy: Install smart meters in ordinary households to visualize energy consumption. In addition, we will reduce power consumption throughout the district by holding energy-saving seminars and soliciting ideas for residents.
Satellite offices for residents: A satellite office that can be used by local residents is set up near residential areas with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions due to traffic congestion.
Smart parking: A shared parking system that allows you to obtain parking lot availability information on your smartphone and make advance reservations.
Smarter commercial areas: Install smart meters and displays in the facility to visualize energy usage. Highly efficient lighting such as LED is also installed
Data mapping: Various information such as energy consumption in each region and the status of urban infrastructure is published on an open data map. The current situation and issues are visualized through the map, and it is also used for policy making.
[6] A case study of a smart city in Estonia
"10 selections of overseas smart cities in Estonia"

Estonia is known for its advanced efforts in the IT field, and a typical example is "e-government." This uses IT to streamline and improve the services provided by the government and the functions of the government itself, and has the advantage that everything can be completed online. For example, the world's first electronic voting was held in the national election, and the mechanism called "e-residency (virtual inhabitants)" can be mentioned.
In addition, one of the elements that make up such an e-government is the national ID. The system, which started in 2002, issues national IDs in the form of "eID cards" to citizens and migrants to Estonia. Currently, 98% of Estonians own this eID card. ing. In addition to functioning as a passport and national health insurance card, the eID card is used for identity verification of electronic voting and all possible administrative procedures online.

National ID card / database linkage (X-Road) / e-Residency

All personal information of Estonian citizens is linked to ID and can be accessed from the portal site. You can also refer to medical service information, etc.
Establish a network (X-Road) that can securely link data held by government ministries and private companies
Introduced e-Residency (virtual residents) to promote the attraction of companies from foreign countries. Foreigners can also use the e-government system from abroad
e-Business Register

As a result of being able to register a corporation online with the "e-Business Register", the fastest registration in the world is possible (at least a dozen minutes).
Information on companies and NPOs is collected and disclosed, and it is used for business investigations and has the effect of deterring crime.
mobile parking

"Mobile parking" allows online payment and availability search, and has a system in place to alleviate congestion by changing the charge in advance if congestion is expected.
[7] Singapore's smart city case
"10 smart city overseas cases Singapore"

In Singapore, ICT technology is being actively introduced with the aim of realizing a "Smart Nation", and for this purpose, the "Smart Nation Program Office" was newly established in the Prime Minister's Office. The three priority themes are "establishment of national sensor network (SNSP)", "promotion of digital payment", and "construction of national digital identification (NDI) system".

Installation of national sensor network

Aiming for convenient and safe public services by installing a large number of surveillance cameras and sensors and collecting various data such as traffic of people and cars, weather and urban infrastructure conditions
Information is disclosed on portal sites, etc. so that the information collected from sensors can be widely used by the public.
Spread of digital payment

In July 2017, we launched "PayNow," a mobile remittance service that allows you to transfer money between bank accounts using only your mobile phone number or ID number. This service, developed by the Bank of Singapore Association, is affiliated with seven local and foreign banks, and remittances to other banks can be made immediately free of charge. PayNow has registered 500,000 people in the five weeks since the service started.
It also supports remittance services using QR codes, and can be used by permanent residents and foreigners residing in Japan.
Construction of National Digital Identification System (NDI System)

New establishment of identification number service for corporations, etc.
[8] China's smart city case
Hangzhou
"10 selections of overseas smart city cases in Hangzhou, China"

In China, Alibaba is in charge of smart cities. The company's "ET Brain" is an abbreviation for Evolutionary Technology Brain, which is a comprehensive AI (artificial intelligence) platform for solving social and business challenges such as urban problems, environmental problems, and social disparity problems with advanced technology. .. Hangzhou's "ET City Brain Project" is being carried out using that platform.
The images from the road live camera were analyzed in real time by AI, and various responses according to the situation were automated to achieve the following effects.

500 traffic violations and accidents are sent to the police via the AI ​​of this system on many days.
(Source: Report on site visits to each country related to the "SuperCity" concept)
By automatically switching traffic lights according to traffic conditions, the arrival time of ambulances is halved, and the running speed of automobiles is increased by 15% in some areas.
(Source: Alibaba Cloud)
Congestion factors are analyzed based on accumulated data, and new traffic lights and right / left turn lanes are installed to reduce transit time by 15% in some sections.
(Source: Report on site visits to each country related to the "SuperCity" concept)
[9] United Arab Emirates smart city case
Dubai
"10 selections of overseas smart cities, United Arab Emirates, Dubai"

In 2014, the UAE (United Arab Emirates) Dubai government announced "Smart Dubai 2021", which shows a roadmap to 2021 to make Dubai, the second central city of UAE, a smart city. In order to become the "smart city in the world", Dubai is rapidly promoting the revitalization of the city by developing the entire city with ICT infrastructure and "smart city" where all information can be used on the Internet regardless of public or private. ..

Promotion of e-government

Administrative services can be used 24 hours a day, 365 days a year from mobile terminals such as smartphones, even on holidays and at night
"EPayment", "eSuggest", "eComplain", "AskDubai", "mPay", etc. have already been introduced, and the goal is to make public services completely paperless by 2021.
Introduction of blockchain

You can pay for goods, various prices, school fees, etc. with virtual currency
Utilization of advanced technology

The Dubai Police have a plan to introduce 100 of them by 2020.
The Dubai Police has also introduced the robot police "Robocop" from June 2017, and by 2030, among the work of the Dubai Police, the police routine work such as patrol and route guidance will be replaced with robots and automatic driving police cars. It plans to automate 25% of police operations.

[10] Examples of initiatives for smart cities by giant IT companies
Google
Google is promoting the commercialization of smart cities in the United States. Through its subsidiary Sidewalk Labo, Google is in Toronto, Canada, and has begun to create a city that pursues efficiency and comfort by grasping the movements of everywhere, people, and things with sensors.
The new city in Toronto is named "IDEA", an acronym for "Innovative Development and Economic Acceleration." Underpinning the company's plans is the basic philosophy of collecting all kinds of data. Sensors are installed in the city, and all the actions of the residents are recorded. It even tracks which bench you sat in the park and how long it took to cross the road.
However, this data collection is also the biggest problem in development planning. The company claims that data is indispensable for solving problems such as traffic congestion, air pollution, and noise, and creating a comfortable urban space, but how can private companies collect this amount of data? There are voices of concern from home and abroad about whether to manage it.

Alibaba
"New Retail" is a new concept of retail announced by Alibaba in 2016. New Retail uses technology and data to deliver a better customer experience and at the same time solve the business challenges of retailers through a retail business that combines offline and online. It can be said that the focus is on consumer experience, restructuring the business model between "customers," "products," and "stores" and leading the business to growth.
The new retail phenomenon has already become a reality in China, and new supermarkets, unmanned stores, digital convenience stores, etc. have appeared. At Alibaba's new supermarket "Huma", the freshness is checked at the supermarket, and the purchase is made using the app and delivered to home.

Summary
In this article, we introduced examples of smart cities overseas. As urbanization progresses around the world, efforts are underway to solve issues such as energy efficiency, alleviation of traffic congestion, and reduction of CO2 emissions with new technologies.
In addition, many global companies have found new business opportunities for smart cities and are making ambitious efforts. Smart cities are not only a place to solve social issues, but also a great opportunity for the development and practical application of advanced technologies.
Keep an eye on new technologies that will be put into practical use with the development of smart cities.