Page 9 - ITU Smart Sustainable Cities, March 2021

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ITU-T Study Group 20 (SG20): ITU standards
“Internet of Things and smart cities and guidelines

and communities”

Interoperability is key to ensuring
ITU-T Study Group 20 (ITU-T SG20) is the leading study group the integration of various
on “Internet of Things and smart cities and communities”. Since technologies in smart sustainable
cities. Standards not only facilitate
its inception in June 2015, ITU-T SG20 has been serving as a
this much needed interoperability
specialized platform for the development of international standards
but also provide a framework
that enable the coordinated development of interoperable IoT- for smart and sustainable city
based technologies in the urban domain. transitions. ITU standards (ITU-T
Recommendations), thus, are
As a core part of its standardization work, SG20 also seeks to powerful agents for change in the
guide urban stakeholders in enabling cities to reach the targets urban space.
stipulated in Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities
and Communities). These standards provide a basis
for cities and communities to
deploy reliable technologies,
build integrated IoT ecosystems
and capitalize on the resulting
data. Their application allows
cities to reduce energy costs and
emissions through smart buildings,
smart grids, and intelligent water
networks at a time when cities
already account for nearly 70 per
ITU-T Study Group 20: cent of greenhouse gas emissions.
Internet of Things
and Smart Cities and Communities
Furthermore, standards offer the
essential technical foundation for
smart and sustainable transitions
and provide a guidance framework
to innovate both efficiently and
at scale.