Smart cities have been established to optimise city functions and promote economic growth, whilst also improving the quality of life for the growing population. Local authorities have deployed vast IoT networks and other smart technologies across cityscapes to track real-time information and improve day-to-day public services.
However, the rise in natural disasters, such as the recent wildfires and storms, calls for a far more resilient infrastructure, one that can provide early warning signs and enable more emergency response teams and authorities to be more proactive when monitoring for such events.
Climate change and infrastructure
One of the biggest challenges cities will face is the risk climate change and subsequent natural disasters pose to infrastructure. According to research by the Climate Change Committee, during storm Arwen in 2021, around 40,000 people in the UK went without power for more than three days and nearly 4,000 were cut off for more than seven days. This highlights the disruption that extreme weather events can cause.
Further research from Leonard, suggests one billion people will be living in low-lying cities and settlements by the sea in 2050. When hurricane Ian struck the coast of Florida, many of the barrier islands had their bridges damaged, which limited evacuation efforts. This situation also prevents first aid responders from reaching the survivors. Coastal cities are having to increase budget spending on barriers to protect homes, businesses, and city streets. Utilities companies such as power and phone suppliers, as well as water suppliers, are also significantly impacted.
Coastal cities are also reevaluating where construction is allowed, in some cases preventing people from rebuilding their homes and businesses lost in the storms. The super storm Sandy, that reached New York city, caused utilities to reconsider where systems and backup systems are installed in facilities. Locations including low basement levels are no longer viable places for these systems.
Tools such as light detection and ranging (lidar), radars and satellites are being used to combat this risk. Satellites have become an essential tool for earth observation and the early identification of risks related to storms and hurricanes, as well as their impact on infrastructure. Lidar is a remote sensing method using light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges, which can be used in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs), helicopters, or ground vehicles for low level assessment of infrastructure before and after natural events.
Tools to plan more resilient infrastructure
Tools such as light detection and ranging (lidar), radars and satellites are being used to combat this risk. Satellites have become an essential tool for earth observation and the early identification of risks related to storms and hurricanes, as well as their impact on infrastructure. Lidar is a remote sensing method using light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges, which can be used in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs), helicopters, or ground vehicles for low level assessment of infrastructure before and after natural events.
Satellites provide a larger picture compared to a UAV or ground system, which can be used to assess where best to build infrastructure such as roads and bridges. Earth remote sensing satellites are used to monitor the planet, with the data assessing the consequences of natural disasters and conflicts. Satellite networks can also be utilised to improve communications and control; artificial intelligence will likely improve its ability to identify possible conflicts and provide warnings to operators.
Population and disaster management
According to research conducted by the Government Office for Science, by 2030, 28 per cent of people around the world will live in a city with at least one million inhabitants. Globally, the number of megacities – areas with more than 10 million inhabitants – is projected to rise from 33 in 2018 to 43 in 2030. City planners may need to consider adding geo-fencing, to limit access areas for drones, including no operations over schools or parks, to preserve the safety of the general population.
Geo-fencing is a virtual perimeter for a real-world geographic area which requires GPS (global positioning system), wifi or cellular data to operate. Virtual boundaries may be administered around a geographical location which could be the size of a small building or an entire city where city planners can track who has entered or left the specified region.
While the use of satellite imagery for monitoring wildfires is common, alternative imaging platforms such as drones are increasingly being used to monitor natural disasters. A satellite may be able to provide large scale information on a wildfire, while a UAV can be used as a tool to determine a fire’s progress at a local level. Firefighters can use a drone to assess the impact of aerial drops of water and fire retardants to gather information on where to best allocate resources.
Different forms of sensor technology, including radio frequency detection and optical technology, could be used to identify safe zones as well as weather reports and traffic advisories for operators. Integrating drones into a city infrastructure will require planning and implementation of communication, control, command, and detection systems to support operations.
The challenges at hand
One of the challenges for smart cities will be introducing and integrating autonomous vehicles into the traffic patterns. As UAVs are used for delivery and inspection of infrastructure and monitoring traffic, this creates difficulties for cities managing the air routes above the streets. Cities will need to coordinate with agencies to manage the traffic which will require the use of defined flight patterns, satellite monitoring and ground control for communications. In addition to this, the weather will impact the way traffic is managed.
Despite the growing unpredictability of climate events and the potentially devastating impact this may have on city infrastructures in the future, with the perpetual advancement of smart technologies, what lies ahead for smart cities is looking positive.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Paul Kostek
Quelle/Source: Smart Cities World, 03.05.2023
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