Wi-SUN: A Protocol Built for Smart Cities
Driven by a global need for increased sustainability, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and waste, and efficient resource usage, cities around the world are transforming into smart cities. Designed with the underlying goal of improving city operations and overall quality of life for residents, smart cities are urban areas utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) advances to efficiently manage city assets, resources, and services. Smart cities digitize aspects of modern urban life, including utilities, civic services, traffic control and public transport, and water and waste networks.
A key driver of widespread interest in the smart-city transformation is the rapidly growing global urban population. Each week, an estimated 1.3 million people move from rural to urban areas, and the U.N. projects a startling 68% of the world’s population will live in urban centers by 2050. Growing urban populations put tremendous pressure on cities’ infrastructures, and cities in turn significantly stress the environment and our limited natural resources.
The foundational technological arsenal of smart cities is based on internet and communications systems. With more sensors and connectivity in the field and more algorithms running in data centers, the inevitable outcome is smarter and higher-efficiency decision-making.
