CES 2020 showcased tremendous innovations for Smart Communities, which are cities or communities that aggregate and develop predictive analytics around things like:
- Enhanced safety & security for citizens
- More efficient energy use with ‘sleep mode’ low power consumption
- Smart street lighting that support numerous applications for better consumer living and driving experiences
- Safe and reliable transportation that better organizes traffic and public transportation flow
- Smart Parking that creates significant efficiencies
- Smart buildings that better monitor their environment from energy, water, and safety & security
Any combination of these holds the promise of improved quality of life through enhanced safety & security, efficient energy and lighting, safe and reliable transportation, and clean air monitoring on a citywide basis.
Innovation has accelerated rapidly with more ecosystem players joining this movement and adding new ideas. What was once known as Smart Cities quickly expanded to Smart Communities and has now evolved to Smart Spaces where innovation is happening in all areas of the community on a granular basis for both consumers and commercial entities.
Foundationally, CES 2020 helped to advance how Smart Communities require critical infrastructure development and deployment to enable these new services across a platform. Components of this platform include:
- 5G network deployment that requires small cell densification across urban areas with fiber optic backhaul to support high bandwidth applications such as two-way video on a real time basis
- Artificial intelligence that can quickly absorb and analyze city wide data in support of new services
- Sensors on a mesh network or point-to-point basis that can monitor desired activity including lighting, energy, climate, traffic, transportation, smart building, agriculture and more
- Smart Grid efficient energy solutions that provide needed energy on a real time basis to a specific area
While Smart Communities innovation offers opportunity, there is significant friction in getting these new benefits to market. Ultimately, this requires a new network infrastructure that enables sensing and monitoring on a very localized basis. Traditional power grids, 5G cellular networks, and fiber access must be architected in urban communities to make these new innovations a reality for consumers. Utilities can play a key role in Smart Communities by partnering with other ecosystem players to help build out a more densified and robust network across their geographic area through aggressive small cell and smart pole deployment that enables Smart Communities services.
Compared to prior years, these innovations have only accelerated with more ecosystem players joining this movement and adding new ideas. What was once known as Smart Cities quickly expanded to Smart Communities and has now evolved to Smart Spaces where innovation is happening in all areas of the community on a granular basis for both consumers and commercial entities. As a potential utility partner, Hitachi is an industry leading innovator, working to create “Smart Spaces”. Their focus on creating social innovation to accelerate the adoption of transportation, 3D Lidar video, energy management, security, and industry value chain renovation are high value solutions of a Smart Communities environment.
Energy companies and utilities must start to frame strategic roadmaps around smart communities because it is clear that if they don’t start doing something they won’t meet the expectations of their customers.