Major reforms in contract enforcement, environmental clearances, land acquisition and permit and procurement processes are required at the state and city levels to accelerate the implementation of this initiative through public-private partnerships (PPPs)
By Ashish Gulati
By 2030, 40% of India’s population will be living in urban areas and contributing 75% of GDP. An estimated 400 million people are expected to migrate to cities over this period. In fact, the great rural-to-urban migration has already begun.
To meet the challenges these changes will raise and the pressure it will put on basic services, utilities and on an already crumbling infrastructure – India needs to build new cities and create new jobs over the next two decades. This will, however require well-planned development of physical, social, economic and institutional infrastructure.
Indian government has already made a start and work is being done at a fast pace to achieve the targets. Recognizing that urban centres are engines of growth and employment, it has launched a strategic initiative – the Smart Cities Mission. Under the Smart Cities Mission, the government will virtually rebuild 100 cities with basic infrastructure, including transportation and ICT, which will link nearly every aspect of city life.
There is a big push for smart cities. The government has allocated significant capital both at the central and state levels to make these a reality. Smart cities promise to reinvigorate local economies and improve the quality of life. But the Smart city programs encompass several components which need to be linked together for this project to be successful.
Smartphone penetration and fast bandwidth is the key to smart city programs and is needed to connect citizens, businesses and the government on a fast network. In India, the pace of Smartphone penetration is rising quickly. 4G would play a key role in connecting and usage of Smart phones. Telecom operators are already gearing up their infrastructure to roll out 4G services.
Every city needs reliable power and Indian cities need a lot to do to deliver reliable electricity at the best possible price. Too many Smart city programs globally follow the western model of centralised power plants and grids. While India still grapples with challenges like Internet availability, bandwidth issues, power and internet reliability, the prospect of large scale adoption of internet of things (IoT) in the power sector might seem like a remote possibility, or one for the very distant future. However, with the Government’s plan to create a $15 billion internet of things market in the country by next five years, or the 100 smart city project under the IoT policy, there is significant scope for growth in the power sector as well.
Transportation will also play a vital role in any smart city program as it deals with the efficient movement of goods and services. Today, India has about 150 million vehicles and the roads are already choked. The goal of smart transportation is to help people move around and use the efficient public and private transportation system more than personal vehicles. The success of Ola Cabs and Uber in India is an encouraging sign. It means that Indian consumers want efficiency, not just a car for sitting in traffic, which not only wastes time and money but also pollutes the environment.
With GPS technology in car navigation and the capability to receive signals from multiple satellite systems to collect information has improved accuracy and response time in determining vehicle position which has expanded the utility of this function beyond basic navigation to safety-related applications.
Indian Telematics market is exhibiting growth and consumers are becoming more cautious about their safety while driving. Moreover, automobile companies are collaborating with telematics manufacturing companies to develop in-built telematics systems during the production process itself. Added to this, the low-cost telematics solutions which are embedded in the automobiles is encouraging end users as they are able to afford this technology and also enjoy the services being provided by this technology.
The Internet-ready vehicle also brings with it a host of security concerns related to the data it generates. Like the smart phone platform, the new cars are embedded with this technology face critical issues related to business model, standardization etc. The absence of a certified body or an agency for standardization and regulations of Telematics industry is the biggest challenge faced by this sector. Regardless of certain core challenges like adoption of technology, developing countries have a massive potential to leverage and reap benefits of road safety and also improvements in economic efficiency.
Internet of Things will also play a vital role in building Smart cities. IoT is already heralding transformation across industries and it will bring about significant changes in the coming years. IoT can help organizations utilize their business infrastructure and assets in innovative ways to offer new services and deliver additional revenue. Moreover, deriving meaningful information from the huge volumes of data that IoT produces can improve decision–making and enable proactive, predictive insights. While the scope and potential of IoT is vast. There are many advantages of incorporating IoT into our lives, which can help individuals, businesses, and society on a daily basis. For individuals this new concept can come in many forms including health, safety, financial and every day planning. The integration of IoT into the health care system could prove to be an incredibly beneficial aspect for both the individual and the society. A chip could be implanted into each individual, allowing hospitals to monitor the vital signs of the patients. IoT can also function as a tool that can help people save money by making home appliances communicate in an energy efficient way.
IoT has innumerable opportunities and provides innovative services that can be offered using smart devices, machines and products. Organizations can benefit from new revenue streams generated by new business models and services, as well as reduced time to market and increased returns from their R&D investments. Today’s manufacturers face extraordinary challenges in the form of rigid specifications, tight timelines and even tighter budgets. This sector also includes asset tracking of large industrial equipment and the monitoring and control of factory assets. Analog sensors, for instance, are used to measure real-world conditions and process control systems measure performance analysis and control of manufacturing.
The penetration of smart phones with latest technology in the next few years can distribute sensors and instruments throughout the community that can be used by people without medical training to gather key medical data in real time and transfer it to a core body of doctors and experts for analysis. 4G will allow for remote video connection, and combined with real time sensor data of blood analysis, iris scan, brain imaging, etc, can help experts quickly diagnose most ailments and prescribe solutions.
Some interesting examples are-“ Trash bins “announcing when they need to be emptied mainly seen in western countries; automatic control of flow in storm drains to avoid flooding; parking spaces that communicate when they are free; smart and connected lamp posts providing street lighting when required to save energy and that can measure particle concentrations in the air; as well as providing Wi-Fi and installing sensors in homes to detect the movements before damage the building. The list is endless but India has miles to go to achieve this excellence.
The biggest challenge for the Smart Cities Mission will come from the challenges faced during implementation and the mindset of the people. They need to understand that cities are engines of future growth – and urbanization is an inevitable necessity. Major reforms in contract enforcement, environmental clearances, land acquisition and permit and procurement processes are required at the state and city levels to accelerate the implementation of this initiative through public-private partnerships (PPPs).
The author is Country Head, Telit India