For those visiting rural areas in developing nations, it is a common sight to see people using hand-operated pumps for clean water. Many government and non-government institutions install thousands of every year—but these often fail.
This is where sensor technology comes into the picture.
An “internet of everything” mechanism designed by a group at the famous Portland State University has completely revolutionized the use of sensors in the consumer electronics market. The team has invented a system that uses sensors and offers an extensive report of the water pumps. The system is called SWEETSense, and it is just one of the many ways the “internet of everything” is being applied to cities to improve people’s lives.
Those who think about smart technology often limit their thoughts to their television sets, washing machines, or fridge.
But today, the “internet of everything” has the potential to transform lives at a much larger scale. This becomes apparent in the city-wide sensing project in Santander, in which 10,000 sensors were installed across the entire city, enabling several researchers to gather information and improve the way the city functions.
Sensors installed in parking zones, for example, allow commuters to speak to the display panels at important intersections and locate free spots. Similarly, the sensors installed at major entry points measure traffic flow. Parks and gardens can gauge the level of rainfall and moisture to make the irrigation system effective. Other sensors measure the levels of airborne particles and carbon dioxide emissions from buses and taxis.
Another “smart city” example, the London Air Quality Network, monitors and measures the level of air pollution and then maps it with various sensors. Oyster Card, the electronic ticketing used in the city’s public transport, has also become “smart,” building a profile of about 4.4 million citizens who use the transport network daily. Commuters can now be measured by the cameras— particularly in the highly congested zones.
Tile is another solution worth falling for—a perfect example of the Internet of Thing aimed at bringing cities back to life. Users can use it to locate their missing socks or wallet left accidently in a car. A Toronto-based co-working space, MakeWorks, offers a platform where innovators can meld different web-connected sensors to small pieces of hardware. Stern, the founder of MakeWorks, points out that the installation of sensors in the urban, consumer electronics market has become cost-effective. As a result, several government bodies and municipalities are involving themselves in smart city projects.