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own geospatial applications using their own set of geospatial data.
ese trends could be taken as indicators of the democratization of
the mapping and have paved the way for the emergence of another
stream called citizen science. Citizen science refers to an activity in
which a group of citizens become engaged in some kind of scientific
activity, for example, bird surveys, and then accurately denote them
on the maps using time and space coordinates. is field of geogra-
phy where the maps are freely generated or used by individuals for
generation of different kinds of data is referred to as neogeography.
ese neogeographic data provide a large amount of value proposition
for the U-city government and city agencies, as they provide much
additional data that would help city officials in urban planning and
mapping.
7.4.8 Internet of ings
e Internet of ings (IoT) is the future of Internet technologies,
in which every object around us will be connected via some kind of
network to every other object and will also have the capability to
send and receive data from them. Our living, relaxing, and working
environments are envisioned to be filled with a variety of electronic
devices including environment monitoring sensors, actuators, moni-
tors, controllers, processors, tags, labels, stickers, dots, motes, stickers,
projectors, displays, cameras, computers, communicators, appliances,
gateways, high-definition IP TVs, and so on. Apart from these, all
physical and concrete items, articles, furniture, and packages will
become empowered with computation- and communication-enabled
components by attachment of specially made electronics onto them.
Whenever we walk into such kinds of augmented environments
illuminated with a legion of digitized objects, the devices we carry
and even our e-clothes will enter into calm yet logical collaboration
mode and form wireless ad hoc networks with the inhabitants of that
environment. For example, if someone wants to print a document
on his or her smart phone or tablet, and if he or she enters a room
where a printer is situated, then the smart phone will begin a con-
versation with the printer automatically and send the document to be
printed. us, in that era, our everyday spots will be made informa-
tive, interactive, intuitive, and inspiring by embedding intelligence
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and autonomy into their constituents (audio/video systems; cameras;
information and Web appliances; consumer and household electron-
ics; and other electronic gadgets besides digitally augmented walls,
floors, windows, doors, ceilings, and any other physical objects and
artifacts; etc.). e unobtrusive computers, communicators, sensors,
and robots will be instructing, instigating, alerting, and facilitating
decision making in a smart way, apart from accomplishing all kinds
of everyday needs proactively for humans. Humanized robots will be
extensively used to fulfill our daily physical chores. at is, comput-
ers in different sizes, looks, capabilities, interfaces, and prices will be
fitted, glued, implanted, and inserted everywhere to be coordinative,
calculative, and coherent yet invisible for discerning human minds.
In short, the IoT world will make our environment much more intel-
ligent. is in turn will be the main technological pillar of ubiquitous
or intelligent cities.
7.4.9 Advanced Analytics
e amount of data is increasing exponentially every year, and accord-
ing to the most recent IDC digital universe study, by 2020, about 33%
of the data generated will contain information that will provide valu-
able insights if they are analyzed using appropriate analytical tools.
ese valuable insights could be derived from the data patterns that
appear in social media usage, correlations in scientific studies that
occur in diverse fields, trends in security footage, and so on. ese
insights can in turn fuel the fact-based decision-making process that
will help to monitor and control various events based on real-time
statistics. e rise of cutting-edge analytical systems will be fueled by
the fusion of the IoT concept (which generates more data) and cloud
computing platforms (which provide scalable processing power and
massive storage capacity).
7.4.10 Open Access to Public Data
Today, most government agencies are moving toward making their
data publicly available for their citizens. is is because they have
realized the importance of and the need for “many eyes to view data.”
is has fueled the creation of many applications that help citizens to
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derive valuable insights from these government-generated data sets,
which in turn will equip citizens to make diligent decisions.
