MEED magazine stated that the term “smart cities,” which has become an appealing concept in countries around the world, generally refers to a combination of technology and communications—not only between people on the one hand, and the services their cities provide on the other, but also communication between different systems—or what is known as M2M (Machine-to-Machine) communication—where devices automatically communicate with one another directly.
Regarding the advantages and benefits of smart cities, the magazine noted that they are numerous, as they can reduce manual labor—such as in ticket collection and meter reading systems—while also creating high efficiency across various areas.While it is true that this technology is expensive, monitoring and reporting on its performance can help save money by addressing problems before they occur—in areas ranging from power outages to traffic congestion. Smart city systems can also reduce costs associated with environmental protection and curbing road pollution, not to mention lowering energy consumption in all types of buildings.
Furthermore, the magazine states that smart cities are more appealing to citizens as they improve their quality of life; the easier their living conditions in the city, the more likely they are to want to live there.
The magazine noted that in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, where the region still relies heavily on the expertise and services provided by expatriates, all these factors will help attract and retain high-caliber residents.The connectivity enabled by smart cities can also be applied to education and healthcare systems, resulting in an improvement in people’s standard of living that goes beyond technological capabilities.
Med concluded by praising the ambitions and visions of the GCC countries regarding the implementation of smart city systems, particularly in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar; however, these countries recognize that they are still far from being fully smart.In any case, since there is at least one smart component in nearly every major project in the GCC countries, it can be said that the cities in this region are moving in the right direction toward achieving their goals of becoming smart cities.
