Technology

Is Your City Ready to Become a ‘Smart’ City?

By Shelly Hanson, Sr. Project Manager and Charlie Wild, IT Application Administrator, WSB

At one point, the idea of wirelessly connected, data-driven communities seemed futuristic and aspirational, like an episode of “The Jetsons.” But with advances in technology and consumer demand, this trend toward technology-enabled, efficient cities is happening all around us.

While major metropolitan areas like Chicago, San Francisco, and New York City are well-known for their “smart city” initiatives, communities of any size can take steps to use technology to improve city services, operations, policymaking, and public engagement.

Recently, many Minnesota cities have been working to expand their broadband networks, develop stormwater systems, manage energy performance, and initiate other smart city projects.

Definition of a smart city

While there are many ways to define a smart city, we group smart city initiatives into these six categories:

• Mobility: Scooters, public transit, vehicles, and anything that moves people, goods, or services
• Water: Wastewater and stormwater facilities
• Public services: Traffic management, permitting, GIS applications
• Homes and building: “Internet of things” technology in homes, offices, and public buildings (heating and cooling, lights, security)
• Energy: Utilities, fleet management, efficiency
• Integration: Powered by data and seamlessly connected broadband networks, applications

In many cases, cities already have elements of this public infrastructure running through their communities and are on the path toward becoming a smarter city.

Achieving goals

It’s important to note that cities aren’t using these tools for accolades. Technology and data can help provide smart solutions that improve the quality of life in a city and return tax dollars into the system. Ultimately, the goal of implementing these strategies is to deliver better outcomes for the community while using fewer resources. Smart city approaches can also help communities reach broader goals like advancing equity, improving policymaking, or decreasing their environmental footprint. A tangible example of this is crime rates. In Philadelphia, the Police Department launched a “Smart Policing Initiative” using data, GIS mapping, and predictive analysis to see where crime is occurring most in the city.

The analysis allows the city to devote more resources to crime hot spots and improve response times. The city’s high crime areas have seen reductions in the crime rate since implementing these practices.

Disadvantages to consider

While it’s easy to see how data improved public life in the Philadelphia Police Department example, there are also drawbacks to consider. Smart cities are powered by data, and residents may be wary about sharing personal information with their government. Communities that use this technology must take steps to ensure privacy and prevent companies from profiting off their citizens’ data.

Another risk is cyberattacks. Now that many cities have made large-scale investments in digital technology infrastructure, predators have found opportunities to wreak havoc on city systems.

In Baltimore, attackers recently targeted the city’s computer-aided dispatch system, and first responders were unable to access it for 17 hours. A 2018 ransomware attack of Atlanta’s software applications disrupted five of 13 city departments and cost more than $12 million.

Smart cities must invest in the security of these critical infrastructure systems to ensure reliable and secure systems that the public can trust.

Money-saving initiatives

Although smart city initiatives may carry an upfront cost in some cases, they can save the city money in the long run. For example, San Diego leaders expanded upon money-saving efforts that are helping to make their city smarter.

What began as an initiative to use energy-efficient LED bulbs in streetlights has evolved into the deployment of the world’s largest smart city sensor platform. Controlled by remotes, this digital infrastructure allows the city to dim the streetlights during certain hours of the day, resulting in further energy and cost savings.

Becoming a smart city

Throughout the United States as smart city approaches become more common, cities are becoming more equipped to manage risks and use advances in technology to build better communities.

If your community is ready to get smart, public engagement can help you identify priority areas and set goals. Start a conversation in your city about the challenges you’re facing and how information and communications technology can help solve those challenges.

This article was originally published in the League of Minnesota Cities Winter 2020 magazine.

5G and Small Cell Infrastructure

The things to know about the world’s newest technology disruptor.

