This week’s Smart City roundup features the future of infrastructure, the rise of social spaces and smart cities being powered by a new open-source platform.

The Future of Infrastructure

Research and Markets released its report “Future of Infrastructure,” which shows increased investment in smart innovations in the infrastructure space.

The report determined that Big Data will play a critical role in enabling smart infrastructures that will ensure lower operational expenditure, reduce wastage and generate a faster return of investment. Smart infrastructure is expected to give rise to ‘prosumers,’ who are essentially consumers of resources but are able to generate resources in the form of energy, data or services to the city. One of the ways prosumers will be able to interact or give back to the city is via mServices or real-time information kiosks, as well as the availability of mobile apps specific to city, service and functions that communicate with smart infrastructure around them.

The rise of social spaces

You can now sign up or log into various online services with the use of social media, so why can’t people log into buildings with the use of their Facebook account?

At the moment, many of us are making a habit of checking into places to let people on social media know where we are. This could give way to technology that allows people to check in just by stepping inside a building, a feature that can be very useful in workplaces.

An article on IoT Evolution explores the possibilities offered by social spaces, like hospitals, wherein appropriate doors will unlock as employees approach the doors or rooms they have clearance to enter. This will allow managers to monitor what time employees arrive, who entered the room and even know where staff members are in the hospital. It can also benefit patients as their smartphone can notify receptionists that they have entered the building so their file can be pulled up or their information can be easily transferred to their hospital file.

But what are the key components of social spaces? According to the article, social media, mobile and wearable devices, and APIs are the backbone of social spaces. Utilizing these will allow for quicker response time, as well a more personalized approach in dealing with customers and employees.

Weightless-N deployed in European cities

Weightless-N, an open-source Internet of Things platform, has been deployed in Europe via the efforts of NWave Technologies.

NWave Technologies created two networks using the Weightless-N platform and deployed them across Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen, and the south of Denmark around the city of Esbjerg, which is the second-largest port city and leading European offshore energy industry center.

NWave is also collaborating with Accelerace Management and Next Step City to roll out the first Smart City networks in Denmark. The roll out of this smart city initiative is expected to drive innovation on smart-home projects, as well as smart vehicles and public infrastructure, such as streetlights and parking spaces, that are able to communicate with one another.

Photo by @yakobusan Jakob Montrasio 孟亚柯