GIS Technology and Smart Cities
The importance of GIS and geospatial information in developing Smart Cities, with aspects of Shanghai and London as examples.
Introduction
Smart cities are urban centres that use data and technology to increase the quality of life of residents and users in the city. A smart city should make the maximum use of their technology to provide the greatest intelligence and interconnection capabilities (Grubisic, 2014; Mao, 2014). The major focus of cities becoming smart is how to generate healthier lifestyles for people and become more sustainable in promoting green energy usage (van den Beuken et al., 2021).
Different smart cities use technologies in various ways; however, all smart cities rely on geospatial science and technology for the framework of smart tools (Grubisic, 2014). Most smart cities rely on sensors and live location tracking to continuously collect data. Using GIS as a tool in smart city development can detect environmental problems or natural disasters, estimate and compare urban planning scenarios, predict or prevent transportation congestion, and even analyze employment and social services (Grubisic, 2014). The urban features able to detected and analyzed in smart cities using GIS are almost endless.
3D GIS in Shanghai, China
In 2020, Shanghai won the World Smart City Award with projects aimed to make the city more livable, sustainable and economically viable (Wei, 2020). One of the most notable developments in Shanghai is the development of a 3D geospatial model of the entire city. 3D GIS presents reality in a virtual environment with geographic coordinates that can even model spaces indoors and underground (Mao, 2014).
Shanghai Surveying and Mapping Institute has successfully implemented 3D GIS in urban planning, city appearance administration, cultural relic preservation, weather forecasting, fire control, and many other topics (Mao, 2014). The 3D model of Shanghai includes all buildings and outdoor spaces, but also maps the inside of buildings and underground systems like pipelines (Mao, 2014). The biggest advantage of the 3D GIS system is the availability of immense amounts of data, including massive datasets and live dynamic data, at any location and anytime (Mao, 2014). However, the greatest disadvantage is the 3D models are not available to the public for free and a one-time payment is required to access the resource.
Transportation GIS in London, England
The use of smart technologies for the London transportation system was first developed for the 2012 Olympics when the city needed to accommodate the transport of many more people to different locations than average daily commutes (Land, 2014). London managed the traffic through a common transportation information platform able to be used by everyone that contained static and dynamic data from cameras, sensors, and live location updates (Land, 2014). Since 2012, London has continued to develop its smart transportation resources and provides one of the best systems in the world.
From real-time collected data, London has developed a useful dashboard to efficiently communicate various data. The intelligent traffic management system using real-time data is essential to increase efficiency and safety of urban transportation (Li et al., 2019). The sensing technology used in monitoring real-time traffic and transit services consists mainly of stationary sensors on lampposts or under pavement and vehicle sensors relaying location, direction, and speed information (Li et al., 2019). Connecting this information spatially allows London to provide fine-resolution public transit and traffic congestion data to its citizens and improve the performance of its transportation system (Li et al., 2019).
Conclusion
The main goal of implementing smart technologies in cities is to increase efficiency and sustainability, and therefore increase the quality of life of people. More cities are striving to become smart cities by implementing smart technologies, and GIS is an essential component to collecting, analyzing, and presenting the smart data. The use of GIS by Shanghai and London provide excellent examples and models for other developing smart cities.
Bibliography
Grubisic, F. (2014). Geospatial Science and Technology towards a Sustainable Future and Development. Ekscentar, 17, pp. 77-81. Retrieved from https://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?id_clanak_jezik=185408&show=clanak
Land, N. (2014). GIS Enabling Smart Cities & More Efficient Transportation. Esri. [Online Presentation]. Retrieved from https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/prgm/other/smart_cities_2014/presentations/Nick_Land.pdf
Li, W., Batty, M., and Goodchild, M. F. (2019). Real-time GIS for smart cities. International Journal of Geographic Information Science, 34(2), pp. 311-324, DOI: 10.1080/13658816.2019.1673397
Mao, W. (2014). Study on the Construction and Application of 3D Geographic Information Services for the Smart City. ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 2(4), pp. 41-44. DOI: 10.5194/isprsannals-II-4-41-2014
van den Beuken, L., Huizing, F., Zikken, N., Plugge, M., Kanyemesha, M., Dinca, C., Janssen, C., and Sipman, J. (2021). Amsterdam Smart City. Amsterdam Economic Board. Retrieved from https://amsterdamsmartcity.com/about
Wei, H. (2020). High-tech Shanghai wins World Smart City Award. China Daily. [Online Newspaper]. Retrieved from https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202012/11/WS5fd2bdb3a31024ad0ba9b257.html