7.4.11 Digitally Controlled Devices
With the IoT concept becoming increasingly prominent, there is
also an increasing tendency to develop equipment that is capable of
controlling all appliances and devices digitally using some kind of
a centralized system. ere is also an increased focus on integrating
these centralized monitoring and controlling system capabilities to
laptops and smart phones. is will help in the easy realization of
concepts such as computerized homes, buildings, vehicles, and other
infrastructure systems. For example, it would be very easy to control
all aspects of home automation such as lighting, cooling, electrical
appliances, and so on centrally and remotely with the help of a smart
phone. ese digitally controlled systems are the key building blocks
for the conceptualization of intelligent construction systems, intel-
ligent building systems, and intelligent transport systems. A key con-
cept to be kept in mind during the design of these systems is that the
different components of automation such as sensors, actuators, and
so on need to be finalized during the design phase itself so that they
can be integrated with the systems at the time of development. After
development, it is very difficult to retrofit these components into the
system.
7.4.12 Social Media Networking
e proliferation of Web 2.0 technologies have offered numerous
capabilities for people to communicate and collaborate with one
another. Web 2.0 technologies have also fueled the growth and devel-
opment of communities for diverse aspects such as knowledge shar-
ing, communication on topics of common interest, and so on. e
soaring response of the people to social media sites such as Facebook
and Twitter have led to an offshoot of social media analytics called
sentiment analytics, which is used extensively by government agencies
to understand the sentiments of citizens on various decisions and poli-
cies of the government. ese social media networking platforms are
an inevitable component for building social networks in cities.
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7.5 Strategic Governance Framework for the
Implementation of U-Cities
e strategic governance framework for the implementation of ubiq-
uitous or intelligent cities is shown in the following diagram:
City contents
City components
City indicators
City objectives
e four layers indicated in the diagram provide a logical framework
that can be used by the various city leaders to evaluate the various
implementation options available in hand. For example, the first layer
is about city objectives. If the prime objective of city leaders is to con-
serve water based on some metrics that denoted poor water conserva-
tion (layer 2), then they have to examine the possibility of building an
interconnected water network in the city that has all the features to
track real-time water consumption patterns of the citizens (layer 3).
After making decisions about the design and the features required
in the water conservation system, city leaders will have to examine
similar water conservation measures and systems implemented in
other cities and derive the best practices so that they can be incor-
porated in the system under consideration. Each layer in the above
framework is detailed in the following paragraphs to provide a better
understanding.
7.5.1 City Objectives
City objectives are an important catalyst in the decision-making pro-
cess. To arrive at the city objectives, the various domains that exist in
the city such as finance, energy and utilities, education, public safety,
healthcare, and so on should be examined in detail to identify the
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sectors that need improvement. It is a vital aspect to include the citi-
zen’s views in the decision-making process to ensure that the entire
cycle of evaluation and decision making is seamless. After analyzing
the various domains, it is important to prioritize the sectors that need
improvement and the amount of improvement that is required. is is
a vital component that will finalize the city objectives and link them
to the various projects, policies, and investments that are planned for
the city. While planning the city objectives, it is also very important
for city leaders to analyze the existing technological infrastructure
and the present maturity level of a city, that is, whether it is a digital
city, U-city, and so on.
7.5.2 City Indicators
Most of the time, city objectives are qualitative or empirical in nature.
Hence it is necessary to quantify them to arrive at various metrics.
For this purpose, it is essential to link them to various existing and
published city indicator indices. ese indices benchmark the cities
using well-defined and proved methodologies. Some of the standard
city indicators that are available are Global City Indicators Facility
(GCIF), Green City Index, and so on. Each of these indicators uses a
different set of parameters for the evaluation of cities. Different cities
may require different indicators based on their priorities and objec-
tives. For example, if a city’s objective is to improve the financial sec-
tor, then the Green City Index might be appropriate.
7.5.3 City Components
At some point or the other, city objectives are linked to physical com-
ponents, assets, resources, or locations. For example, if the city objec-
tive is to improve water conservation, then the following assets or
resources are components of the process.
• Water network components such as pipes, valves, and so on
(asset)
• Water operators (resources)
• IT infrastructure (asset)
• Logistics for water operators (resources)
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