We recently covered a post on Smart City that was introduced by Intel and it seems that Chicago is following the same approach as it has plans of employing the ‘Internet of Things’ for city management. Chicago is all set to begin installation of sensors on light posts throughout the city and it will allow for the monitoring and collection of data related to pedestrian, traffic, pollution, noise and wind.
The idea is to come up with a system that will collect information and then convert this information into useful data that can be sent to relevant departments who will be able to take action and improve the situation relevant to that particular department. For example, this setup could be employed to improve choke points when it comes to traffic and/or pedestrians, it could also help in identifying areas where air is more polluted and it could also identify areas where high levels of wind are being detected.
Of course, there are many privacy concerns associated with this but the group behind this assures the public that all the information collected is anonymous and the sensors are not capable of identifying individuals or gaining private information. The first batch of the sensors will be installed in Chicago in the coming month followed by a citywide installation taking place over the course of next few years.
Chicago is quite hopeful that this form of data collection will allow the city to become a more healthy and happy place to live. Charlie Catlett, Computer scientist, is part of the team and said; ‘Our intention is to understand cities better. Part of the goal is to make these things essentially a public utility.’ Check out the youtube video below for more:
