Commissioned by Hochiki Europe, ‘Smart Cities: Building Life Safety into the Urban Landscape’ also revealed that 57% of fire safety installers weren’t even aware of the concept of a ‘smart city‘.
Wikipedia defines a smart city as “an urban development vision to integrate multiple information and communication technology (ICT) and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions in a secure fashion to manage a city’s assets – the city’s assets include, but are not limited to, local departments’ information systems, schools, libraries, transportation systems, hospitals, power plants, water supply networks, waste management, law enforcement, and other community services. […] Through the use of sensors integrated with real-time monitoring systems, data are collected from citizens and devices – then processed and analysed. The information and knowledge gathered are keys to tackling inefficiency.
Urban planners are only now scratching the surface of how advanced communications infrastructure can help enhance life safety provision to city residents.” Simon May, Technical Manager, Hochiki Europe
However, almost half (48%) of the installers polled said they felt confident that the life safety industry would be equipped to keep people safe as cities became ‘smarter’. A further 18% believed the citizens of these so-called smart cities would be safer than those living in less or non-smart cities.
“With smart cities now a focus for many global planning authorities given their potential to improve the sustainability and liveability of the built environment, urban planners are only now scratching the surface of how advanced communications infrastructure can help enhance life safety provision to city residents,” said Simon May, Technical Manager at Hochiki Europe.
Almost a quarter (24%) of those polled thought consumer demands for a connected, efficient and sustainable environment would drive the market. The most important aspect of a smart city, according to nearly a third (31%) was a metropolitan area planned with residents’ health and wellbeing in mind. Just over a quarter (26%) prioritised greater communications connectivity, while almost a fifth (17%) thought sustainability would be top of their agenda.
Asked to list the sectors most affected by smart technology, one in four (24%) installers thought facilities management would feel the greatest impact, followed by the life safety sector on 18%, the healthcare sector at 12%, education at 11% and construction at 10%.
“Examining the value of smart technology in city planning provides a breadth of information to help explore the impact of smart cities on life safety, both in terms of the possibilities they offer and the challenges that will need to be addressed to ensure we succeed in further improving fire safety in the built environment,” continued May.
“In doing this, we can make sure every area of the sector is equipped to face the future, laying the foundations to deliver an even safer urban landscape that everyone can enjoy.”
‘Smart Cities: Building Life Safety into the Urban Landscape’ was based on the views of hundreds of installers across EMEA and India.
Click here to download Smart Cities: Building Life Safety into the Urban Landscape by Hochiki Europe
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