Since the arrival of ‘smart city predictions’, people around the world are hearing incredible stories of what smart cities will look like in future. Of course, things like flying cars and domestic robots is something way ahead, we can now see the real deployment of flying drones, commercial robots and self-driving cars in the near future.
But to talk about 2019, there are some interesting smart city predictions unveiled by tech experts. Along with the predictions, let us also look into what the urbanites expect in 2019. Do the predictions meet the expectations? This will give us a better insight!
IoT Growing Stronger & Connecting People
According to smart city predictions, in 2019 smart cities will move from connected things to connected spaces. The Alphabet company, Sidewalk Labs is already building a smart neighbourhood in Toronto from the bottom up. The innovative neighbourhood will be equipped with smart sensors that will record everything including sewage flow, shared car use, walking routes, building occupancy and more. The aim to create a 24/7 connected neighbourhood is to provide the residents living there a clean, safe, comfortable and convenient place to live. As soon as this initiative is accomplished, it may be used as a smart neighbourhood prototype for other smart cities to emulate.
Until now, smart cities have been creating smart buildings, smart homes, and smart cars. However, these smart infrastructures lack interoperability and lie disconnected from each other. Hence, cities will now work on connecting buildings, homes and cars together, so that consumers can leverage the most out of it.
Besides, as per AT&T, connectivity in entertainment places like stadiums and transportation systems will act as a key differentiator between local citizens and fans. People will be able to spot and pay for the nearest parking lot or even order a meal delivered directly to the seat, just through a tap on smart mobile devices. This will actually become a common affair in 2019 when people attend concerts or a sporting event at a stadium.
In 2018, we have discussed a lot about the vulnerabilities that can lead to hacks and security breaches. But 2019 will witness smart cities working on making the IoT stronger and more secure.
Companies like Cisco, Dell, HPE, and others are developing specific infrastructure for endpoint security. The infrastructure design will be physically sturdy and secure. Security vendors will begin offering endpoint security solutions in addition to their existing services to avert data loss and security threats.
Entry Of Smart Equipment And Automobiles – Not Self-driving Cars
While some of them anticipate that connected cars and self-driving cars will be here in the near future, the tech giant AT&T has a slightly different prediction to talk about in 2019. According to the firm, drones, robots, heavy machinery in mining, tractors and farm equipment will enter the automation world first. Self-driving cars are not likely to be the first in the mainstream. They may eventually be seen on the road, but not in 2019.
Focus On Citizen Engagement
As per the smart city predictions 2019, smart cities will make citizen engagement more interesting by using strategies such as gamification. AT&T says that network technology will be used in new – rather attractive ways – to engage residents in paying water bills on time, reporting potholes, recycling, opting for public transit etc. In return, people will gain points that can be redeemed for discounts on services or VIP access to events in the city.
Data Will Go Beyond With Video-sensor Technology
As the number of connected devices is multiplying, data sharing will certainly increase. Data sharing will move beyond the consumer sharing economy and more businesses will focus on sharing valuable data. Companies will enable partners, merchants, manufacturers, and other third parties to share data and insights – in a trusted and highly secure manner. Data sharing and advanced analytics will play a vital role in augmenting the value of IoT. Moreover, according to the research and smart city predictions in 2019, cities and businesses will adopt video sensors that will enhance the capability to improve operations and save time and money.
Smart City Predictions on 5G Technology
5G infrastructure deployment in 2019 will be the start to the new change in smart cities. In simple words, it will make smart cities smarter. From self-driving cars to the trillions of IoT devices that are anticipated to enter the network will have the support of 5G. The 5G network has the capability to bring the currently emerging technologies to the mainstream.
However, according to AT&T, healthcare, manufacturing and public safety are predicted to be the early patrons of 5G.
As per the revealed smart city predictions, by 2019 87% of healthcare institutions will use IoT technology. This will mean a new phase of transformation in healthcare, where a doctor-patient relationship will improve. The lifesaving capabilities in hospitals will increase like never before with personal healthcare management, electronic health records, smart pills, smart home care, sensitive data management – leading to increased patient care.
Industries and cities will transform the entire manufacturing process. IoT devices will disrupt the production process from development to supply chain management. This will help in eliminating delays, improve production performance, and manage inventory. According to the market analysis, the number of connected devices in the manufacturing industry will duplicate from 2017 to 2020. Sensors, smart beacons, and RFID tags have already led the next industrial revolution.
In the case of public safety, cities and companies will focus on achieving sustainability by optimising energy and water consumption and curbing carbon emissions. More and more cities will adopt IoT solutions to improve the conditions in the environment and society.
Moreover, improved battery life, smaller devices, integrated SIMs, and lower device cost with carrier-grade security will facilitate new IoT devices and services. The reason being, Narrow-Band IoT and LTE-M networks will become the fastest growing option for IoT connectivity in 2019.
Citizen Expectations For 2019
Arm, a UK-based foundational technology company engaged Northstar (research firm) to survey 2,000 global consumers with the aim to discover consumer expectations for 2019.
The survey extended over smart homes, personalised delivery, healthcare, buildings – and of course smart cities.
66% of the survey participants agreed that technology had become more a part of their life in 2018. Conversely, 3% of them said that technology has become “less important” compared to the previous year.
54% of the participants revealed that they hope to spend more on tech-based gifts. 18% of the people agreed they will spend a lot more than previous years. While 36% of them are looking to spend just a little bit more.
AI was foreseen as a rapidly growing tech in the coming 12 months. About 92% of the participants expect AI to be extensive than it is currently.
26% of the people agreed that convenience is the main factor that drives them to “love” the technology while 37% of them admitted with the same thing with “like”. One out of five participants acknowledged what IoT was doing to improve their city experience.
For about 15% of them, ‘quality of life’ was a “modern/progressive” step to take.
Less than 10% of them believe that companies are not taking initiatives to improve data security and privacy. Whereas, 70% of others expect to see companies increasing their efforts in the future.
Majority of the expectations of the surveyed citizens meet the IoT predictions of 2019. Further, we hope that smart cities drive in their best effort to make cities a better place for the residents.
Another thing which comes out clearly is that in 2019 smart cities will not compete or rush to embrace the latest smart technology. Instead, they will invest more time, money and energy in improving smart cities for people as users. So, 2019 is all set to become an active year of improvement and augmentation rather than invention.
