As the urban infrastructure has been upended by the twin challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, cities around the world are using digital technology to create the new normal. Gary Wong, industry principal of global infrastructure and water at AVEVA, shares three examples from real life.
City authorities around the world are facing renewed pressures as urbanisation continues to spread globally. Two-thirds of the world’s population is expected to live in cities by 2050, up from 55 per cent in 2018. In absolute terms, that is an increase of 2.5 billion people in urban areas or 6.4 billion people from an estimated global population of 9.7 billion.
The UN Statistical Commission’s Degree of Urbanisation report defines an urban area as having a population of at least 50,000 with 1,500 people per square metre. While urban life has many benefits, such a volume increase could lead to wide-scale transformation. The existing cities will need radical solutions to overcome challenges from transport and energy systems to infrastructure and water management – all while ensuring that the benefits of urbanisation are widely distributed and are inclusive, equitable and sustainable.
However, as recent events have shown, cities are already struggling to cope and are paying the price in more ways than one. The pandemic showed how the existing urban infrastructure is not designed for black swan events. Now, climate change is leading to extreme weather events around the world.
Some cities have had to impose water restrictions, while others face power and energy supply difficulties. At the same time, safety considerations continue to require adapting to hybrid work. Going forward, prevention assumes far greater importance than any possible cure. The density of urban areas means they are poised to experience the harshest toll on lives and livelihoods.
Some city officials have already figured out that digital technologies can serve as a kind of insurance against future disasters. Internet of things (IoT) devices such as connected lights, meters and sensors can collect and analyse data from infrastructure and public utilities. Similarly, machine learning can identify anomalies that deviate from the normal pattern of events. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI) can automate operations, reduce human error, support urban efficiency and lead to more effective decisions. From India to the US, urban decision-makers are using these digital technologies to protect critical infrastructure.
Improving emergency response times
As India’s first greenfield smart city, Nava Raipur has deployed the latest and most advanced technology. The new capital of Chhattisgarh state will host 600,000 residents by 2031 and support the broad administrative needs of a further 29 million people across the region. To meet their needs while achieving high liveability through civic operational efficiency, city officials have connected eight individual operational systems to an integrated command and control centre (ICCC), powered by the AVEVA Unified Operations Centre. This single-pane-of-glass interface offers real-time 3D insight into the city’s critical infrastructure. The civic staff can directly monitor and manage urban services such as water, wastewater and electricity consumption while tracking security and traffic all in one place, rather than relying on disparate systems and manual analytics alone.
Since its launch, the system has curtailed service disruptions and reduced critical response time by 60 per cent on average. The ICCC, together with the smart city portal and application, proved particularly valuable during the coronavirus lockdowns. The municipal authorities could easily communicate with the general population and respond to the needs of affected citizens while supporting containment measures. Nava Raipur is now considered a beacon for India’s 100 Smart Cities Mission.
Connecting the remote worker
The demand for public works has grown in recent years and staff is tasked with managing the increase while adapting to hybrid, new ways of working. Carson City, Nevada, has relied on a combination of automated infrastructure management applications and mobile virtualisation and reporting tools to improve efficiencies and ensure the continuity of urban services across its three counties. With just their iPads or smartphones, engineers and operators can now remotely access critical key performance indicator (KPI) data from the field. These connected workers can then seamlessly calibrate public services to respond to real-time demand for transportation, power and water systems. Tangible gains include a 15 per cent reduction in operations staff hours due to saved commuting time and a reduced work week. At the same time, the system supports the continued supply of up to 748,000 kW hour of solar power each year and supports the delivery of over 22 million gallons of water every day.
Unlocking energy and cost efficiencies
Smart cities are both sustainable and efficient, as the University of California, Davis (UCD), shows. With its home state particularly hard hit by climate change, the campus aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2025. UCD comprises 1,000 buildings with diverse energy needs spread over 7,331 acres. Retrofitting older buildings and improving insulation was an obvious start to reach its goals, but the campus needed to go further. It turned to advanced data tools such as AVEVA PI System and AVEVA PI Vision to support its main sustainability initiatives. Integrating disparate operational data sources helped optimise the chilled water system. Monitoring Wi-Fi traffic determined building occupancy in real time, and synchronised HVAC scheduling in response. Finally, real field data is being used to design a more efficient water heating system. Campus administrators are confident of reaching their goals by 2025. The campus expects the measures to yield annual savings to the tune of $150,000 from chilled water optimisation. Energy use has dropped 46 per cent since 2009, a saving of $15 million. Gas use has been reduced by 62 per cent and projected savings from the new, low temperature water heating system will deliver projected savings of $197 million over 60 years.
Innovating for challenging times
As cities expand and develop, their infrastructure will need to keep pace with the burgeoning demand while protecting and shielding residents from the impact of adverse events – whether these are climate-related or otherwise. As the twin pandemics of the coronavirus and climate change have shown, normal approaches are no longer adequate. The city authorities urgently need innovative solutions to create liveable environments that are also reliable and sustainable. Advanced information communications technology is already helping deliver that vision.