Terms such as 5G and small cell infrastructure are buzz words in today’s ever-changing innovative landscape, but what does that mean for the communities we live and work in?  Federal mandates are constantly being updated and new technology is replacing ‘old’ technology quicker than many can keep track of.  What was once cutting-edge is becoming obsolete faster and faster.  As the world continues to rely on more data, the demand for access to that data continues to grow.  Our technology-reliant world is driving carriers to build more towers and access points throughout the world.  As these initiatives continue to grow, the communities we live and work in are starting to prepare. Small cell infrastructure and 5G preparation can look different depending on the type of community you live in and where you are in the United States.

Here are 10 things to know about small cell infrastructure. 

1. What exactly is small cell infrastructure? The CTIA, an organization that advocates and represents the U.S. wireless communications industry, defines small cell as: Small radio equipment and antennas that can be placed on structures such as streetlights, the sides of buildings, or poles. They are about the size of a pizza box, and are essential for transmitting data to and from a wireless device.
2. Today, the United State is at critical mass for data. We play more games, we use more apps and the tools that power our daily lives rely on application-driven data. 5G brings greater speed, lower latency and the ability to connect more devices at once.
3. Federal mandates surrounding spectrum and capacity availability have been contentious throughout the years as politicians and communities gain more knowledge. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has developed a 5G FAST Plan, a comprehensive strategy to facilitate and accelerate the deployment of America’s high-speed internet access.
4. While other countries around the globe are advancing their technology infrastructure, the United States is taking steps to lead the world in 5G. The FCC is committed to increasing spectrum availability, updating infrastructure policy to encourage the private sector to invest and modernizing outdated regulations that will promote digital opportunities for all Americans.
5. Have we seen 5G before? Yes, several test markets have activated for large events, especially events that take place on a world-stage. States like California, New York, Colorado, Minnesota and Texas, all of which have high growth rates, have also been investing heavily in small cell infrastructure and 5G technology. Carriers are aggressively rolling this technology out in densely populated areas to more easily distribute data in high deployment areas. Additionally, large corporate headquarters are working closely with carriers to implement related projects and technologies.
6. Big goals and big legislation are driving the 5G movement. We’re working closely with municipalities throughout the United States to help them understand the processes that will be required and affected by small cell infrastructure. 
7. Small cell infrastructure is being implemented where the demand is highest. 5G not only increases coverage and speed but most importantly increases capacity, and that’s why carriers are focusing on densely populated areas first. 
8. 5G will still come from large cellular towers, but small cell infrastructure will be placed to increase capacity and data availability. Tower companies are working closely with carriers to deliver alternative solutions.
9. In 2017, the first federal mandate was implemented to say that cities around the country cannot say no to 5G infrastructure. The mandate states that cities and communities are not able to prevent 5G from happening, but they are able to set regulations that a carrier must abide by. The question is not whether communities will choose to participate, but rather if they’re prepared for it.
10. Small cell infrastructure will affect everyone from the most urban environments to rural towns. Cities are developing ordinances to regulate how small cell infrastructure is implemented throughout their communities. Several cities are developing permits, planner reviews and regulations to ensure that small cell infrastructure is structurally sound, aesthetically-pleasing and are protecting historically significant landmarks. 

Tracking Santa: An ArcGIS Online case

By John Mackiewicz
February 6, 2015

ArcGIS Online connects maps, apps, data and people so you can make smarter, faster decisions. It gives everyone – both inside and outside organizations – the ability to discover, use, make and share maps from any device at any time. At its core, ArcGIS Online is a hosted cloud software as a service (SaaS) platform. Everything you need to create your own web maps and apps is available on ArcGIS Online. You can create maps from Microsoft Excel or upload your data from ArcMap to share your map and collect data in the field on your tablet or phone.

ArcGIS Online supports many users collecting data in the field at one time. This presents a problem for large workforces, as you may need to track where your collectors go when working in the field. Using Esri’s Collector for ArcGIS app, you can have it periodically report the location of data collectors back to a tracking layer on ArcGIS Online by publishing a tracking layer on ArcGIS Online and adding it to an Web Map with tracking enabled. When this Web Map is accessed within the collector app, the collector app sends its GPS location back to the tracking layer hosted on ArcGIS Online at a predefined interval.

