Smart Precinct - Building a smarter city Smart Precinct - Building a smarter city
Auckland Transport (AT) has partnered with Spark to showcase some of the latest in Internet of Things (IoT) technology and demonstrate what the future could like for Auckland’s city centre.
Project status: Complete
Project zone: Central
Background
AT is currently working with Spark, CSL infrastructure, Motiv, Vodafone and ASG technologies to showcase some of the latest in IoT technology at Wynyard Quarter – an inner-city precinct filled with apartments, offices, restaurants and home to the Americas Cup.
Simply put, IoT is the connection of many different items via low-powered cellular networks so that they can be controlled remotely or communicate information back to the user. Almost everything can be transformed into an IoT device using sensors. The data generated can be used to improve city living, reducing waste and energy use, and managing safety and sustainability in public spaces.
The new technology will enable AT to collect and analyse data that will drive better public safety and traffic management among other things and bring associated cost savings.
Auckland is a growing city, with a population expected to hit 2.4 million by 2050.
AT and Spark will install connected lighting that can generate foot traffic heat maps to help AT understand any ‘choke points’ to better inform future infrastructure investments.
Fitted with CCTV, the lights can be used to better detect criminal activity, capturing high definition video even at night, and they can be dimmed and brightened remotely to help reduce energy consumption.
Solar powered smart benches have been installed throughout the quarter, fitted with smart phone, electric scooter and e-bike charging facilities.
Sensors attached to rubbish bins detect when they’re full and can contact the council for service as required. This prevents them overflowing and reduces the number of unnecessary rubbish trucks on the road if they’re not needed.
In the future, AT expects IoT applications powered by 5G could be used to detect incidents such as car crashes or pedestrian accidents and notify the appropriate authorities, reducing the time it takes for emergency services to respond and potentially saving lives