How the 'Internet of Things' Is Changing City Operations

The potential of "Smart Cities" is still very much under negotiation. Data-Smart City Solutions at Harvard University surveyed what cities are doing so far to take advantage of the Internet of things.

1 minute read

September 3, 2015, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Laura Adler surveys one of the "one of the most widely-discussed concepts of the digital age": the Internet of things. Adler's approach to the subject, however, applies the concept to urban systems, exploring various examples from around the world for how they've been influenced by the Internet of things.

For instance, Adler links to Chicago's Array of Things and Dublin's CityWatch, which deploy a citywide sensor network used to monitor environmental conditions, like temperature, noise, and air quality. Adler surveys examples from water systems to waste systems to parking, among others. Also included are examples of the challenges with the new technological capacity of municipal government, such as the issue of data privatization.  

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