GeoMate: AI-Powered Mapping for Smart Mobility
SMART CITIES 101: INTRODUCTION TO THE FUTURE
As they expand across the globe, HD mapping for smart cities allow planners to offer faster, more cost-effective services to citizens and industry. This piece examines how location intelligence can empower smart cities to thrive for years to come.
Technology powers our entire lives. Our entertainment, our knowledge and even our friends are all stored in our pockets and on our screens. We’ve mastered communication and information – but what’s next? Now, it’s time to start streamlining everyday life, street by street, step by step.
Enter smart cities. Powered by artificial intelligence, an array of different sensors, and data collection, it’s the next evolution of urban life. Giving community leaders the ability to streamline delivery of services and improve public safety, it quite literally breathes new life into aging infrastructure. As a result, we can expect massive economic savings, with estimated savings of 223-504 billion USD from traffic upgrades alone.
Here’s how.
SMART CITIES: POWERED BY AI
According to the Welding Institute, smart cities function through four simple steps:
- 1. Collection – Smart sensors gather real-time data
- 2. Analysis – The data is analysed to gain insights into the operation of city services and operations
- 3. Communication – The results of the data analysis are communicated to decision makers
- 4. Action – Action is taken to improve operations, manage assets and improve the quality of city life for the residents
At their core, smart cities function by leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT), which refers to the new interconnected capabilities of many modern devices. For example, you may have noticed new “smart” appliances, potentially including fridges, stoves, dishwashers and more. Within a home, these devices can synchronize to your smartphone and operate around your lifestyle. When applied to a smart city, it’s a similar concept, but on a much larger scale.
That said, rather than following the routine of a single homeowner or family, smart cities need to think bigger and act more broadly. Taking into account the presence of people and their habits, numerous sensors and tools deployed track the habits and trends the population may follow.
With this information, the city can realign itself according to citizens’ preferences and deliver exponentially more accurate and timely services. For example, by mapping out the flows of traffic, any lights employing IoT will be able to time them exactly as an intersection reaches a greater-than-sustainable load of cars. This allows commuters to avoid excessive congestion and driving difficulties downtown, letting them get where they need to go.
INNOVATING AROUND THE WORLD
In the coming years, smart cities are looking to address further issues in efficiency and functionality. These can include excessive use of energy, public safety hazards and accessibility of public transport. With offerings such as our HD maps, city planners can make more precise decisions and pursue a values and equity-based approach to urban development.
Plenty of cities around the world seek to upgrade their infrastructure in accordance with IoT trends. Likely the most advanced thus far, Singapore’s Smart Nation program does everything from sharing transport analytics, testing autonomous vehicles, and capturing real-time information such as humidity and temperature. Among Canadian cities, Montréal has been making strides with new ride-sharing technologies and public transport initiatives that seek to alleviate congestion on city roads.
THINKING, PLANNING, BUILDING WITH HD MAPPING
One of the core functions behind smart city development is location intelligence. Defined as the visualization of data as it pertains to specific areas, this solution forms the core of smart city operations, figuring out not only what to do, but where to do it.
Location intelligence takes on many forms, but the most innovative form to date is HD maps. Initially created by the autonomous vehicle industry, these highly detailed maps provide precise location information pertaining to the urban environment. By employing aerial imagery, AI systems can take the images of our community below and extrapolate all sorts of details such as signage, road markers and even dynamic features such as collision risk detection.
In fact, the advantages afforded by HD mapping for smart cities are applicable even down to the most basic user of community transport: the average citizen. For example, when designing new city infrastructure, planners can identify areas that may need it. Places with low socioeconomic status, poor accessibility for those with disabilities and low integration of micro mobility can see improvement in transport efficiency and equity. Commuters will be able to safely change lanes thanks to real-time traffic optimization. Pedestrians will be able to find a safe path from A to B, and infrastructure can be remodelled to increase access to those who need it. In other words, the road to equity and efficiency is paved with machine learning.
TAKE THE LEAP
With HD mapping for smart cities, planners are poised to revolutionize the way we think and act within our communities. They guide our cars, help us communicate, keep our environment clean, and pinpoint where our impact matters most.
With services tailored to the population, we can use IoT to improve community living. To implement smart cities, city planners and telecommunications companies alike require location intelligence that is both accurate and comprehensive. Through rain, fog, and traffic jams, the use of geospatial data can provide uniquely precise insights to ensure that your community can function at its best.
Interested in harnessing this new evolution of mapping for your community? Feel free to contact us to explore our available and upcoming datasets – we’d love to help!