IoT Smart City: How to Choose the Right Platform

Urban living can be greatly improved by the IoT, which is becoming important for cities to continue to grow. More than half of people on the planet live in cities. This percentage is significantly higher in Western Europe, where over 80% of the population resides in cities. Smart city IoT applications help manage resources more effectively, enhance public services, and promote sustainable development. IoT smart city use cases allow it to function more intelligently and responsively in various areas, including trash management, public safety, traffic management, and energy consumption. For cities to successfully apply these solutions and meet the demands of their citizens while also preparing for future difficulties, it is imperative to choose the appropriate IoT platform.

Smart city IoT components

By combining IoT devices, sensors, and networks for data collection and analysis, these solutions help cities optimize a range of urban operations and services. Smart city IoT solutions include the following important features:

Network infrastructure

Putting IoT ideas into practice in smart cities requires a strong network infrastructure. This covers both licensed and unlicensed networks, such as Wi-Fi and LoRaWAN, as well as networks like 4G, 5G, or LTE-M.

IoT hardware

IoT systems gather data and support certain smart city applications using sensors, actuators, and IoT gateways. These gadgets are necessary to link information technology and the real world.

Data management

Scalable databases store IoT data to manage massive data volumes from several applications. By using this data, city processes can be improved, and insightful knowledge gained.

User interface

IoT smart city devices must have user-friendly interfaces, including web and mobile applications, to be accessed and controlled. This makes it possible for city managers to oversee operations in smart cities effectively.

IoT smart city examples

Traffic management

Optimizing traffic flow and minimizing congestion is achieved through the deployment of IoT sensors and smart traffic lights. In smart city settings, IoT Monitor Traffic systems enable traffic lights to autonomously adjust their timing in response to real-time traffic conditions since they are networked to the cloud. Cities can proactively avert traffic congestion thanks to IoT-enabled solutions that use historical data to forecast future traffic patterns.

Smart parking

IoT-based smart parking solutions locate available parking spaces in real-time using GPS data from drivers' phones and sensors installed in parking spots.

Drivers can then access this information through mobile apps, which facilitates their search for available spots and lessens traffic generated by vehicles making roundabout turns in an attempt to find parking.

Waste management

When a garbage container is ready to be emptied, IoT sensors placed inside of it alert waste collection staff. These sensors also monitor fill levels, contributing to smart waste management. By optimizing rubbish collection routes, cutting down on pointless trips, and decreasing emissions from waste collection vehicles, smart waste management helps cities become more environmentally friendly.

Street lights

Smart street lights with IoT capabilities employ sensors to detect movement and change their brightness accordingly, using less energy. Since the street lights are cloud-connected, city administrators can remotely monitor and adjust the lighting, which maximizes energy efficiency even more.

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Important features for choosing an IoT smart city platform

It's critical to choose a smart city platform that conforms with EU rules if you operate in Europe. To support EU Green Deal initiatives, characteristics that ensure robust interoperability for integration into the nine common data spaces must be incorporated.

The following features should be present in your smart city's IoT platform to support environmental sustainability:

Carbon neutrality

Selecting a platform that facilitates environmentally friendly IoT smart city solutions is the quickest route to building a smart city that is carbon neutral. Low-emission zones, smart manufacturing, urban mobility, and smart utilities are all included in this. You may make a meaningful contribution to the European Climate Pact and other environmental projects with an IoT infrastructure that is carbon neutral.

Data availability and delivery

Real-time data is necessary for smart city systems, like smart traffic signals and e-mobility solutions. Selecting a platform that offers processing, storage, and networking with little to no latency is essential. Furthermore, it matters to have faith in your IoT data. The perfect platform should be able to manage processing errors and out-of-order data while guaranteeing 100% accurate information and peak performance.

Scalability and flexibility

A platform for smart cities that can be integrated with the current infrastructure, such as smart grids and lighting systems, to improve sustainability and efficiency. For example, Barcelona has installed a smart lighting system that uses 30% less energy by adjusting brightness based on current conditions.

Security and data protection

A platform that guarantees strong privacy and data security features to protect sensitive data from cyber threats and illegal access. For example, Singapore has developed a smart city platform that protects citizen data with powerful encryption and access controls, guaranteeing the highest degree of security and trust.

KaaIoT and RFS managing urban infrastructure use case

It can be difficult to manage modular smart pole devices effectively, which makes the creation of a reliable and scalable cloud system necessary. Through collaboration with the Kaa IoT platform, RFS was able to execute real-time visualization with customizable IoT dashboards and enable smooth data collecting from Smart Pole devices. The proposed IoT cloud solution easily interfaces with the Smart Pole, collecting data from multiple sensors that are mounted on it to meet various monitoring needs.

By allowing end users to get timely notifications by SMS, email, or instant messaging, Kaa improved the proactiveness of the system. The ability to receive notifications in real-time enabled RFS Smart Pole to swiftly resolve problems and minimize possible hazards, thereby improving the overall dependability and efficiency of the urban telecommunications infrastructure. The system also made sure that organizations in charge of parking, PDUs, environmental sensors, street lighting, and other applications had separate access to the equipment.

Conclusion

In conclusion, integrating IoT technology into smart cities can revolutionize urban living by meeting the expanding demands of the urban population. Prioritizing adherence to local laws, especially EU norms, is essential when choosing the best IoT platform to guarantee smooth integration and support for sustainable objectives. In addition to providing real-time data processing and preserving data integrity, the perfect platform should allow for the effective control of smart utilities, urban mobility, and sustainable manufacturing. 

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