It is time to have smart surrounding because we have been using smart phones, smart tv, smart home appliances and smart buildings etc. Eventually, a smart supporting system should build in such a way to support all these smart usage. To me, writing what to build in smart cities is required because functional requirements are imperative to leverage the technology. So, what is build is setting up the direction for how to build. Eventually, how to build is the goal to achieve.

Security

Security is the first parameter to consider to protect the city from crime and anti social elements. The city has to be divided into sectors. Each sector should have an individual smart monitoring system. Uneven sounds from the sector except from homes must get sensed to make immediate actions. What are those sounds? Shooting a gun, high frequency human haunting sounds, any uneven high frequency sounds should be sensed to respond and make required action as soon as possible.

Water

Water is the another important thing to consider. It should be divided into three parts 1. Identifying sources of water 2. purifying water 3. Distribution of water.

Identifying sources of water: The system should be built in such as way to sense/identify the sources of water, map the source with usage of the city to indicates whether the city needs more water from outside or the water is sufficient or excess water, which can be supplied to other cities, and continues monitoring of these sources.

Distribution of water: Smart water system should built in such a way to identify leakages, health and hygiene of the water pipes. I would suggest distributing water with cleaning liquid to clean the pipes inside for every one week.

Clean and green

Clean and green environment is another important parameter to fix in the smart city. The best way to ensure cleanliness is to make the store/shop/community owners accountable for the garbage in front of them. I would suggest to covert the garbage collection vehicles as garbage collection and sensing vehicles. It will sense the levels of garbage with itemized list (Weight is enough) and ticket for the store/community/shop if the levels are high. The sensing vehicle should be very clean with steel body and a covered top.

A part from that every residential or a commercial community should have a garbage room with a big steel box which can burn the garbage. Community’s garbage must go into the garbage box.

I think maintaining green is easy, once in a day the water should pour or sprinkle from the water pipe to the plantation, the process has to be automated with IOT devices. The same drinking water pipes can be leveraged to wet the plants with sensors in a determined intervals.

Roads and traffic

Vehicles should be counted half kilometer range from the signal point so the next signals can be programmed based on the traffic. For instance, if the traffic in last signals is high, next upcoming signal should have lesser wait time when the direction of the route is same. The traffic sensors should be connected to radio signals so that FM radio can update the traffic news.

1. Plant random sensors at speed limit boards/milestones to sense the accidents and speed of the vehicle.
2. Sense the horn frequency within the city limits to understand the traffic insane.
3. Ambulance alarm should be sensed and pass the information to the destination hospital.

Street lights

Street lights should be automatically on and off based on day light and darkness of the light.

Another good read

5 Potential advantages for Smart city with IoT