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IFTACH DRORI, DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER, QOGNIFY // FEBRUARY 07, 2018
The ultimate goal of a smart city is to improve quality of life by using technology. In a recent article in Public Sector Executive, author Eddie Copeland talks about how governments should be focused on addressing urban challenges. Of course, safety and security are always urban challenges, because they are always primary objectives. According to Copeland, what makes a city smart isn’t the technology, but what it can do to better the lives of those living and visiting. The real value of a smart city is what it enables: a place where people and business can thrive, prosper and enjoy life.
A defining trait of smart cities is their interconnectedness. Unfortunately, the more connectivity there is, the less privacy we’ve got. This situation has been referred to as the “cost of luxury”. Minimizing that cost becomes an imperative so that the benefits of a smart city outweigh the potential vulnerabilities. The potential risk of cyber breaches extends beyond those associated with personal privacy. Think of the consequences of a hacked utility or smart app that controls traffic flow; those could easily result in business disruption and potential physical harm to citizens. For example, the ShotSpotter smart city application initiative in New York City is a “gunfire detection system that can detect different types of weaponry as it is being fired.” The nefarious hacking of a system like this could have dangerous results. A critical element of cybersecurity is physical security – they are interdependent. You’ve got to protect physical access to cyber assets in order for them to be secure. That makes many of the elements of a safe city necessary for not only the actual operation of smart city applications but also for their cybersecurity. Moreover, as concerns of personal privacy increase, city governments and smart city app vendors will need to be able to demonstrate that maximum cyber (and thus physical) protection is in place.
So much of the technology that enables smart city apps are from or used in safe city solutions: video, sensors, analytics, information management software, communication tools and more. Based on the two reasons discussed above – having a strategic smart city strategy and ensuring privacy and cybersecurity – it simply doesn’t make sense not to leverage safe city technology as a foundation for smart city applications.
As in any new field, buzz words will keep coming out. However, when you strip out all the hype, the main objective of any smart city initiative is the value it provides citizens and governments. And there simply is no value to what could be the smartest application without it being based on a foundation of personal and public safety and security. Call them safe, smart or safe smart cities, at the end of the day it’s all about making technology work to improve aspects of our lives – and safety and security are always first and foremost.
HAGAR LEV, MARKETING DIRECTOR, QOGNIFY // FEBRUARY 14, 2018
IFTACH DRORI, DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER, QOGNIFY // FEBRUARY 19, 2018
There are a few issues that will need to be addressed prior to seeing the mass adoption that has been predicted.
While the market is working on improving the battery life of a drone, currently, the average commercial drone has about a 25-minute flight time capacity. For certain applications, this is fine. Firefighters effectively use drones to gain a birds-eye view of the fire they’re battling to great benefit. For applications such as guard duty or perimeter protection, which require 24/7 capacity, short battery life poses an issue.
Like with all technology that matures, the cost of drones is on a downward trend. The issue is not necessarily with the cost of a single drone, it’s the number of drones needed in order to effectively carry out many of its potential applications. As mentioned above, a drone could be very effective in perimeter protection. In theory, you could overcome the battery-life issue by rotating a fleet of drones, but this would be expensive, especially if manned guards are still necessary.
Like a lot of technology, the origin of drones comes from the military with their invention of UAVs (unmanned aerial aircraft). Developed for battlefield use, as its name implies, a drone is an aircraft. As such, there are regulatory considerations when using drones for security or commercial purposes, including aviation; but also because of their capabilities, governance concerning consumer data protection and privacy also must be addressed. While governments and industry are pushing forward to apply relevant regulations in order not to stifle this important technology, until that time, the market is seeking clarity prior to moving ahead with full-scale adoption. Here’s how a civilian drone almost shut down Gatwick Airport last July:
As mentioned, firefighters are already using this technology to gain a perspective they otherwise wouldn’t have, making their efforts more effective. Drones are also being used detect movement and armed with video monitoring capabilities can transmit real-time footage of what is happening at the scene. Drones are here to stay. The market is rapidly figuring out how to expand the use of drones for the security applications mentioned above. With global powerhouses like Amazon investing in drone technology for their own commercial use, the security market will certainly benefit from the attention and resources being put forth by other industries. In the meantime, security vendors and users of the technology are working together to leverage drones within the existing parameters.