Do you live in a “smart city”? You may be surprised to learn that your local municipality has adopted smart technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) enabled devices. Examples of how local municipalities are using these devices include traffic monitoring and local weather monitoring and data collection. In Boston and Baltimore, for example, smart garbage cans communicate their current capacity so municipal systems can devise the most efficient routing for disposal services
So, what makes a city “smart,” besides internet-connected devices? According to Forbes, cities around the world are using technology to improve the lives of their community members. They are leveraging big data to improve infrastructure decision-making in terms of design, construction and maintenance and implementing fiber optics to support high-speed internet access and Wi-Fi to support the connection requirements of IoT. Clearly, there are many opportunities for cities to become smarter. Smart city technology is expected to grow to a $135 billion industry by 2021 (Source: TechRepublic). As cities become smarter and more technology-driven, they are expected to see greater efficiencies and improved resource management. As the connectedness grows so does the target for hacking. Therefore, all of these systems and data must be protected.
Securing smart cities for the future
From managing critical hydro and electrical systems to handling sensitive voter registration data, the technology that enables modern living should be secured against cyber-attacks. If you’re a state, local, tribal, or territorial (SLTT) government organization looking to get “smart” when it comes to technology, you don’t have to go it alone. There’s a cybersecurity community for U.S. SLTT governments at the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC). MS-ISAC membership is free of charge and provides SLTT organizations the tools and resources they need to defend themselves from cyber threats that target smart cities. MS-ISAC members include community service organizations, public school systems, law enforcement agencies, state offices and more.
Our Approach to Building Information Management
Our years of experience in design and construction means we can rise to even the most complex of project challenges. Our priority is firstly to fully understand your vision for your development, so that we can model and co-ordinate your entire project with accuracy, ease and efficiency. To help us do just that, we are privileged to work with a team of experts. Ranging from VDC professionals to architects, engineers and BIM modellers, they have already expertly handled everything from high end commercial towers to major airport developments.
