Page 32 - U4SSC Simple ways to be smart

With real-time tracking of the vehicles the following benefits can be realised:

• Efficient use of vehicles, reducing costs of fuel, maintenance, staff.

• Fewer accidents.
• Increased security of vehicles.

• Reductions in emissions.

• Data that can be used to analyse and improve services.

Additionally, there are other, less tangible benefits. Such a system is a good place to introduce and
enforce a culture of control and efficiency, as well as to expose city employees to smart solutions
and develop their understanding of how data can be used to improve city functioning.

Keys to success

This project touches many different areas of a municipality, each of which has different objectives,
interests and expertise. To be successful, this initiative has to be designed and driven from a
strategic level to take these differences into account. It also needs to be implemented with careful
political judgement.

For real-time monitoring of vehicles, good quality, high-speed connectivity is important.

3.2 Environment

With most people living in cities, there is a high and growing demand for natural resources. This
is most obvious in large and growing cities, but the same challenges face smaller cities. Cities
can contribute to lowering the demand for energy, water, and other resources. They also have to
manage the supply in responsible ways. Smart interventions give cities tools that they can use to
better understand environmental challenges and to monitor the effectiveness of responses.

Cities in developing parts of the world on the whole consume less energy and other resources than
those in the developed world. However, these cities have to address environmental challenges
with fewer resources, rapidly growing populations, and aspirations to achieve the kind of living
standards that the developed world already enjoys. For these cities, finding ways to improve living
conditions without adopting the levels of resource consumption of the more developed world is
a priority.

Smart interventions have tackled many environmental problems, from managing energy and water
supply and demand, to waste collection and air quality monitoring. The common denominator
in these interventions is that smart technologies allow the collection and analysis of data that
improves understanding of the problems and the effectiveness of the solutions. This data makes
environmental problems more visible, and raises awareness.

20 U4SSC: Simple ways to be smart