Page 21 - Enabling digital transformation in smart sustainable cities – Master plan

Enabling digital transformation in smart sustainable cities – Master plan

Figure 5: A multitier SSC ICT architecture from a communications viewpoint,
emphasizing the information flow perspective

Source: ITU-T Supplement 27 to ITU-T Y.4400 series
Figure 4 and 5 depicts a valid representation of the same architecture view, one closer to the
language of the infrastructure developer, and the second more in line with the context of the
information system developer. The architecture viewpoint contains the following layers (as
depicted in Figure 4):
• Sensing layer: This layer consists of a terminal node and capillary network. Terminals
(sensor, transducer, actuator, camera, RFID reader, barcode symbols, GPS tracker, etc.)
sense the physical world. They provide the superior "environment-detecting" ability and
intelligence for monitoring and controlling the physical infrastructure within the city. The
capillary network (including supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), sensor
network, highway addressable remote transmitter (HART), wireless personal area network
(WPAN), video surveillance, RFID and GPS-related network) connects various terminals to
the network layer, providing ubiquitous and omnipotent information and data.
• Network layer: The network layer indicates various networks provided by telecommunication
operators, as well as other metro networks provided by city stakeholders or private
communication networks. It is the information superhighway (infobahn), the network layer
data and support layer.
• Data and support layer: The data and support layer makes the city "smarter". Its main
purpose is to ensure the support capabilities of various city-level applications and services.
The data and support layer includes the data centres from industries, local government
departments, and enterprises, as well as the municipal dynamic data centre and data
repository, established for the realization of data processing and application support.

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