COUNTRY FOCUS : UK

A ‘ Smart City ’ can be defined as a city which has undergone a transformational project driven by Information Technology to improve the standard of living in certain areas , usually urban areas . Here , we take a closer look at a report issued by UK Parliament which delves deeper into the innovation element of these projects and the benefits on offer . We also hear from Kamal Bechkoum , Head of the School of Computing and Engineering at the University of Gloucestershire , UK , who discusses some of the challenges posed , from a cybersecurity and data perspective .

London Tower Bridge panorama during sunset , UK

Research by UK Parliament published at the end of last year considers the factors driving the adoption of Smart City technologies and the potential benefits , barriers and risks associated with their implementation . The research outlines some of the projects that have been run across the UK , which are inclusive of Belfast , Birmingham , Bristol , Glasgow , Hull , Manchester , Milton Keynes , London and Peterborough . Some of the key technologies included in Smart City projects are ones such as sensors , which help to collect data to measure air quality , for example . Communication technologies are also utilised as smart cities require communication networks to transmit data .

According to the research , ‘ Developments in computing are making it possible to rapidly process large quantities of data , improving the efficiency of Smart City systems and facilitating novel applications .’ More specifically , cloud computing , Edge Computing and data analysis methods such as Digital Twins are all contributing to this development .

Some of the potential benefits analysed in the report highlight the economic benefits of Smart City projects , such as the creation of new jobs and an improvement

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