New-Tech Europe Magazine | August 2017

Figure 1: Singapore: smart city project does not depend on a national government that divides the budget

Figure 2: Port of Rotterdem: Hardly any human work involved

Much more than sensors "That's only true if the data from all the sensors are consolidated on a mutual platform that lets you see at a glance what is happening in the city and only on this basis decisions can be made," and Stokoe continues “Currently, we have isolated pieces of smart activities so-to-say and so it will remain for at least for the next 10 to 15 years. It takes a lot of time and money to lay the foundation and you must have a good plan. It makes no sense to connect indiscriminately sensors via a platform without knowing exactly what you want to do with that data." According to Stokoe an ideal smart city fulfill a number of basic conditions. "It must have a clear city boundaries. Where does the city cease? Are suburbs counting too? Secondly, there are measurable activities; otherwise you cannot organize them smarter. A third condition is structural funding by both the government and the private sector. A smart city is a long-term project, but cities do not usually decide how much budget is there. And industries only invest in profitable projects."

Figure 3: Really Smart City: Data from all the sensors are consolidated on a platform that lets you see at a glance what is happening

Singapore as a blueprint Actually, there is only one city that fits in this picture perfect: Singapore. "The borders are clear, because the city is bordered by the sea," said Stokoe. "Singapore has collected 15 years all sorts of data. And sufficient budget is available. Namely Singapore is a city state. So if the government of Singapore sets itself the goal to be a smart city in ten years from now, that is actually

feasible. To finance the smart city, the city does not depend on a national government that divides the budget." Most European cities do not meet these conditions. It also does not help that they exist for centuries. There are historical buildings and the infrastructure is sometimes outdated. The city is only equipped with a modern layer and in the periphery are industrial estates and shopping malls. These features

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