At WSB, we view ArcGIS Online as a technology that:

• Can quickly be deployed for multiple uses
• Is flexible enough to handle diverse workflows without requiring any programming
• Has untapped potential for public outreach

Below is one of our favorite examples of how we used ArcGIS Online to help a client deliver immediate value to both the organization and the public.

Tracking Santa

For more than 25 years, firefighters in the City of St. Anthony, Minnesota, have helped Santa by collecting gifts for those in need. Santa rides in fire trucks throughout the city collecting gift donations from residents. In 2014, the city wanted to allow residents to track Santa’s location along his route.

The City of St. Anthony decided to utilize ArcGIS Online to track Santa, thanks to all the app’s capabilities.

Here’s how we did it:

1. A tracking layer was published on ArcGIS Online.
2. The tracking layer was added to a Web Map configured with the city’s custom Esri base maps with tracking enabled.
3. The city deployed an iPad with the Esri Collector for ArcGIS app to ride along with Santa with the Web Map open on the fire truck.
4. A custom web app was built using our DataLink platform to show Santa’s most recent location.

As the fire truck drove along its route, the collector app was configured to report the truck’s location every 30 seconds back to ArcGIS Online. Residents used DataLink to view Santa’s current location in relation to their house so they knew when Santa was arriving.

Tracking Santa’s location is certainly a unique use of ArcGIS Online, but it shows how extensible the ArcGIS Online platform is. With just a few clicks, you can begin to track real-time locations of users who are using the collector app.

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) Elevation Data

What is LiDAR?

LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a combination of “light” and “radar.” It’s a remote sensing technology that uses lasers to detect and measure features on the surface of the Earth. Due to its high accuracy, LiDAR has become the de facto standard for creating elevation surfaces and measuring heights of features above the ground such as trees or buildings.

LiDAR in action

Minnesota completed a statewide LiDAR gathering project funded by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, and spearheaded by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Geospatial Information Office. The six-year project resulted in a seamless, high-resolution digital elevation map of the entire State of Minnesota. This data is completely free to download and offers a vertical accuracy of six inches. This project has enabled the flow of accurate topographic information between all organizations and the general public.

LiDAR deliverables

The deliverables of the project came in different formats. The simplest and most frequently used format is two-foot contours that were generated statewide. There is also a high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) that can be acquired as county tiles. The user can generate contours at varying intervals in this format, such as one-foot or even six-inch. Both the contours and the DEM use bare earth returns, meaning you only get surface elevation.

A third format is the raw LiDAR data, which is dense collection of points, or a point cloud. If you imagine the laser from an airplane hitting the surface, it’s the information at that contact point that is reflected back to sensors on the plane. The density of those points depends on the exact collection methods, but typically there will be 2 million points per square mile, or approximately 20,000 points for a typical city block. The point cloud gives access to all the returns and not just the bare earth returns; therefore, we can gather information about the heights of trees, buildings, water towers, etc. The point cloud is so dense that it is even possible to extract overhead power lines from the data. These multiple returns allow the data to be used for many different 3D analyses and visualizations. Certain 3D software packages allow the user to take the point cloud and turn it on its side, creating a vertical profile with accurate object heights and ground elevations.

LiDAR uses

There are many uses for LiDAR data beyond viewing ground elevation or object heights. Any kind of hydrologic flow analysis can benefit from the use of this data. Erosion analysis can be done by using slope estimates from LiDAR to compute the amount of erosion in certain areas, and that in turn can be used to calculate sediment accumulations. LiDAR has also been used for flood modeling, urban planning, oil and gas exploration, and coastline management. With the wide availability of free and highly accurate topographic data, many are reaping the benefits of LiDAR data and finding that its uses are far-reaching across many disciplines.