M2M & IoT Solutions for Smart Cities

Smart Cities

Australian councils can benefit from adopting a smart city strategy, and more local councils are implementing projects every day.

The aims of establishing smart cities include:

improving quality of life for local residents
increasing operational efficiencies and reducing costs
attracting more business and minimising environmental impacts.

This is achieved by better use of existing resources through improved monitoring, controls and coordination of services and infrastructure. Wireless sensor networks are a key component in the creation of smart cities. For efficient city management, a distributed network of intelligent sensor nodes can measure various parameters from noise, temperature, ambient light levels and carbon monoxide concentration, to the availability and location of parking spaces.

Smart Cities applications include:

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Reducing Environmental Noise

Monitoring the physiological and psychological effects on people’s interrupted sleep, rest, study and communication.

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Monitoring Atmospheric Pollution

Measuring gases such as CO2 and NO2 or dust in the atmosphere that threatens the health of urban dwellers by causing respiratory diseases.

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Maintaining Good Structural Health & Street Lighting

Ensuring buildings, bridges, roads and other major structures are sound and the provision of intelligent and adaptive street lighting.

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Managing Traffic and Parking

Minimising emissions and traffic congestion – the aim of improved traffic flow can be achieved by establishing intelligent roads with warning messages and diversions according to climate conditions, and unexpected events like accidents or
traffic jams.

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Security and Surveillance

Communications to/from a central control station allowing remote surveillance, access to control systems, motion detectors, lighting and access points. The control station can remotely authorise access to controlled areas with the ability to open and close locks, doors, gates via the wireless network within seconds.

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Retail and Point of Sale

The ability to target shoppers by picking up electronic devices signals to deliver advertising from retailers in the current vicinity of the shopper.
Improved secure and fast payment methods.

Smart cities is identified as a main growth trend with Pike Research predicting global Investment in smart city technology infrastructure to total $108 billion by 2020.

M2M Connectivity offers a range of sensors and M2M wireless devices that enhance a city’s intelligence and connectedness using cellular networks, ZigBee, Bluetooth, GSM/GPRS and Satellite to provide connectivity.