Smart Environment
When people hear the term, ‘smart environment’, their first thought is about ‘Green Living’, which means people living their normal lives using alternate resources in order to reduce the growing scarcity of non-renewable resources (eg:- electricity) and also to have a cleaner and greener environment for the future generations. This is probably the most important aspect of smart cities – that they are environment-friendly. In our current world, there is so much pollution and the resources we take for granted, are rapidly being exhausted. These resources need to be conserved for the upcoming generations, and for that, they need to be used smartly and efficiently. This aspect also links to the aspect ‘Smart People’ as citizens themselves can make a big change in the environment for the better by slightly changing their environmentally harmful habits and activities.
However, all this isn’t necessarily ‘smart’. There is much more to a ‘smart environment’ than just a sustainable eco-system.Mark Weiser, a renowned computer scientist who is widely considered to be the ‘father of ubiquitous computing’ has said that a ‘smart environment’ is an idea of ‘a physical world which is richly and invisibly interwoven with sensors, displays, actuators, and computational elements’ that are seamlessly integrated in the everyday objects we use in our lives, and connected through a continuous network. In layman terms, a smart environment is where a complex connection of smart devices works together to make life easier and more comfortable for humans.
Some of the technologies used are as follows:
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Smart Devices and Embedded Systems
- Sensors & Controllers -
Wireless Mobile Communications
- WLANs & ad-hoc sensor controllers -
Computing Paradigms
- Distributed, grid computing -
Middleware
This is largely based on the concept of the ‘Internet of Things’ or IoT.
The Internet of Things is becoming an increasingly growing discussion point worldwide and is most likely going to play a huge part in our future lives. The concept of IoT envisions a future where every object/device that we use (anything from a toaster to a refrigerator to a washing machine to a television to a car) is internet enabled. This also includes specific components of machines such as car engines or computer processors. Basically, this applies to absolutely anything in the world that has an on/off switch. According to an estimate by an analyst firm, Gartner, there will be over 26 billion connected devices by 2020. The reason for so many connections is, as mentioned above, to increase the ease and comfort in people’s lives (which may also indirectly be useful in other aspects).
Since there are so many connected devices, this concept can come into play with almost every single aspect of a person’s routine. For example, say, a person’s alarm on his/her smartphone is set at 7:30AM. As the clock strikes 7:20AM, the smartphone sends an internet-enabled message to the coffee-maker in the house to start preparing coffee. Then, at 7:30AM, as the person wakes up, he/she is notified by the smartphone that the coffee is ready. Thus, the person is saved from the work of getting up and waiting for the coffee to be made. The smartphone will also show him/her the contents in the coffee and how they affect him/her. Say, for example, the person has been having too much caffeine of late, the smartphone reads that pattern and suggests some alternatives and alerts the person about his/her high caffeine levels. So everything in a person’s life, from a mere coffee-maker,
Although the Internet of Things brings with it a lot of opportunities, it also brings a lot of challenges to the table. The main issue that is widely debated is security. With so many devices being connected, how can people be sure that their information is safe? What about the risk of hackers? This opens up another issue of data sharing and privacy. Therefore, this concept needs to be fully thought through and the implications need to be analyzed before it is implemented with citizens.
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