Spatial intelligence of cities
Encyclopedia
Spatial intelligence of cities refers to informational and cognitive processes, such as information collection and processing, real-time alert, forecasting
, learning, collective intelligence
, distributed problem solving, which characterize "intelligent" or "smart" cities. The concept allows unifying those of intelligent city and smart city
under a common field of study focusing on their founding processes. Emphasis on the "spatial" dimension denotes that space and agglomeration
are preconditions of this form of intelligence. The concept refers also to the combined deployment and use of ICTs, institutional settings for knowledge and innovation, and physical infrastructure of cities to increase the problem-solving capability of a community.
Using these spatially combined capacities and infrastructure cities can respond effectively to changing socio-economic conditions, address challenges, plan their future, and sustain prosperity and well being of citizens.
Social media have offered the technology layer for organizing collective intelligence, with crowdsourcing platforms, mush-ups, web-collaboration, and other means of participatory problem-solving. Media technologies and collaborative platforms remain the main tools enabling spatial intelligence.
However, the recent turn towards smart cities highlights another route of spatial intelligence. The rise of new Internet technologies promoting cloud-based services, the Internet of Things (IoT), real-world user interfaces, use of smart phones and smart meters, networks of sensors and RFIDs, and more accurate communication based on the semantic web, open new ways to collective action and collaborative problem solving. The city of Santander, for instance, in northern Spain with 20.000 sensors connecting buildings, infrastructure, transport, networks and utilities, offers a physical space for experimentation and validation of the IoT functions, such as interaction and management protocols, device technologies, and support services such as discovery, identity management and security (Schaffers et al. 2011)
Smart cities with the help of instrumentation and interconnection of mobile devices and sensors, which collect and analyse real-world data, improve the ability to forecast and manage urban flows and push city intelligence forward. (Chen-Ritzo, Harrison, Paraszczak, and Parr 2009)
Forecasting
Forecasting is the process of making statements about events whose actual outcomes have not yet been observed. A commonplace example might be estimation for some variable of interest at some specified future date. Prediction is a similar, but more general term...
, learning, collective intelligence
Collective intelligence
Collective intelligence is a shared or group intelligence that emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals and appears in consensus decision making in bacteria, animals, humans and computer networks....
, distributed problem solving, which characterize "intelligent" or "smart" cities. The concept allows unifying those of intelligent city and smart city
Smart City
Urban performance currently depends not only on the city's endowment of hard infrastructure , but also, and increasingly so, on the availability and quality of knowledge communication and social infrastructure ....
under a common field of study focusing on their founding processes. Emphasis on the "spatial" dimension denotes that space and agglomeration
Agglomeration
In the study of human settlements, an urban agglomeration is an extended city or town area comprising the built-up area of a central place and any suburbs linked by continuous urban area. In France, INSEE the French Statistical Institute, translate it as "Unité urbaine" which means continuous...
are preconditions of this form of intelligence. The concept refers also to the combined deployment and use of ICTs, institutional settings for knowledge and innovation, and physical infrastructure of cities to increase the problem-solving capability of a community.
Drivers
The spatial intelligence of cities is based on communication, collaboration, and computer-assisted problem solving within urban environments. However, different perspectives can be found in the literature about the origins and drivers of spatial intelligence.- The intelligence of cities "resides in the increasingly effective combination of digital telecommunication networks (the nerves), ubiquitously embedded intelligence (the brains), sensors and tags (the sensory organs), and software (the knowledge and cognitive competence)" (Mitchel 2007).
- City intelligence comes from partnerships and social capital in organising the development of technologies, skills, and learning, and engaging citizens to become involved in creative communities and urban renewal project (Deakin and Allwinkle 2007).
- The spatial intelligence of cities emerges from the agglomeration and integration of three forms of intelligence: (1) the inventiveness, creativity and intellectual capital of the city’s population, (2) the collective intelligence of the city's institutions and social capital for innovation, and (3) the artificial intelligence of public and city wide smart infrastructure, virtual environments, and intelligent agents (Komninos 2008).
Using these spatially combined capacities and infrastructure cities can respond effectively to changing socio-economic conditions, address challenges, plan their future, and sustain prosperity and well being of citizens.
Platforms and technologies
Collective intelligence is the major driver of spatial intelligence of cities. Partnerships, collaboration platforms and social networks nurture the development of technologies, skills, and learning, engaging citizens to become involved in creative community participation.Social media have offered the technology layer for organizing collective intelligence, with crowdsourcing platforms, mush-ups, web-collaboration, and other means of participatory problem-solving. Media technologies and collaborative platforms remain the main tools enabling spatial intelligence.
However, the recent turn towards smart cities highlights another route of spatial intelligence. The rise of new Internet technologies promoting cloud-based services, the Internet of Things (IoT), real-world user interfaces, use of smart phones and smart meters, networks of sensors and RFIDs, and more accurate communication based on the semantic web, open new ways to collective action and collaborative problem solving. The city of Santander, for instance, in northern Spain with 20.000 sensors connecting buildings, infrastructure, transport, networks and utilities, offers a physical space for experimentation and validation of the IoT functions, such as interaction and management protocols, device technologies, and support services such as discovery, identity management and security (Schaffers et al. 2011)
Smart cities with the help of instrumentation and interconnection of mobile devices and sensors, which collect and analyse real-world data, improve the ability to forecast and manage urban flows and push city intelligence forward. (Chen-Ritzo, Harrison, Paraszczak, and Parr 2009)
Flagship cases
Major strategies and achievements related to the spatial intelligence of cities are listed in the Intelligent Community Forum awards from 1999 to 2010, in the cities of Suwon (South Korea), Stockholm (Sweden), Gangnam District of Seoul (South Korea), Waterloo (Ontario, Canada), Taipei (Taiwan), Mitaka (Japan), Glasgow (Scotland, UK), Calgary (Alberta, Canada), Seoul (South Korea), New York (USA), LaGrange (Georgia, USA), and Singapore, which were recognized for their efforts in developing broadband networks and e-services sustaining innovation ecosystems, growth, and inclusion.See also
- Intelligent city
- Smart citySmart CityUrban performance currently depends not only on the city's endowment of hard infrastructure , but also, and increasingly so, on the availability and quality of knowledge communication and social infrastructure ....
- IntelligenceIntelligenceIntelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
- Collective intelligenceCollective intelligenceCollective intelligence is a shared or group intelligence that emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals and appears in consensus decision making in bacteria, animals, humans and computer networks....
- Future InternetFuture InternetFuture Internet is a general term for research activities on new architectures for the Internet.-History:While the technical development of the Internet has been an extensive research topic from the beginning, an increased public awareness of several critical shortcomings in terms of performance,...
- Internet of ThingsInternet of ThingsThe Internet of Things refers to uniquely identifiable objects and their virtual representations in an Internet-like structure. The term Internet of Things was first used by Kevin Ashton in 1999. The concept of the Internet of Things first became popular through the Auto-ID Center and related...
- Smarter planetSmarter PlanetSmarter Planet is a corporate initiative of the information technology company IBM. The initiative seeks to highlight how forward-thinking leaders in business, government and civil society around the world are capturing the potential of smarter systems to achieve economic growth, near-term...