Innovations to make cities smarter

Buildings that know when they need to be fixed before something breaks. Smart water and sewage systems that can filter and recycle water. Sensors that give fire departments details of a fire before they receive the emergency phone call.

Sounds futuristic?

These are some of the predictions IBM researchers say will make cities smarter over the next five years.

An estimated 60 million people around the world live in cities and experts predict population in the world's cities will double by 2050. As populations grow, city leaders are looking for ways to improve life in cities as they face massive urbanization and demands on their infrastructure.

IBM's annual "5 in 5 " lists 5 innovations that will change the way we work, live and play in cities.

• Cities will have healthier immune systems - Given population density, cities remain hotbeds of communicable diseases. But in the future, public health officials will know precisely when, where and how diseases are spreading – even which neighborhoods will be affected next.
• City buildings will sense and respond like living organisms - In the future, the technology that manages facilities will operate like a living organism that can sense and respond quickly, in order to protect citizens, save resources and reduce carbon emissions.
• Cars and city buses will run on empty - Vehicles will begin to run on new battery technology that won’t need to be recharged for days or months at a time, depending on how often you drive. Smart grids in cities could enable cars to be charged in public places and use renewable energy, such as wind power, for charging so they no longer rely on coal-powered plants.
• Smarter systems will quench cities’ thirst for water and save energy - Cities will install smarter water systems to reduce water waste by up to 50 percent. Cities also will install smart sewer systems that not only prevent run-off pollution in rivers and lakes, but purify water to make it drinkable. Advanced water purification technologies will help cities recycle and reuse water locally, reducing energy used to transport water by up to 20 percent.
• Cities will respond to a crisis -- even before receiving an emergency phone call - Cities will be able to predict emergencies in order to reduce and prevent them. Law enforcement agencies already use IBM software to analyze the right information at the right time, so that police and other law enforcement personnel can take proactive measures to head off crime. Sounds like that movie Minority Report.
  

IBM has posted a blog and accompanying YouTube video, that offers further insights about the innovations coming our way. I've also written a story about the innovations.