Big data in the smart city
Could Big Data help fire fighters anticipate where fires might spark? Could Big Data bring down electricity bills? Could Big Data redesign the city as we know it? The world is becoming more and more urbanized, with more than 50% of the world’s population living in urban areas. The United Nations forecasts that by 2050, two thirds of the global urban population will be living in cities. This rapid trend of urbanization leads to many urban problems, such as pollution, traffic congestion, and social inequality. As these might endanger citizens’ wellbeing and the development of society, solutions need to be implemented to mitigate undesired effects.
Smart Cities
In this context, data-driven smart cities promise to solve urban problems by implementing technology solutions in areas such as water and energy management, traffic flow, education, public safety, and many others. An important enabler of smart city technologies is Big Data, which represents vast amounts of raw data generated from a variety of sources (for example: sensors, social media, transactions data). Analysing Big Data in urban settings can provide valuable insights related to the city and how different urban aspects can be improved.
Collaboration with STT
The value of Big Data in Smart City networks is the main focus of the thesis of Georgiana Nenciu, who is a MSc. Management of Technology student at TU Delft. As part of the STT Big Data project, she is going to explore future scenarios of the Metropolitan region Rotterdam – Den Haag area (Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag – MRDH). Building upon the scenarios, the Big Data value flow will be discussed, and stakeholders involved in the smart city network and their incentives will be analyzed and invited to participate.