Revenue in the smart cities market is anticipated to exceed US$89.5-billion in 2023. Almost every government has a smart city project in progress. According to the IMD Smart City Index 2023, the cities leading the pack in Africa are Cairo, Algiers and Cape Town. However, these urban beacons of technology require the right security and connectivity as a foundation to ensure they can stand above the challenges plaguing urban areas, and do so sustainably.
Smart cities are defined by their ability to reshape traditional citizen service delivery with interconnected solutions and technologies, and each city interprets their use of “smart” technology differently. It can be safer, more sustainable and focused on the environment, or designed to provide people with seamless access to services that would previously have been complex to navigate and manage. To achieve all these goals, smart cities need the right tools.
Connectivity and security are obviously the most important considerations. Connectivity is the driver behind the smart home, smart community, smart building and smart industrial complex. It ensures that communication across devices, systems and platforms is feasible – imagine the internet of things (IoT), the interconnected web of devices and sensors, without a reliable connection. This means that any smart city has to first focus on building a smart foundation on a network that can handle the burden.
Smart, in the context of the city, is a fully connected, fully integrated and sustainable intelligent space, capable of processing data from people, devices and systems with ease. Operationally, this relies on network connectivity to pull together the threads across buildings, assets, services and individuals. It is also the key to embedding security throughout any smart environment or city. The network is the nervous system of the smart city, giving it the ability to connect multiple touchpoints and reimagine citizen safety and wellbeing.
How? The answer lies in the data created by the smart solutions and collated by the network. Information on elements such as personnel, vehicles, facilities, incident alerts and task processing is critical in ensuring that government has the data it needs to enhance decision making and manage resources.
Connectivity links systems to provide comprehensive security through video surveillance and rich visibility. Here the smart city can transform citizen safety by implementing cameras throughout the city for surveillance and monitoring purposes so there are no security blind spots, and decision makers have access to real-time information that can protect and save lives.
Real world
Consider how this comprehensive security can translate into the real world. A fire breaks out in a building. The automatic fire alert system uses the data from the smoke and temperature sensors to trigger alarms and send alerts, while nearby cameras are instantly instructed to push out real-time images automatically to the nearest control centre.
Security personnel can confirm the fire alerts and initiate the emergency response procedure. The integrated security management system then ensures all entrances and exits automatically open to the fire-free zones surrounding the building. People affected by the fire are notified by SMS and guided to the closest escape, and the relevant emergency services are dispatched to put out the fire.
Intrusion detection can be managed the same way – an interconnected web of devices provides security personnel with visibility into the threat and gives them the ability to orchestrate the right level of security response. Smart city visibility translates across vehicle retrieval, traffic management, emergency response, energy and environment management, and, of course, cybersecurity.
Creating a smart ecosystem, one must leverage next-generation technology that embeds connectivity, next-generation devices, intelligent platforms and third-party expertise.
BCX, with an extensive range of experts and technologies plus a robust backbone of resilient connectivity, has the tools to ensure that smart cities and smart environments are built to the highest standards.
Providing solutions to create smart infrastructure and capabilities, BCX understands the critical priorities of physical and digital security alongside the necessities of connectivity and technology ingenuity.
- The author, Rebatho Madiba, is managing executive for business development, digital platform solutions, BCX
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