Quality of life will soon be improving for many people who live, work, and travel in cities. New “Smarter Cities” are being developed as Computer Scientists have begun to create a system that will allow them to integrate sensors throughout major cities. S.M.A.R.T. stands for search engine for multimedia environment-generated content, this will create a system environment in which web users can search and analyze data from sensors around cities.. This network of sensors will be linked to a variety of social media software and allow for a more interactive experience for all social media users.
SMART is an acronym for Search Engine for Multimedia Environment Generated Content.
Sensors such as microphones and cameras will be attached to major structural landmarks in cities, along with pedestrian travel landmarks such as streetlights and lamp posts. The scientists are also hoping to go as far as to monitor air and water quality for environmental health concerns. Information will be collected in real-time and transmitted through social networks so that people can interact through both their computers and smart-phones to make a fully interactive experience as they travel to their city of choice.
By creating a network of communicating sensors inside these Smart Cities, people using programs such as Twitter and Facebook will be able to find out both automobile and foot traffic, along with the locations of local events such as concerts and festivals. Users will also be able to keep up with the activities of their friends, such as what stores they are visiting or what bars they are hopping to.
A variety of colleges and research institutions have been collaborating on this SMART technology in order to reach a point where the system can be tested in a real city. The research and testing is being headed by large organizations such as the University of Glascow in Scotland, IBM’s Haifa Research Lab, Atos, Athens Information Technology, The Imperial College of London, City of Santander, and PRISA Digital, along with many others.
Intel recently set up a laboratory in London to test the SMART technology on a larger scale. They partnered with the Imperial College and University College of London in order to conduct this trial run for the system. London is seen to be a perfect test site because of its size (5th largest city in the world), along with the fact that is a very culturally diverse city. The first test will be conducted at the London Summer Olympics.
There is some concern about the idea of “Big Brother” or the governmental control seen in books such as Orwell’s classic book “1984.” People have voiced opinions that they are not overly fond of being monitored as if they are in a laboratory. However, scientists working on the project feel that this system will be a valuable if not vital part of cities in the very near future. They feel that this technology will not only help the cities run smoothly as the population increases, but will also allow them collect data to help protect the environment and the health of the citizens.