Abu Dhabi was recently named the #1 Safest City in the world in a list of the top 9 safest cities. Vidsys has been supporting Abu Dhabi’s Monitoring and Control Centre (MCC) to deliver an Open Architecture solution utilizing the Vidsys Converged Security & Information Management (CSIM) Platform to interconnect all public spaces as part of the Safe and Smart City objectives for Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi MCC and its stakeholders utilize Vidsys’ real-time situation management software technology for security operations.
Future cities, safe cities, smart cities – regardless of what you call them – are beginning to realize the need for more intelligent systems to better manage their populations. Cities are getting smarter through using IoT, enterprise technology, and systems like Vidsys to help them achieve “smart” status. Here are three ways that smart cities are gaining momentum.
Making the most of data
A smart city’s physical security, IT systems, transportation and social media data sources must coexist and communicate in real-time to provide successful solutions. An integrated platform such as Converged Security and Information Management (CSIM) makes the integration of security sensors, IoT devices, artificial intelligence and metadata necessary for such coexistence possible. Data without meaning is useless, so making sure that data isn’t siloed – but rather is connected with other sources of data is crucial to begin building smart city solutions.
Building a public safety platform
The use of data must become fully integrated in real-time, representing a holistic picture of city operations. For example, Vidsys’ partnership with Current, powered by GE, helps cities establish an increased level of situational awareness by collecting and correlating real-time data through a smart city IoT sensor network that provides actionable intelligence. Obviously, there is a limit to how much a city can build, with only so many highways, parking lots, and driveways being possible. Transportation is one area in which smart cities can excel as a result of their digital capabilities. Constructing intelligent roads using sensors and traffic data to change basic elements, such as signal times, efficiently moves traffic in and out of smart cities.
Embracing Internet of Things technology
Everything generates data. A call to 9-1-1 is no longer the first line of information regarding an emergency – it often is first shared through social media and found through metadata. The utilization and integration of these numerous sources of data is necessary and can be more effectively utilized through connecting IoT hardware to a central hub. While many concerns are still present regarding the security of IoT, the transition to increasingly connected devices is inevitable and can provide immense value for city operations.
At Vidsys, we work with transportation, energy, utility, healthcare, and government organizations to collect, correlate, and convert considerable amounts of data into intelligent solutions, helping organizations and digitally-enabled cities become even smarter.
To learn more about our solutions for Smart Cities through a demo, click here.
