Detriot city is facing funding and planning challenges due to its outmigration. It is at a tipping point where its resident is forced to reinvent the city. The challenges faced by Detroit are giving rise to platforms and opportunities where discussions around alternative urban futures for cities are taking place. Detroit is trying to rebuild a smarter city and in this article, you will study the things required for transforming Detroit into a smarter city.

What is the Smart City Project of Detroit?

The smart cities project of Detroit aims to expand smart technologies like sensors, distributed communications, and intelligence. It has the idea of integrating analytics and technology to create cohesive engagement between businesses, communities, and citizens. This project will educate its visitors about the important role that citizens play in creating environments that are more workable, interactive, efficient, livable, and empowering. This smart city project consists of components like aerial vehicles, leak detection technology and analytics, an electric vehicle charging station,  an educational kiosk, mobile applications, and intelligent streetlights.

Also Read: Envision Charlotte: Building a Smart City Through Collaboration and Innovation

What Components are Transforming Detroit into a Smarter City?

These are a few components that are transforming Detroit into a smarter city-

  • DTE Insight- It’s an interactive phone app for customers with advanced meters. It allows them to manage their energy usage as well as receive details on how, when, and where the energy is being used.
  • Itron City App- This app allows citizens to report city issues like crime, streetlights, graffiti, water leaks, potholes, plugged storm drains, abandoned cars, and more. It allows the cities to be more systematic and also save money by deputizing the citizens to easily report common city issues.
  • Itron Insights App- This app is the result of the collaboration of Itron with Microsoft. It’s a water and energy analyzer application. It’s based on Windows 8. It imparts a clear view of water revenue, energy cost, CO2 impacts, etc to the cities.
  • Educational Kiosk- It allows visitors and employees to learn about smart cities and why they are important. It provides interactive tools. Users can build their smart city using elements like leak sensors, streetlights, EV charging stations, etc.
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles- These vehicles are also referred to as drones or remotely piloted aircraft. These vehicles can visually inspect city- or utility-owned assets, like solar panels or fires, downed power lines, etc. These vehicles can also relay a video feed to control centers on the ground.
  • Smart Electric Vehicle Charging Station- Smart Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station combines WiFi technology and a revenue-grade meter. It also allows the driver to get charging data on their smartphones. This data includes the time to fully charge, the estimated cost of full charge, the estimated rate of the current charge, etc.
  • Intelligent Streetlights- These provide smart cities with the ability to remotely monitor, measure, and control the performance of fixtures wirelessly. They also maximize energy and operational cost savings.
  • Leak detection- It provides valuable insights into the health of underground infrastructure plus it can also have an immediate impact on revenue and profitability projections, conservation programs, and overall operational efficiency.
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