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Technology: The Engine of Smarter, Greener Cities

Asian cities need to fuel urbanisation and economic growth by upgrading existing and creating new infrastructure assets. Technology is a great enabler in these needs, but how can we leverage and finance it in an efficient and effective way to keep our smart city initiatives at full throttle?

Technology: The Engine of Smarter, Greener Cities

The Industry 4.0 revolution heralds the dawn of a new era for the infrastructure industry. Technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) is now at the helm of many projects in the region and it is only just ramping up. Asia alone will require US$30 trillion of infrastructure investment between 2016–2030 according to an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report
To keep up with this, Asian cities need to fuel urbanisation and economic growth by upgrading existing infrastructure assets and creating new ones. Technology is a great enabler in these needs, but how can we leverage and finance it in an efficient and effective way to keep our smart city initiatives at full throttle?

Smart Infrastructure Drives Smart Cities

According to the Asian Development Bank, rapid growth in many regions of Asia has generated urban sprawl and unregulated development in risk-prone areas such as flood zones. Digital technology can help cities achieve more effective monitoring, mapping, and analysis of urban environments, ultimately improving land use planning and decision making.

These are just some of the ways smart infrastructure can help:

Potential benefits are apparent but are not necessarily easy to quantify given the limited empirical evidence. This has also been highlighted as one of the biggest challenges hindering adoption of technologies by asset owners based on a 2020 Built Environment Infrastructure sector survey conducted by KPMG in Singapore.

Smart Technologies – The Key to the Ignition

Smart infrastructure is flexible to user needs, adapts to changing demand profiles, and aims to lower “cost of service” throughout the asset lifecycle. However, every digital transformation journey is different, and companies should ensure they have a holistic implementation framework and are choosing the right technologies that best fit their business objectives.

The Importance of a Solid Digital Framework

Futuristic technology implementations have immense potential but can be hindered by archaic digital infrastructure such as aging servers, software, and storage. To be able to truly achieve the full potential of these technologies, businesses should ensure a strong IT foundation that can support their deployment. Some key services integral to smart infrastructure implementations are:

Charting the Route Towards the Infrastructure’s Future

Having the fanciest technology does not guarantee a smooth journey towards a truly smart future. It is also important to look at digital initiatives holistically from an organisational perspective. The lack of direction can lead to spending wastage or underutilised technology. For example, a large utilities player in Southeast Asia has implemented an organisation-wide ERP system, but this is currently limited in use because it does not adequately capture the current “process on the ground” in system design.

While planning for technology implementations, it is important to look at it from a perspective of:

Preparing For the Journey

As with every expedition, it is essential to ensure all bases are covered and that one is fully equipped to begin. Based on the feedback received from multiple infrastructure stakeholders, the following steps can help effectively implement smart infrastructure:

The Journey Matters More Than the Destination

While technology solutions are fast becoming affordable and ubiquitous, rushing to meet smart infrastructure goals without ensuring proper planning and utilisation of resources can lead to disastrous results. It is imperative that the infrastructure sector uses the vehicle of emerging technologies in a strategic and cost-efficient manner to effectively drive a new era of seamless service delivery. All that said, there is no doubt that the time is ripe for infrastructure asset owners and managers to leverage technology for building a sustainable and smart future.

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