The world’s population is increasingly moving to cities, which has kicked off a quest to use smart city technology to help cities build a sustainable infrastructure that provides smart governance, smart energy, smart mobility, smart infrastructure, smart technology, smart healthcare, and smart citizens.
Smart city technology is one way that governments and municipalities provide sustainable services required to meet this urban influx effectively. Semtech’s LoRa Technology and low power, wide area networks (LPWAN) based on the LoRaWAN™ protocol provide a smart sensing and control infrastructure, which allows cities to collect and analyze data from thousands of connected devices in a streamlined manner, in order to make intelligent decisions about the services they need to offer. LoRaWAN-based networks deliver secure, bi-directional communication with long data transmission range to blanket an urban area using minimal network infrastructure. LoRa Technology delivers solutions that are optimized for smart city applications that rely on battery-powered sensors that need up to 20 years of battery life. Smart city technology is changing the way cities, governments and citizens interact, and LoRa Technology is a contributing enabler of these solutions
Smart Parking
In the past, finding an open parking spot in a crowded area was simply based on luck and timing since historically, there was no way for parking lots to remotely communicate their availability with drivers.
This often resulted in uptight drivers navigating through crowded lots with no idea where to go. This unpleasant experience has not only caused frustration for countless drivers, but has also caused shopping malls and other public areas to lose business as unhappy drivers choose to avoid areas where parking is a hassle. LoRa® devices and wireless radio frequency technology (LoRa Technology) make it simple and affordable to transform commercial and municipal parking lots into “smart lots.” These lots share data through LoRa Technology that can notify drivers of occupancies and vacancies in real time on their IoT connected devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Gone are the days of inefficient parking – LoRa Technology tells you where to park!
Making a Parking Lot “Smart”
Implementing a LoRa-based smart parking solution begins with deploying LoRa-enabled sensors in each parking space. The sensors communicate with either private networks, or public low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs). Upon deployment, the sensor transmits reliable information about vehicle activity to Cloud-based management applications. The Cloud shares this information with third-party applications that notify drivers via their connected devices – smartphones, tablets, etc. Parking data may also be shared with municipal traffic monitoring systems to predict congestion and prevent it.
Why Park with LoRa Technology?
Lora offers several unique advantages:
- Sensors detect the absence and presence of vehicles. They can also be used with statistical software to create solutions for traffic and parking congestion.
- Each sensor requires no external wiring. Additionally, the low power design means the sensor can run up to 10 years at a time.
- Sensors boast a low operating cost because several maintenance tests can be done remotely.
- The sensors’ integrated LoRa Technology encrypts all communications, bolstering their defense from hackers.
- Each sensor is capable of handling millions of messages per day ensuring durability.
Waste Management
For years, waste collection has been performed on a fixed schedule. However, having regular scheduled collection doesn't take into account the varying fill rates by individuals or businesses. This means trucks are travelling on a regular route and emptying every bin regardless if they require it or not. Bins could also be over filled before the regular schedule collection schedule.
By installing sensors using Lora technology and using the low-power wide area network, cities can signifigantly reduce their operating costs by more efficiently planning their routes and more accurately placing their waste bins.
Why Manage Waste with LoRa Technology?
Lora offers several unique advantages:
- Signifigantly reduce operating costs by increasing collection efficiency.
- Each sensor requires no external wiring and can easily be retrofitted to existing bins. Additionally, the low power design means the sensor can run up to 10 years at a time.
- Prevent overfilled bins and keep our cities cleaner.