A Smart City Is More Than Just Technology

A smart city is more than roads interacting with vehicles to help reduce congestion. They are receptive, bright, connected and sustainable. They’re made up of few main components, and without all the components working and coming together, you can’t have a smart city.

The second panel in the BW Businessworld Smart & Safe City Conclave 2018 discussed the components of a Safe Smart City - Command, Control Centre – Video Surveillance, Smart Policing, adaptive traffic control systems, Data Centre, Cyber Security, Risk Management. 

It also talked about the Smart Surveillance Technology or analytics to manage the crowd, traffic, cybersecurity, data privacy, building code to manage natural/man-made disasters etc.

The panellists were Vikram Sehgal, IGP, CRPF; Ajay Chaudhary, Joint Commissioner of Police, Delhi Police, New Delhi; Mohammad Imran, Superintendent of Police, UP 100; Amit Sharma, Manager (Technical), Department of IT, Government of Rajasthan; Rajeev Samanta, Regional Sales Director – South Asia, Johnson Controls; Ravinder Arora, Head of Information Security, IRIS Software; S Srinivasa Kumar, Chief Digital Advisor, Microsoft with Rahul Aggarwal, Partner - Cyber Security, PwC as the moderator. 

Mohammad Imran started by explaining, “Expectations are moving away from FIR based system to call based system like, in America, 911 exists. Citizens expect the police to come. We have come up with integrated emergency management as well as reduced the response time below 15 minutes.”

Vikram Sehgal pointed out, “Having technology in a smart city also requires smart people. People are very unaware about the technology and how to use it. They are very impatient. We have to educate the people and make them smart. We have to take it step-by-step.”

Further, Amit Sharma said, “we have CCTV cameras and setups in 33 districts currently. As citizens, we should help our policemen too. We do have IT services and crime hotspots to help them as well. We have worked on reducing the response time from 15 to 7 and a half minutes. “

Ajay Chauhan stated on the humane element, “The issue is to maintain law and order in Delhi. Suddenly, through technology, a lot of cases have been working out. It doesn’t mean that because CCTVs have been installed, there is no crime. But it has drastically declined. The human element shouldn’t be lost or ignored."

Rajeev Samanta said, “we have two main aspects. Firstly, we have large IT platform, solutions, products and data. And secondly, an application brings the solution, creates valid data points and sends it forward.”

Ravindra Arora asked to follow three main I’s. “First I is the instrument. Second I is interconnection. And third I is the implementation to achieve an intelligent output.” 

“Security and privacy related things are the building blocks. The data is used for a single purpose only and should not be leaked. Right people should have right access at the right time,“ said S. Srinivasa on security. 

In the end, Rahul Aggarwal concluded, “every recording of CCTVs is available online for citizens to access. There are a lot of advantages in using technology, but risks should be taken care of.”